Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Friday, April 5, 2013
Better sync lined up in Chrome for Android
An update to Chrome for Android delivers some features it's been lacking, including password and autofill sync.
Chrome on desktops has been able to sync personal data like passwords and online form fields for ages, but the features just landed in the Android version of the browser today.
Chrome on desktops has been able to sync personal data like passwords and online form fields for ages, but the features just landed in the Android version of the browser today.
Chrome 26 for Android (download) brings automatic form filling and password synchonrization to the mobile browser, as well as unnamed performance and stability fixes. The new version of the browser also repairs a problem where a blank page would be shown instead of loading the correct URL.
Some features that made it into the beta version of Chrome 26 for Android don't appear to be in today's stable release. These include server-accelerated browsing using a proxy, Google's SPDY technology, and rudimentary support for Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC).
Unlike many other browsers for Android, including Firefox, Dolphin, and Opera, Chrome is limited to running on Android 4.0 and above. If you've got Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean, you can install it.
In other related Chrome news, Google has released a Canary version of Chrome OS, which has existed for Chrome-the-browser for some time. Canary is analogous to Firefox's Nightly build -- it's highly experimental and unstable, and subject to near-daily changes.
Microsoft Outlook ready to run on Windows RT?
The RT version of Windows 8 lacks the popular Outlook e-mail client, but that may change in the coming months.
A fresh rumor out today holds that Microsoft Outlook is coming to Windows RT.
The popular e-mail application is conspicuously absent on Windows RT devices. That is, RT devices -- which run a limited version of Wind
Today there's word that Outlook has been seen running on Surface RT tablets.
And that's not all. SuperSite for Windows claims that an ARM-related firmware issue was causing Outlook to crash. Possibly offering at least one reason for its exclusion until now.
The popular e-mail application is conspicuously absent on Windows RT devices. That is, RT devices -- which run a limited version of Wind
Today there's word that Outlook has been seen running on Surface RT tablets.
And that's not all. SuperSite for Windows claims that an ARM-related firmware issue was causing Outlook to crash. Possibly offering at least one reason for its exclusion until now.
Adding Outlook certainly wouldn't hurt, said Craig Stice, an analyst at
IHS iSuppli. "Consumers can find this frustrating. They think they're
getting a Windows 8 system but there's no Outlook," he said.
"They don't know what they're getting into when they buy an RT device," he said. Consumers buy an RT device because it's less expensive than a full-blown Windows 8 system but miss the fact that it's incompatible with older "legacy" Windows software, Stice explained.
Nvidia's CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, whose ARM chip powers the Microsoft Surface RT tablet, said in no uncertain terms last month that Outlook is necessary for RT's success. "Outlook god, please," Huang said at that time, pleading for Microsoft to add Outlook.
(Note that RT products come preloaded with Word 2013 RT, Excel 2013 RT, PowerPoint 2013 RT and OneNote 2013 RT.)
Nvidia's CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, whose ARM chip powers the Microsoft Surface RT tablet, said in no uncertain terms last month that Outlook is necessary for RT's success. "Outlook god, please," Huang said at that time, pleading for Microsoft to add Outlook.
(Note that RT products come preloaded with Word 2013 RT, Excel 2013 RT, PowerPoint 2013 RT and OneNote 2013 RT.)
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Adobe issues emergency update for Flash
Adobe issued an emergency update to its Flash Player to fix two zero-day threats, the company announced yesterday. The updates affect all versions of Flash on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android.
The vulnerabilities currently are being exploited "in the wild," says Adobe's blog on the patches. According to the Kaspersky ThreatPost blog on the pair of zero-days, one attack targets "aerospace and other manufacturing companies" by tricking people into opening a Microsoft Word document with malicious Flash content embedded in it. The second zero-day targets Firefox and Safari on Mac OS X by tricking you into visiting Web sites hosting malicious Flash content, and it aims at Windows users by way of a Microsoft Word attachment delivered via e-mail.
Adobe listed on its blog the affected versions of Flash, and it recommended actions to take. Apple iOS is not affected, since it has never been compatible with Flash.
The vulnerabilities currently are being exploited "in the wild," says Adobe's blog on the patches. According to the Kaspersky ThreatPost blog on the pair of zero-days, one attack targets "aerospace and other manufacturing companies" by tricking people into opening a Microsoft Word document with malicious Flash content embedded in it. The second zero-day targets Firefox and Safari on Mac OS X by tricking you into visiting Web sites hosting malicious Flash content, and it aims at Windows users by way of a Microsoft Word attachment delivered via e-mail.
Adobe listed on its blog the affected versions of Flash, and it recommended actions to take. Apple iOS is not affected, since it has never been compatible with Flash.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
HP wants to help developers make apps faster
There's a new wave of application development tools on the market dubbed "agile" that aim to speed the delivery of applications and provide for a more collaborative environment. Today, HP took a big step toward making sure it is a relevant player in that market.
Agile software development is already used by up to one-third of development shops, according to Forrester, replacing the "waterfall" approach, which could take weeks or months to develop the software. In an agile world, code is written and deployed quickly, iterated on, market-tested and adjusted. That requires a whole new set of tools to manage these products.
Today, HP released two cloud-based agile application management tools -- HP Agile Manager to facilitate agile software development, and HP Performance Anywhere, which will help monitor and test applications post-launch.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: 2013's 25 geekiest 25th anniversaries ]
Agile Manager works in conjunction with HP's existing Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) tools, including Quality Center, and allows tasks to be assigned to individual developers while allowing code to be created, shared and edited.
One of the key tenants of an agile development model is that code should be created quickly and changed frequently. Performance Anywhere helps app owners know what changes need to be made after the app has been launched. Users create points of presence all around the world, either within their own WAN or on public cloud resources, which test how the application is running. If an error occurs, Performance Anywhere creates a flag, alerting the managers to the issue. Analytics tools even point to the potential cause of an issue -- be it an individual line of code, hardware issues, networking problems or any other variety of problems that could arise.
Both HP offerings are delivered as software as a service (SaaS), accessed through a Web portal. HP's Agile Manage is available today for $39 per user per month, with a three-month term. Performance Anywhere is not yet available, but is expected to cost $39 per application transaction per month plus $199 per server that runs the analytics software.
Agile software development is already used by up to one-third of development shops, according to Forrester, replacing the "waterfall" approach, which could take weeks or months to develop the software. In an agile world, code is written and deployed quickly, iterated on, market-tested and adjusted. That requires a whole new set of tools to manage these products.
Today, HP released two cloud-based agile application management tools -- HP Agile Manager to facilitate agile software development, and HP Performance Anywhere, which will help monitor and test applications post-launch.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: 2013's 25 geekiest 25th anniversaries ]
Agile Manager works in conjunction with HP's existing Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) tools, including Quality Center, and allows tasks to be assigned to individual developers while allowing code to be created, shared and edited.
