14 New Articles on MakeUseOf |  |
- Cool Websites and Tools [April 22nd 2013]
- Reader Isn’t The Only One – Alternatives For 3 Dead Google Services
- No Sound? Don’t Worry! Troubleshooting Tips For Your Computer Speakers
- The 5 Best Free Reddit Apps for iOS
- The Three-Way Battle For Online Shopping Supremacy! Google Vs Yahoo Vs Bing
- 2 Tools For Converting Movies For Viewing On a Smartphone
- Everything You Need To Know About Managing Your Firefox Bookmarks
- Hyper-Lapse Photography is Like Time-Lapse Photography On Speed [Stuff to Watch]
- AirParrot Brings AirPlay Mirroring To Windows & Older Macs
- Is it Raining? 4 Beautiful & Free Weather Apps For Windows
- Mac Mail – 5 Plugins That Will Rocket Your Productivity
- What Is The Best Way To Remove Timestamps From Photos?
- Considering Switching to T-Mobile USA? Here’s What You Need to Know About Plans, Service, and Phones
- ClamCase Pro iPad Keyboard Case Review and Giveaway
| Cool Websites and Tools [April 22nd 2013] Posted: 22 Apr 2013 09:31 PM PDT
These are just half of the websites that we discovered in the last couple of days. If you want us to send you daily round-ups of all cool websites we come across, leave your email here. Or follow us via RSS feed. The post Cool Websites and Tools [April 22nd 2013] appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reader Isn’t The Only One – Alternatives For 3 Dead Google Services Posted: 22 Apr 2013 07:31 PM PDT
However, Google has pushed out some pretty interesting and obscure projects on the side. Google PowerMeter, for example, was a way to keep tabs on how much energy you’re using in your home from a web interface. Never heard of it? You’re probably part of the great majority. I know there are some that you do remember and have been missing, though. Let’s revisit a few. Google Answers
Though it was never as well-known as some of the alternatives, Google Answers was an online knowledgebase. The difference between Google Answers and its competitors was that it required users to actually post paid bounties for very detailed and researched answers. In the age of the wiki, you don’t need this. The Internet has everything. Though Google Answers hasn’t disappeared into a cloud of dust, it is no longer accepting questions. So what has come along to replace Google Answers? Yahoo! AnswersThis is probably the first thing that comes to mind. It’s a free service that provides similar functionality. The answers submitted here are community-submitted, based on votes, and are sometimes very unreliable. QuoraQuora is probably the best resource on the Internet for this purpose. It came around in 2010 and has grown huge since then. On Quora, users can collaborate to answer questions by editing the questions themselves and even suggesting edits to users’ answers. It’s a very open format and the Quora community is filled with helpful people. ChaChaChaCha is a mobile solution. It’s been called a “human-guided search engine” that allows users to text in a question and receive a response as quickly as paid specialists are able to research and deliver them. The service is free to use. Google Desktop
As the name makes pretty clear, Google Desktop was essentially Google for your desktop. Using this application, you’d be able to add widgets to your Windows, Mac, or Linux desktop that would allow you to search through all files, emails, web history, and more. While there are a handful of options that could replace the functionality of Google Desktop, two stand out. If you’re a Windows user, Windows Search is a piece of Microsoft’s operating system that seems to be constantly changed and improved with each advancing version. Google Desktop was most popular in the XP days, but today all of the features it once provided are practically included in Windows right out of the box by using the search field in the Start menu. There’s also Everything. Like Google Desktop, the name says it all about this search tool. Google Desktop was an attempt at allowing you to search your computer for anything and everything, and this free application allows you to do such tenfold more effectively. Everything is the elite software in this field and we’ve put out several articles that highlight its features. It’s simply the best way to search your Windows system. iGoogle
iGoogle isn’t being put to rest until November 1, 2013, but it’s the Google service that I’ve put the most hours into. For many years, my browser’s starting page has been iGoogle. It gives me everything I want all on a single page, and I’ll really miss it. iGoogle obviously puts a huge emphasis on elements of Google like their search, RSS reader, and more. The alternatives available are actually much more extensive and flexible. Netvibes is easily the consensus winner when you’re looking for a virtual dashboard to match, and even better than what iGoogle offered. Though paid accounts are available, I used a free Netvibes account for some time and was overwhelmed by the options available. If you used iGoogle and enjoyed it, you do not need to pay for this service. It offers everything and more. Last year, Tim put out a great article that introduced six alternatives to iGoogle. Netvibes was on his list. Give that article a look if Netvibes doesn’t offer what you’re after, but I’m very confident in the service. Make sure you check it out. What other fallen Google services have you had an interest in? We’ve all heard about Google Reader’s upcoming retirement, and we’ve also got a great article to show some viable alternatives. Let us know which products and services you miss and we’ll get some discussion about the next best things in the comments section below! The post Reader Isn’t The Only One – Alternatives For 3 Dead Google Services appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No Sound? Don’t Worry! Troubleshooting Tips For Your Computer Speakers Posted: 22 Apr 2013 07:01 PM PDT
There’s no sound coming from your speakers. What happened? Where’d it go? Don’t panic. The chances are that it can be fixed and usually fixed for free, if not for a low cost. Don’t Ignore The ObviousCheck For MuteCheck to make sure you haven’t just muted the sound. Seriously. With many laptop and touch screen devices it is amazingly easy to make the wrong touch or keystroke and the system sound gets muted. Or just turned down really low.
Check The PlugIt’s not muted? OK, are you using external speakers or headphones? If you are, you’ll want to make sure that the plug is fully seated into the port, and that it is the correct port. Often the microphone port is right beside the speaker port, so check that clearly. If the plug is seated nice and firmly, then you’ll want to check your headphones or speakers to see if they have their own volume control. It might have got turned way down accidentally while dusting or shooting Nerf guns. Who knows?
If it’s the device’s own speakers that appear not to be working, then external speakers can still be a problem. Most devices will shut off their internal speakers when an external speaker is plugged in. Maybe you plugged your earbuds into the back of your computer and forgot they were there. Take a look. If you find them there, unplug them and try the speakers again. Desktop computers can also have multiple plugs to put your speakers into. I’ve had a few where there were ports on the front and back but only one set of them worked. Maybe that’s the issue. Try plugging your speakers into the different speaker ports to see if that resolves anything. Usually the speaker port has a green grommet around it. They didn’t always have that, so it was nice when that came along.
Check The PowerNothing is muted and the speakers are plugged in to the computer properly. Good, the next thing to check is if there is a separate power supply for your computer speakers. Many speakers today have such high output that they need their own power supply. Check to make sure that the power supply is properly connected to the wall and to the speakers and that there is power. Usually there will be an indicator light when the speakers are turned on. Check The SpeakersThe chances are that you have access to another device that will drive sound to your speakers or headphones. Try the new device with a pair of speakers or headphones that you know work. They work? Good, now try the speakers that aren’t working on that device. If they don’t work, then yes, chances are the problem is your speakers or headphones. If they do work, then you need to look deeper into your original device and see if the problem lies there. My Problem Is The Speakers. What Now?Get New SpeakersIf your speakers truly are blown, I’d recommend replacing them. Unless you are really handy with a soldering iron and want to give repairing them a try, I don’t see how it would be worth it to try to fix them. Honestly, I’m pretty handy with electronics and I’ve tried speaker repair. They just never sound the same, there always seems to be the slightest little buzz or distortion to