One of the key tenants of an agile development model is that code should be created quickly and changed frequently. Performance Anywhere helps app owners know what changes need to be made after the app has been launched. Users create points of presence all around the world, either within their own WAN or on public cloud resources, which test how the application is running. If an error occurs, Performance Anywhere creates a flag, alerting the managers to the issue. Analytics tools even point to the potential cause of an issue -- be it an individual line of code, hardware issues, networking problems or any other variety of problems that could arise.
Both HP offerings are delivered as software as a service (SaaS), accessed through a Web portal. HP's Agile Manage is available today for $39 per user per month, with a three-month term. Performance Anywhere is not yet available, but is expected to cost $39 per application transaction per month plus $199 per server that runs the analytics software.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Apple ordered by court to produce agreement with HTC
A court in California has ordered Apple to produce without delay an unredacted version of its recent patent agreement with HTC, after Samsung Electronics said the agreement was relevant to its patent infringement dispute with Apple.
The document will, however, be made available only for viewing by the attorneys in the patent lawsuit, Magistrate Judge Paul S. Grewal of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose division, wrote in an order on Wednesday.
HTC had earlier agreed to produce a version of its Patent License and Settlement Agreement (PLSA) with Apple, provided it was redacted to exclude the terms disclosing the consideration paid under the PLSA, including how the amounts were calculated. The redacted document was also to be marked "Highly Confidential --Attorneys' Eyes Only" as provided under a protective order entered by the court.
The compensation terms it seeks to redact are highly "competition-sensitive," HTC wrote in the filing.
Apple and HTC said earlier this month that they had settled all their outstanding patent disputes in a settlement that includes a 10-year agreement under which the companies will license current and future patents from each other. The terms of the settlement were kept confidential and not disclosed.
Samsung asked the court to compel Apple to produce a copy of its settlement and patent license agreement with HTC, as it almost certainly covers at least some of the patents in the suit. Apple's willingness to license patents in the suit may undermine its claim of irreparable harm and demonstrate that monetary remedies are adequate, Samsung said in a filing last week.(
The South Korean company asserted during a hearing that the financial terms of the agreement support its argument that a royalty is a more suitable alternative to a permanent injunction. The court has scheduled a hearing in December to decide on Apple's plea for a permanent injunction on the sale of some Samsung phones.
"Many third parties to this case have had their licensing agreements disclosed -- without any redaction of financial terms -- subject to an Attorneys-Eyes-Only designation because the confidential financial terms were clearly relevant to the dispute between Apple and Samsung," wrote Judge Grewal in his order. HTC is not entitled to special treatment, particularly as it has recognized the general sufficiency of the protective order and the integrity of Samsung's outside counsel, he added.
The court also agreed to Samsung's moves to compel further depositions of three of Apple's experts whose declarations accompany Apple's reply brief in its motion for a permanent injunction against Samsung. It also allowed Apple's request for two additional depositions if the court were to grant Samsung's request.
The document will, however, be made available only for viewing by the attorneys in the patent lawsuit, Magistrate Judge Paul S. Grewal of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose division, wrote in an order on Wednesday.
HTC had earlier agreed to produce a version of its Patent License and Settlement Agreement (PLSA) with Apple, provided it was redacted to exclude the terms disclosing the consideration paid under the PLSA, including how the amounts were calculated. The redacted document was also to be marked "Highly Confidential --Attorneys' Eyes Only" as provided under a protective order entered by the court.
The compensation terms it seeks to redact are highly "competition-sensitive," HTC wrote in the filing.
Apple and HTC said earlier this month that they had settled all their outstanding patent disputes in a settlement that includes a 10-year agreement under which the companies will license current and future patents from each other. The terms of the settlement were kept confidential and not disclosed.
Samsung asked the court to compel Apple to produce a copy of its settlement and patent license agreement with HTC, as it almost certainly covers at least some of the patents in the suit. Apple's willingness to license patents in the suit may undermine its claim of irreparable harm and demonstrate that monetary remedies are adequate, Samsung said in a filing last week.(
The South Korean company asserted during a hearing that the financial terms of the agreement support its argument that a royalty is a more suitable alternative to a permanent injunction. The court has scheduled a hearing in December to decide on Apple's plea for a permanent injunction on the sale of some Samsung phones.
"Many third parties to this case have had their licensing agreements disclosed -- without any redaction of financial terms -- subject to an Attorneys-Eyes-Only designation because the confidential financial terms were clearly relevant to the dispute between Apple and Samsung," wrote Judge Grewal in his order. HTC is not entitled to special treatment, particularly as it has recognized the general sufficiency of the protective order and the integrity of Samsung's outside counsel, he added.
The court also agreed to Samsung's moves to compel further depositions of three of Apple's experts whose declarations accompany Apple's reply brief in its motion for a permanent injunction against Samsung. It also allowed Apple's request for two additional depositions if the court were to grant Samsung's request.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Disable Or Enable USB Storage In A Single Click With Phrozen Safe USB
People who frequently have to share their PCs, may often have faced the nuisance of unauthorized media, such as movies, photos, music etc., being transferred through a thumb drive, without their consent. Kids, in particular, aren’t usually wary about viruses and malware that a USB thumb drive may carry (especially if it’s being plugged into every other computer), and so might not be your non-techie roommate. Moreover, if you have some confidential files on your computer, you would be quite miffed to have them sneakily copied when you’re away. Likewise, people often want to restrict their computers to be used for file transferring and sharing through a USB flash due to various security reasons. Windows 7 doesn’t offer any option to write protect or disable USB storage medium temporarily, or even on permanent basis. Obviously, you can disable the USB ports in the BIOS, but then again, it would also disable your keyboard or mouse, should they support a USB connector. So what would do in such cumbersome situation? Phrozen Safe USB has an answer for you. This tiny little application lets you activate and deactivate USB storage within a single click. Keep reading for more details.
The tool has a mini console window, which, although not sporting many settings, easily lets you specify three different USB modes. The USB status drop down menu holds these modes. By default, it’s set to USB Devices fully operational. This means that any USB drive connected to your PC will be fully functional – you can write, read and delete the content stored in the drive.
The drop down menu also contains USB Devices in read only mode and USB Devices deactivated. When on read only mode, the connected device can be used to read any stored content, but it becomes write protected, so this in fact a handy solution to secure your files from being copied. The last of the trio is USB deactivated. When selected, any USB device connected to the PC won’t be recognized, while still keeping your USB mouse or keyboard, or any other device for that matter, completely operational. It should be noted that the any of three modes will work on devices connected afterwards, so it won’t have any effect on existing USBs.
When closed, the application is minimized to system tray. You can easily change USB modes from within the contextual menu.
During testing I noticed that all of the three USB modes work after quitting the application even from system tray. Phrozen Safe USB supports Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8.
The tool has a mini console window, which, although not sporting many settings, easily lets you specify three different USB modes. The USB status drop down menu holds these modes. By default, it’s set to USB Devices fully operational. This means that any USB drive connected to your PC will be fully functional – you can write, read and delete the content stored in the drive.
The drop down menu also contains USB Devices in read only mode and USB Devices deactivated. When on read only mode, the connected device can be used to read any stored content, but it becomes write protected, so this in fact a handy solution to secure your files from being copied. The last of the trio is USB deactivated. When selected, any USB device connected to the PC won’t be recognized, while still keeping your USB mouse or keyboard, or any other device for that matter, completely operational. It should be noted that the any of three modes will work on devices connected afterwards, so it won’t have any effect on existing USBs.
When closed, the application is minimized to system tray. You can easily change USB modes from within the contextual menu.
During testing I noticed that all of the three USB modes work after quitting the application even from system tray. Phrozen Safe USB supports Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8.
How To Enable Windows 8 Store On Windows To Go PC
You may have thought that Windows 8 is all about tablets and desktops, and the integration between these two platforms, and of course, the all new Windows Modern UI. You’re right, actually; Microsoft has build the OS from ground up, but Windows 8 also includes some brilliant features that really enhance overall user experience. If you have been a Linux user, you may know that Linux distributions allow users to burn entire OS to optical disc and removable storage mediums, so that one can easily use the OS without having to install it on the auxiliary storage medium. Such feature has always remained absent from Windows since its inception. Unlike Windows 7, which lets user install XP mode to use Windows XP compatible applications, the Enterprise version of Windows 8 comes packed with Windows To Go feature.
This feature enables you to boot Windows 8 Enterprise from a USB flash drive or an external hard drive, providing a convenient option to temporarily run Windows 8 on a host PC. Even though Windows To Go offers a full-fledged desktop experience, Windows Store remains disabled by default. If you’re running Windows 8 Enterprise edition from a USB device, and want to enable Windows Store to install new apps, here’s how to do it.
The first step you need to do is open Local Group Policy Editor. Just move to the Start Screen (if you aren’t already there) and type ‘gpedit.msc’. The resulting app will instantly show up under Apps list to the left. Click it to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
Local Group Policy Editor holds various settings and options and is a place for tweaking with system security, administrative and maintenance policies. For enabling Store, navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Store location.
The Store policy folder houses a total of three policies. Right-click Allow Store to Install apps on Windows To Go workspaces and select Edit from the context menu.
A new window will pop up. To the left of this window, select Enabled option and click Apply to save your changes.
Once you’ve enabled the said option, close the local group policy editor. Now, use the Win+R hotkey combination to bring up Windows Run console. Type in gpupdate /force and hit Enter to apply the changes made to Windows 8 Store policy settings. After updating the policy, you will be able to use Windows Store and install new applications and updates.
This feature enables you to boot Windows 8 Enterprise from a USB flash drive or an external hard drive, providing a convenient option to temporarily run Windows 8 on a host PC. Even though Windows To Go offers a full-fledged desktop experience, Windows Store remains disabled by default. If you’re running Windows 8 Enterprise edition from a USB device, and want to enable Windows Store to install new apps, here’s how to do it.
The first step you need to do is open Local Group Policy Editor. Just move to the Start Screen (if you aren’t already there) and type ‘gpedit.msc’. The resulting app will instantly show up under Apps list to the left. Click it to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
Local Group Policy Editor holds various settings and options and is a place for tweaking with system security, administrative and maintenance policies. For enabling Store, navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Store location.
The Store policy folder houses a total of three policies. Right-click Allow Store to Install apps on Windows To Go workspaces and select Edit from the context menu.
A new window will pop up. To the left of this window, select Enabled option and click Apply to save your changes.
Once you’ve enabled the said option, close the local group policy editor. Now, use the Win+R hotkey combination to bring up Windows Run console. Type in gpupdate /force and hit Enter to apply the changes made to Windows 8 Store policy settings. After updating the policy, you will be able to use Windows Store and install new applications and updates.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Task Robot Is An Easy Task Automation Tool For Windows 8
Every once in a while, we come across a software that looks quite cheesy, but offers some features that we simply cannot resist giving it a try. Task automation and user assistance tools often lie among those applications (you probably have heard about Siri, right?). If you’re already using Windows 8, then you might want to take a look at Task Robot. The app can be downloaded for free from Windows Store and fully supports Windows 8’s Modern UI. Task Robot lets you set a list of tasks for the Wall-E like robot, so you don’t have to worry about some routine tasks, such as sending emails, looking for an app on Windows Store, perform mathematical calculations and so on. It’s a great multitasking app that leaves you with less the effort and more productivity. Although, it does not look different from what we have already seen in many similar offerings, the app is still fun to fiddle with.
The app shows a black chalkboard in the background, which acts as the central place to tell the application about a number of different task actions. All the tasks appear on this chalkboard. Additionally, you can define multiple tasks at once and execute all of them with a single click. The left sidebar contains five additional buttons including Tutorials, New, Load, Save, and Save as tile on Start Screen. The Save and Load functionality allows you to reuse previously performed tasks. You can always use the Tutorials option to get familiar with the application. To add a new task to the chalkboard, simply click the red button stating Click to choose what the robot should do. Task Robot
This will open the command panel. The command panel houses a multitude of tasks. For instance, it contains actions to manipulate text lines, write and send emails, show HTML source of a specified URL, perform mathematical calculations etc. Although the number of tasks that can be performed are quite limited, the app is being updated on a daily basis with the latest additions.
As stated earlier, all the task actions appear on the chalkboard. However, you need to specify some details in the pre-listed actions. For example, Search for ….. on the Windows Store requires you to input the item name that want the app to look for. Likewise, you need to enter the numbers that you wish to multiply. Once you’re ready, simply click GO!! to perform the actions in one go.
Task Robot works only on Windows 8. Both 32-bit and 64-bit OS editions are supported.
The app shows a black chalkboard in the background, which acts as the central place to tell the application about a number of different task actions. All the tasks appear on this chalkboard. Additionally, you can define multiple tasks at once and execute all of them with a single click. The left sidebar contains five additional buttons including Tutorials, New, Load, Save, and Save as tile on Start Screen. The Save and Load functionality allows you to reuse previously performed tasks. You can always use the Tutorials option to get familiar with the application. To add a new task to the chalkboard, simply click the red button stating Click to choose what the robot should do. Task Robot
This will open the command panel. The command panel houses a multitude of tasks. For instance, it contains actions to manipulate text lines, write and send emails, show HTML source of a specified URL, perform mathematical calculations etc. Although the number of tasks that can be performed are quite limited, the app is being updated on a daily basis with the latest additions.
As stated earlier, all the task actions appear on the chalkboard. However, you need to specify some details in the pre-listed actions. For example, Search for ….. on the Windows Store requires you to input the item name that want the app to look for. Likewise, you need to enter the numbers that you wish to multiply. Once you’re ready, simply click GO!! to perform the actions in one go.
Task Robot works only on Windows 8. Both 32-bit and 64-bit OS editions are supported.
Modern Reader Is An Exquisite Google Reader Client For Windows 8
RSS feeds provide an undisrupted route to keep a tab on your frequently visited websites. Different folks rely on different feeds readers, with Google Reader standing as one of the most popular sources amongst all. There are a bunch of different Google Reader clients available for download, some inheriting a clean interface while others focusing on features and settings. As Windows 8 is already in the offing (check our Windows 8 RTM hands-on), many Modern UI-based Google Readers are also taking a plunge into the Windows Store. Not a while ago, Fawad reviewed Flux for Windows 8, a tile-design Google Reader client for Microsoft’s latest OS. If you’re on a hunt for something even better, Modern Reader is definitely worth giving a try. This elegant Google Reader app for Windows 8 is a treat to the eyes and lets you easily manage and read all your feeds without accessing desktop, or web browser, for that matter. The interface looks exquisite, but is further customizable via few different selectable themes, the developer has thrown in. Let’s explore more past the jump.
Modern Reader can be easily grabbed from Windows Store. To do it, open the search pane (or simply type the app’s name). Windows 8 will instantly look for all matching queries, from wherein you can easily head over to Modern Reader in store section.
The interface of Modern Reader has three main columns. All the subscribed items appear to the left, while the mid section contains the feeds within the selected item. Selected feed can be easily read on the right panel. The scrolling works extremely well, and the text appears sharp and vivid, so fear absolutely no readability nuisance.
Right-clicking anywhere on the UI brings up the option bars to the top and bottom. These bars carry a number of navigation buttons, such as add feed, rename tag, hide nav, Web view, mark unread, start, mark all read, refresh, newest, all. Web view is an experimental feature that lets you display the content of the feed in webpage format within in the app.
As mentioned earlier, the application also includes a few extra themes for users. To change theme, pop up the Charms Bar, and click Settings, followed by Settings again. There are four different themes to select from; Creamsicle, Bubblegum, Classic and Midnight. In addition, you can change Text size or sign out of the application.
In a nutshell, Modern Reader is one of best Google Reader apps on Windows 8. It should be noted that the app is available both as Free and Paid ($1.49) versions. The only downside of free version is that it displays in-app Ads. Other than that, there are no limitations or functional variations. It works on both 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows 8.
Modern Reader can be easily grabbed from Windows Store. To do it, open the search pane (or simply type the app’s name). Windows 8 will instantly look for all matching queries, from wherein you can easily head over to Modern Reader in store section.
The interface of Modern Reader has three main columns. All the subscribed items appear to the left, while the mid section contains the feeds within the selected item. Selected feed can be easily read on the right panel. The scrolling works extremely well, and the text appears sharp and vivid, so fear absolutely no readability nuisance.
Right-clicking anywhere on the UI brings up the option bars to the top and bottom. These bars carry a number of navigation buttons, such as add feed, rename tag, hide nav, Web view, mark unread, start, mark all read, refresh, newest, all. Web view is an experimental feature that lets you display the content of the feed in webpage format within in the app.
As mentioned earlier, the application also includes a few extra themes for users. To change theme, pop up the Charms Bar, and click Settings, followed by Settings again. There are four different themes to select from; Creamsicle, Bubblegum, Classic and Midnight. In addition, you can change Text size or sign out of the application.
In a nutshell, Modern Reader is one of best Google Reader apps on Windows 8. It should be noted that the app is available both as Free and Paid ($1.49) versions. The only downside of free version is that it displays in-app Ads. Other than that, there are no limitations or functional variations. It works on both 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows 8.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Task Robot Is An Easy Task Automation Tool For Windows 8
Every once in a while, we come across a software that looks quite cheesy, but offers some features that we simply cannot resist giving it a try. Task automation and user assistance tools often lie among those applications (you probably have heard about Siri, right?). If you’re already using Windows 8, then you might want to take a look at Task Robot. The app can be downloaded for free from Windows Store and fully supports Windows 8’s Modern UI. Task Robot lets you set a list of tasks for the Wall-E like robot, so you don’t have to worry about some routine tasks, such as sending emails, looking for an app on Windows Store, perform mathematical calculations and so on. It’s a great multitasking app that leaves you with less the effort and more productivity. Although, it does not look different from what we have already seen in many similar offerings, the app is still fun to fiddle with.
The app shows a black chalkboard in the background, which acts as the central place to tell the application about a number of different task actions. All the tasks appear on this chalkboard. Additionally, you can define multiple tasks at once and execute all of them with a single click. The left sidebar contains five additional buttons including Tutorials, New, Load, Save, and Save as tile on Start Screen. The Save and Load functionality allows you to reuse previously performed tasks. You can always use the Tutorials option to get familiar with the application. To add a new task to the chalkboard, simply click the red button stating Click to choose what the robot should do. Task Robot
This will open the command panel. The command panel houses a multitude of tasks. For instance, it contains actions to manipulate text lines, write and send emails, show HTML source of a specified URL, perform mathematical calculations etc. Although the number of tasks that can be performed are quite limited, the app is being updated on a daily basis with the latest additions.
Task Robot_Tasks
As stated earlier, all the task actions appear on the chalkboard. However, you need to specify some details in the pre-listed actions. For example, Search for ….. on the Windows Store requires you to input the item name that want the app to look for. Likewise, you need to enter the numbers that you wish to multiply. Once you’re ready, simply click GO!! to perform the actions in one go.
Task Robot_Tasks added
Task Robot works only on Windows 8. Both 32-bit and 64-bit OS editions are supported.
The app shows a black chalkboard in the background, which acts as the central place to tell the application about a number of different task actions. All the tasks appear on this chalkboard. Additionally, you can define multiple tasks at once and execute all of them with a single click. The left sidebar contains five additional buttons including Tutorials, New, Load, Save, and Save as tile on Start Screen. The Save and Load functionality allows you to reuse previously performed tasks. You can always use the Tutorials option to get familiar with the application. To add a new task to the chalkboard, simply click the red button stating Click to choose what the robot should do. Task Robot
This will open the command panel. The command panel houses a multitude of tasks. For instance, it contains actions to manipulate text lines, write and send emails, show HTML source of a specified URL, perform mathematical calculations etc. Although the number of tasks that can be performed are quite limited, the app is being updated on a daily basis with the latest additions.
Task Robot_Tasks
As stated earlier, all the task actions appear on the chalkboard. However, you need to specify some details in the pre-listed actions. For example, Search for ….. on the Windows Store requires you to input the item name that want the app to look for. Likewise, you need to enter the numbers that you wish to multiply. Once you’re ready, simply click GO!! to perform the actions in one go.
Task Robot_Tasks added
Task Robot works only on Windows 8. Both 32-bit and 64-bit OS editions are supported.
Clipboard History Brings Up ‘Clipboard Items Stack’ To Paste Text Anywhere
An application which can stack up clipboard items will help you to quickly paste selected items from clipboard. Windows native clipboard manager lacks this feature of holding text and gets quickly replaced whenever a new text snippet is copied. Clipboard History holds previously copied items so you can easily paste them in required workspace. Comparing with previously featured clipboard manager – Clipboard History (with same name), it comes with a long list of configurations to customize the way you copy and paste text. The application was developed to fulfill basic text copying needs, therefore, it can stack up only 20 text items. It comes with a registered hotkey – Caps Lock, to instantly bring up all the items which are residing in the clipboard manager. You can change the default hotkey and choose the most suitable key for pasting the text. Additionally, it allows you to edit and delete selected items from clipboard history for adding more items in the clipboard items list. You can save the most frequently used text snippets as stickies, so you can use them whenever you want.
After installing the application, you will see it in system tray. It is recommended to change the default preferences. Click Configure from system tray icon menu to bring up main configuration window.
In this window, you can delete sample clipboard items, edit them, or clear the list at once. The small window at right-side contains stickies – permanent clipboard items. A right-click on an item will let you edit, delete and change the order of stickies. Underneath these two windows, you can enable/disable clipboard monitoring, make character ignore list, and register new hotkey combination.
Before closing down the Preferences window, don’t forget to enter 20 in Items to remember box for holding up to 20 clipboard text items. Now, when you use the defined hotkey combination, a list will pop-up with all the recently moved clipboard items. Just select the items which you want to paste in your workspace.
It works on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.
After installing the application, you will see it in system tray. It is recommended to change the default preferences. Click Configure from system tray icon menu to bring up main configuration window.
In this window, you can delete sample clipboard items, edit them, or clear the list at once. The small window at right-side contains stickies – permanent clipboard items. A right-click on an item will let you edit, delete and change the order of stickies. Underneath these two windows, you can enable/disable clipboard monitoring, make character ignore list, and register new hotkey combination.
Before closing down the Preferences window, don’t forget to enter 20 in Items to remember box for holding up to 20 clipboard text items. Now, when you use the defined hotkey combination, a list will pop-up with all the recently moved clipboard items. Just select the items which you want to paste in your workspace.
It works on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.
Free Clipboard Manager: Automatically Save Clipboard Items & Screenshots
One type of applications that we probably use a lot are clipboard utilities. As Windows native clipboard doesn’t reserve more than one item at a time, third party clipboard managers provide you this freedom, and usually hold as many items into the clipboard as you want. Even if you can use third party clipboard apps, there is a large variety, so each clipboard manager has to have something unique that makes it stand out from the rest. One of those unique clipboard programs we stumbled upon, is Free Clipboard Manager. What it does is, it holds clipboard and take & save screenshots in its clipboard item library. In addition, it’s a portable application, which means you use it on the go. The application may come useful in situations where you have to copy text and take a lot of screenshots. Unlike previously covered Clippy, which keeps a log of your screenshots & copied text and requires you to save items manually, Free Clipboard Manager automatically saves the files to your hard drive without having to manually select and save the clipboard items and screenshots. This nifty little tool saves the selected text in a TXT file and images in PNG format, which can be accessed from system tray menu. It allows you to delete all clipboard items and apply restriction on saving text string that is less than 20 characters. More on Free Clipboard Manager up ahead.
There is hardly anything to talk about its UI. In order to send text to application, just select the text from app window and press Ctrl+C. The application will automatically save the text in a TXT file. It supports 2 screenshot taking methods; capture whole screen and capture active window. Use PrintScreen to capture whole screen and Alt+PrintScreen hotkey combination to take screenshot of active window. Both screenshots and text files will be saved in Clipboard directory within Free Clipboard Manager folder.
FCM list
You can change the settings of Free Clipboard Manager by right-clicking on its system tray icon. It lets you delete all clipboard items, browse clipboard directory, apply limit on saving text string less than 20 characters, enable auto start with windows, etc.
FCM Settings
Free Clipboard Manager left quite a positive impression on us. Its light-weight and quite simple to use. The application works on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. Both 32-bit and 64-bit OS editions are supported. Testing was only done on Windows 7 Ultimate.
There is hardly anything to talk about its UI. In order to send text to application, just select the text from app window and press Ctrl+C. The application will automatically save the text in a TXT file. It supports 2 screenshot taking methods; capture whole screen and capture active window. Use PrintScreen to capture whole screen and Alt+PrintScreen hotkey combination to take screenshot of active window. Both screenshots and text files will be saved in Clipboard directory within Free Clipboard Manager folder.
FCM list
You can change the settings of Free Clipboard Manager by right-clicking on its system tray icon. It lets you delete all clipboard items, browse clipboard directory, apply limit on saving text string less than 20 characters, enable auto start with windows, etc.
FCM Settings
Free Clipboard Manager left quite a positive impression on us. Its light-weight and quite simple to use. The application works on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. Both 32-bit and 64-bit OS editions are supported. Testing was only done on Windows 7 Ultimate.
Clipboardic: Save Clipboard Items In Files & Share Text Clippings Across Network
Clipboard managers offer an easy way to keep track of items you move to Windows clipboard during a session, and help you use selected clipboard items in required applications. Since clipboard tools allow saving only a limited number of items in the list, you may want to save the entire clipboard items stack separately to restore the clipboard data anytime you want, but wouldn’t it be better if the clipboard manager could automatically move the saved clipboard items to Windows clipboard to let you easily use the paste the items. Nirsoft’s Clipboardic has been designed keeping this very idea in mind. It’s lightweight, portable clipboard manager that lets you save clipboard items in a file (CLP). You can use clipboard files to move the saved clipboard items to Windows clipboard by simply selecting the file from the application.
The application saves the clipboard items’ files in the same directory, where its executable is residing. Just launch the application to activate the clipboard capturing, and start copying text. You will notice that it saves the text that you copy in a file, and shows the copied items in the main list with information, including Filename, Added on (created date), Type, File Size, Computer Name, and Text.
clipboardic main
Before you start a new session, it’s recommended to move the CLP files to another directory, so that clipboard data can be recovered. To move the selected item to clipboard, just select the item from the list, and it will copy that item to clipboard, letting you paste selected text snippet in required application. On toolbar, you will find option to search the saved clipboard data, refresh the list, save the selected clipboard items in text file, and view properties of selected item. By default, it clears all clipboard data on exit, but you can manually clear the clipboard data from system tray menu. If it doesn’t show tray icon, go to Options menu and select Put Icon on Tray.
clipboardic tray
The right-click context menu presents Save Clipboard Item and Copy Clipboard Item. If you want to save an item in the list in TXT format with complete info (filename, added on, file size), choose Save Clipboard Item option. The Copy Clipboard Item option does the same; it copies item’s information to clipboard. As mentioned earlier, if you want to use a saved clipboard item, just select the item from the list, and then paste the text in any application.
copy save clipboard
Cliboardic makes it easy to share clipboard data over network. Instead of manually sending the clipboard files to others, run the Clipboardic executable file from shared location to share the clipboard across the connected systems. It works on all versions of Windows.
The application saves the clipboard items’ files in the same directory, where its executable is residing. Just launch the application to activate the clipboard capturing, and start copying text. You will notice that it saves the text that you copy in a file, and shows the copied items in the main list with information, including Filename, Added on (created date), Type, File Size, Computer Name, and Text.
clipboardic main
Before you start a new session, it’s recommended to move the CLP files to another directory, so that clipboard data can be recovered. To move the selected item to clipboard, just select the item from the list, and it will copy that item to clipboard, letting you paste selected text snippet in required application. On toolbar, you will find option to search the saved clipboard data, refresh the list, save the selected clipboard items in text file, and view properties of selected item. By default, it clears all clipboard data on exit, but you can manually clear the clipboard data from system tray menu. If it doesn’t show tray icon, go to Options menu and select Put Icon on Tray.
clipboardic tray
The right-click context menu presents Save Clipboard Item and Copy Clipboard Item. If you want to save an item in the list in TXT format with complete info (filename, added on, file size), choose Save Clipboard Item option. The Copy Clipboard Item option does the same; it copies item’s information to clipboard. As mentioned earlier, if you want to use a saved clipboard item, just select the item from the list, and then paste the text in any application.
copy save clipboard
Cliboardic makes it easy to share clipboard data over network. Instead of manually sending the clipboard files to others, run the Clipboardic executable file from shared location to share the clipboard across the connected systems. It works on all versions of Windows.
PasteAsFile: Directly Save Clipboard Items To Files
Whenever we research something on the web, we save the related information for later use. What we usually do is copy the text, open an empty notepad file, paste the text there, and save it. If you are trying to store information from different sources, saving all of them in one file will not only confuse you, but also make it hard to organize the information. In order to avoid the confusion, what you can do is save the copied snippet in a different text file and rename each file accordingly, but that can waste a lot of your precious time. Text-based data is not the only thing that one needs to research for while doing a project. Today, we have an application for you called PasteAsFile, which lets you paste any text or image related item from the Windows Clipboard directly into a file. You do not have to create an empty file of any kind before pasting the clipboard content. With PasteAsFile, you no longer need to open the file to paste the required item into it. Just copy the item (text/image) to the Windows clipboard, right-click the file in which you want to insert the copied snippet, and click Paste As File option.
After installation, the application integrates into Windows Explorer context menu, and lets you paste text and images directly into files without having to manually open them. The supported formats for text files include TXT, RTF, DOC, HTML, PHP and a lot of other formats that deal with text, while the supported image file formats are JPG, PNG, BMP, GIF, TIF, TGA and PCX. By default, TXT format is selected for text files, and PNG is selected for saving images. You can enter any other format of your choice in the given field. This eliminates the need to change the format of the file after saving it. The file will be created in the same location that you access the context menu. For instance, if you right-click your desktop and select PasteAsFile, the desktop will be selected as the default directory of that file.
PasteAsFile
Upon click, a dialog box pops up, allowing you to change the file name and its extension. You can also choose another location for the file by clicking the Choose Location file.
Paste As File
PasteAsFile works on both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8. Testing was carried out on Windows 7 64-bit edition.
After installation, the application integrates into Windows Explorer context menu, and lets you paste text and images directly into files without having to manually open them. The supported formats for text files include TXT, RTF, DOC, HTML, PHP and a lot of other formats that deal with text, while the supported image file formats are JPG, PNG, BMP, GIF, TIF, TGA and PCX. By default, TXT format is selected for text files, and PNG is selected for saving images. You can enter any other format of your choice in the given field. This eliminates the need to change the format of the file after saving it. The file will be created in the same location that you access the context menu. For instance, if you right-click your desktop and select PasteAsFile, the desktop will be selected as the default directory of that file.
PasteAsFile
Upon click, a dialog box pops up, allowing you to change the file name and its extension. You can also choose another location for the file by clicking the Choose Location file.
Paste As File
PasteAsFile works on both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8. Testing was carried out on Windows 7 64-bit edition.
RoboTask: An Effective Task Automation Tool For Windows
By automating system operations, one can save a significant amount of time in order to achieve efficiency and optimum task management. RoboTask is a useful application that equips you with a feature-rich task automation environment loaded with useful hotkeys for essential functions. It can automate a wide range of tasks sequentially whether be it simple execution or manipulation of system variables. It eliminates the need for batch file execution, offering you an easy way to run multiple applications scripts and commands in a required sequence. You can now ensure data integrity by automating backup operations as well as peak system performance by configuring automatic execution of useful tools like the disk defragmenter, data backup etc. Similarly, you can choose to run the tasks when the system is idle. In short, RoboTask monitors both the user needs and the system activity to optimize utilization at each end.
As soon as the installation completes, RoboTask executes instantly and presents a simple user interface. The toolbar gives you access to the essential features of the application such as create, edit, remove, run or stop tasks. You can also view results in accordance with filters and modes (like Enabled or Disabled tasks list) using the respective field and drop down menu. It is automatically loaded with useful demo tasks that are disabled for new users. These are presented in a listed format with emphasis on task name, status and last start columns. Each task is based on triggering events that result in an automated task execution. To activate a task, all you need is to right click on the relevant entry and select Enable from the context menu.
RoboTask Lite - Main
The Task menu allows you to perform basic operations like New, Edit, Delete, Run or Stop a task. Moreover, you can further export or import tasks in the form of task files, aiding in the documentation and record keeping. The alerts window at the bottom pane allows you to keep track of operations and task progress or error messages with respective time stamps.
RoboTask - Menu
To view and edit the intricate details within a task, double click the respective entry and perform the relevant operations using various tabs covering Actions, Triggering Events, and Local variables. In addition, you can add in and associate observations or useful details related to the task in the Comments tab.
Edit Task - Robotask
Furthermore, the program settings allow you to modify the interface as per the requirements. The Plug-ins tab provides functionalities for specialized operations and maintenance. To view details regarding a specific item, click the Information button, accordingly.
RoboTask Lite Settings - Plugins
All in all, RoboTask is a powerful automation utility that is beneficial for both the novice and advanced users. We tested the application on Windows 7, 64-bit edition. It also supports Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8.
As soon as the installation completes, RoboTask executes instantly and presents a simple user interface. The toolbar gives you access to the essential features of the application such as create, edit, remove, run or stop tasks. You can also view results in accordance with filters and modes (like Enabled or Disabled tasks list) using the respective field and drop down menu. It is automatically loaded with useful demo tasks that are disabled for new users. These are presented in a listed format with emphasis on task name, status and last start columns. Each task is based on triggering events that result in an automated task execution. To activate a task, all you need is to right click on the relevant entry and select Enable from the context menu.
RoboTask Lite - Main
The Task menu allows you to perform basic operations like New, Edit, Delete, Run or Stop a task. Moreover, you can further export or import tasks in the form of task files, aiding in the documentation and record keeping. The alerts window at the bottom pane allows you to keep track of operations and task progress or error messages with respective time stamps.
RoboTask - Menu
To view and edit the intricate details within a task, double click the respective entry and perform the relevant operations using various tabs covering Actions, Triggering Events, and Local variables. In addition, you can add in and associate observations or useful details related to the task in the Comments tab.
Edit Task - Robotask
Furthermore, the program settings allow you to modify the interface as per the requirements. The Plug-ins tab provides functionalities for specialized operations and maintenance. To view details regarding a specific item, click the Information button, accordingly.
RoboTask Lite Settings - Plugins
All in all, RoboTask is a powerful automation utility that is beneficial for both the novice and advanced users. We tested the application on Windows 7, 64-bit edition. It also supports Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8.
Do It Again: Windows Automation Tool To Repeat Actions
Do It Again is an efficient automation tool which lets user automate a set of actions or tasks to perform them quickly without having to follow the lengthy procedure over and over again. For those who are not familiar with automation tools, think it as a Macro recorder that allows you to record set of actions to perform them later with a single click.
To begin, just create a new task and start performing actions or tasks which you wish to record. Once you’ve finished, hit Scroll Lock key to finish recording, and finally give the task an appropriate name.
do it again
You can create as many tasks as you want, all the tasks are listed in bottom pane. To run a task, just double-click its name. It records each and every keystroke, mouse click, and mouse wheel movement to prevent you from opening same applications, scrolling window, entering same dataset, etc., over and over again.
wmp
The Options menu lists down couple of configurations to set them up in any way possible. You can register hotkeys for specific task, set pause time length, normalize all pauses, and customize other application-specific options.
do it again options
A helpful automation tool to cut down the time required for performing same monotonous actions. It works on Windows 2000, 2003/2008 Server, XP, Vista, and 7; testing was done on Windows 7 x86 system.
To begin, just create a new task and start performing actions or tasks which you wish to record. Once you’ve finished, hit Scroll Lock key to finish recording, and finally give the task an appropriate name.
do it again
You can create as many tasks as you want, all the tasks are listed in bottom pane. To run a task, just double-click its name. It records each and every keystroke, mouse click, and mouse wheel movement to prevent you from opening same applications, scrolling window, entering same dataset, etc., over and over again.
wmp
The Options menu lists down couple of configurations to set them up in any way possible. You can register hotkeys for specific task, set pause time length, normalize all pauses, and customize other application-specific options.
do it again options
A helpful automation tool to cut down the time required for performing same monotonous actions. It works on Windows 2000, 2003/2008 Server, XP, Vista, and 7; testing was done on Windows 7 x86 system.
Evernote’s Skitch Debuts On Android, Lets You Annotate, Edit & Share Images
Evernote – a popular note taking tool recently acquired Skitch, which itself is a famous name in the world of screen capturing tools. To the utmost delight of Android fans, the official Skitch client has just been rolled out into the Android Market and guess what? It’s absolutely free! However, the app is not actually a screen capturer but rather a photo-taking/annotating tool. With Skitch, you can grab a quick photo, draw over it or on a blank canvas, add marks (highlights), arrows and text, save your ‘masterpieces’ to your device and share them with your online buddies and on Evernote.
Ranging from its gorgeous logo to its usability, Skitch looks a polished article. Using Skitch is as simple as one, two, three. Once installed, the app opens to a home screen with three options. You can capture a fresh image from your camera, load an image from gallery or try out your artistic skills on a blank canvas. Just get an image on Skitch and you’re ready to annotate it as you like.
The drawing interface of Skitch sports couple of bars: a tool bar and an action bar. Tool bar is for all your drawing needs. It presents you with multiple options, the first of which is an option to choose color and line thickness of objects. Tap on the pencil button on this bar and start creating freehand shapes on your images. Long press on this button and select highlighter tool to draw semi-transparent lines. You can draw arrows from the relevant button to point towards specific objects on image. The type button lets you add text to images. Finally, the shape button on the tool bar lets you create various shapes by dragging your finger over your image. Long press on said button to choose a shape (square, ellipse and line). The best thing with Skitch is that it lets you preview any modifications you make from aforementioned tools.
The action bar lets you perform various actions on images/drawings. This is where you can get your home, delete, undo/redo, save and share button. If you have Evernote installed, then you may share your drawings on Evernote by taping on the relevant icon on the action bar.
Skitch brings customizable drawing options that can help you edit your snaps and refine them to perfection. Per-tool settings and Screen-relative tool sizes let you tweak color/brush settings and lock active tool sizes respectively. You may also opt to Stretch Small Images to fit the canvas if required. Enabling the Smart highlighter option causes your highlight strokes to become perfectly straight when swiping horizontally or vertically. Draw-and-tap selection lets you reposition objects by tapping a second finger mid-stroke. Plus, you may adjust highlighter opacity as per convenience from the Settings menu within the app.
To cut it short, Skitch is one feature-packed drawing app for Android that can surely keep you captivated for hours. As of now, Android users can immediately try out this amazing app by downloading it from the Market for free while iOS users can only wait and hope to have one for their devices very soon.
Ranging from its gorgeous logo to its usability, Skitch looks a polished article. Using Skitch is as simple as one, two, three. Once installed, the app opens to a home screen with three options. You can capture a fresh image from your camera, load an image from gallery or try out your artistic skills on a blank canvas. Just get an image on Skitch and you’re ready to annotate it as you like.
The drawing interface of Skitch sports couple of bars: a tool bar and an action bar. Tool bar is for all your drawing needs. It presents you with multiple options, the first of which is an option to choose color and line thickness of objects. Tap on the pencil button on this bar and start creating freehand shapes on your images. Long press on this button and select highlighter tool to draw semi-transparent lines. You can draw arrows from the relevant button to point towards specific objects on image. The type button lets you add text to images. Finally, the shape button on the tool bar lets you create various shapes by dragging your finger over your image. Long press on said button to choose a shape (square, ellipse and line). The best thing with Skitch is that it lets you preview any modifications you make from aforementioned tools.
The action bar lets you perform various actions on images/drawings. This is where you can get your home, delete, undo/redo, save and share button. If you have Evernote installed, then you may share your drawings on Evernote by taping on the relevant icon on the action bar.
Skitch brings customizable drawing options that can help you edit your snaps and refine them to perfection. Per-tool settings and Screen-relative tool sizes let you tweak color/brush settings and lock active tool sizes respectively. You may also opt to Stretch Small Images to fit the canvas if required. Enabling the Smart highlighter option causes your highlight strokes to become perfectly straight when swiping horizontally or vertically. Draw-and-tap selection lets you reposition objects by tapping a second finger mid-stroke. Plus, you may adjust highlighter opacity as per convenience from the Settings menu within the app.
To cut it short, Skitch is one feature-packed drawing app for Android that can surely keep you captivated for hours. As of now, Android users can immediately try out this amazing app by downloading it from the Market for free while iOS users can only wait and hope to have one for their devices very soon.
Evernote’s Image Editing & Annotation Tool Skitch Now Available For Windows 8
Skitch is a widely popular application, recently acquired by Evernote, that allows you to annotate, edit and share your images with others. It has been available for Mac, iOS and Android for quite some time and is considered one of the best applications for editing, annotating and uploading to Evernote accounts. Since the Windows 8 final, public release is scheduled for the 26th of October, a lot of apps by some major developers have released for upcoming version of Windows. Recently, we have covered apps for Windows 8, such as Dailymotion and Flux. Skitch has also hopped onto the Windows bandwagon. Currently available on Windows Store, it includes all the major features offered by the other variants of the app including webcam image capture, image editing and annotation.
To download the app to your Windows 8 system, open Windows Store and type “skitch” to search for the app.
Skitch Windows Store
When found, click the Install button available on the left side. The app will be automatically downloaded and installed on your system.
Skitch Download
Open Start Screen, move to the extreme right side, and look for the newly created tile for Skitch. Clicking the app tile will bring up its main interface. It allows you to work in 3 modes: capture new pictures and annotate them using the provided tools, open existing photos and edit them according to your needs, or open a blank canvas and create an image from scratch.
Skitch Main
When you open an existing image, a toolbar at the bottom provides you with all the basic options to annotate your images. There are tools available for drawing a line, making an aero pointer, insert Square, Rectangle, Circle or Straight Line, and adding a text box. You can change the color and size of each item from the right side. Once done, you can easily upload the finished image to your Evernote account. The selection tool on the right side allows you to change the shape, position and direction of each item after you have placed it. After choosing the selection tool, left clicking an item selects it, allowing you to move it anywhere you want, while right clicking deselects the item.
The Start Screen tile of the Skitch app is a live (dynamic) tile. It shows previews of the images that you have worked on, i-e added annotations, inserted custom markers etc. Skitch works on both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 8.
To download the app to your Windows 8 system, open Windows Store and type “skitch” to search for the app.
Skitch Windows Store
When found, click the Install button available on the left side. The app will be automatically downloaded and installed on your system.
Skitch Download
Open Start Screen, move to the extreme right side, and look for the newly created tile for Skitch. Clicking the app tile will bring up its main interface. It allows you to work in 3 modes: capture new pictures and annotate them using the provided tools, open existing photos and edit them according to your needs, or open a blank canvas and create an image from scratch.
Skitch Main
When you open an existing image, a toolbar at the bottom provides you with all the basic options to annotate your images. There are tools available for drawing a line, making an aero pointer, insert Square, Rectangle, Circle or Straight Line, and adding a text box. You can change the color and size of each item from the right side. Once done, you can easily upload the finished image to your Evernote account. The selection tool on the right side allows you to change the shape, position and direction of each item after you have placed it. After choosing the selection tool, left clicking an item selects it, allowing you to move it anywhere you want, while right clicking deselects the item.
The Start Screen tile of the Skitch app is a live (dynamic) tile. It shows previews of the images that you have worked on, i-e added annotations, inserted custom markers etc. Skitch works on both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 8.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
AirCalc Is An Adjustable, Persistent On-Screen Calculator For Android
The stock calculator app that comes bundled with Android OS is undoubtedly a handy utility to have, especially if you are often required to perform various calculations on your device. However, said tool might just not suffice if you were to perform rather prolonged calculations by reading and feeding in multiple entries from, say, an image, email, document files (DOC, XLS, PDF etc.) or a webpage that is opened on your device, simply because of the hassle involved in frequently switching back and forth between the calculator app, and the document. Enter AirCalc – an alternative calculator for Android that presents you with a persistent overlay so that you can perform your calculations from anywhere in the OS. The “floating” calculator is transparent, moveable, and resizable, and provides you with the same calculation operations found in the stock Android calculator app.
AirCalc-Android-Sample3AirCalc-Android-Sample1
The interface of AirCalc might resemble the looks and functionality of Android’s stock calculator app, but in terms of customizability and convenience, it is far better. Just launch the app, hold down and drag the bottom-right side of the interface to resize it. Tap the minimize button at the top-right side to hide everything but the top bar. Now, open the document, image or website that contains the data that you wish to add to your calculations, and drag the top bar to to reposition the calculator accordingly. Swiping across the numeric pad reveals additional operations, just like in the stock calculator app.
AirCalc-Android-Sample2AirCalc-Android-Sample4
On Android 3.0 Honeycomb (tablets) can, AirCalc allows adjusting the opacity (level of transparency) of the app’s interface, and provides a clipboard feature to copy and paste entries from documents to calculator, and vice versa.
Although the app is designed to work in both landscape and portrait orientation, the option of setting the app to reveal all its calculation operations while in landscape orientation would have made AirCalc even more useful. The absence of said feature, however, does not diminish the usefulness of the app in any way. It saves you from the hassle of constantly switching between the calculator and documents, or writing down each and every entry on paper to feed them into the calculator later.
AirCalc-Android-Sample3AirCalc-Android-Sample1
The interface of AirCalc might resemble the looks and functionality of Android’s stock calculator app, but in terms of customizability and convenience, it is far better. Just launch the app, hold down and drag the bottom-right side of the interface to resize it. Tap the minimize button at the top-right side to hide everything but the top bar. Now, open the document, image or website that contains the data that you wish to add to your calculations, and drag the top bar to to reposition the calculator accordingly. Swiping across the numeric pad reveals additional operations, just like in the stock calculator app.
AirCalc-Android-Sample2AirCalc-Android-Sample4
On Android 3.0 Honeycomb (tablets) can, AirCalc allows adjusting the opacity (level of transparency) of the app’s interface, and provides a clipboard feature to copy and paste entries from documents to calculator, and vice versa.
Although the app is designed to work in both landscape and portrait orientation, the option of setting the app to reveal all its calculation operations while in landscape orientation would have made AirCalc even more useful. The absence of said feature, however, does not diminish the usefulness of the app in any way. It saves you from the hassle of constantly switching between the calculator and documents, or writing down each and every entry on paper to feed them into the calculator later.
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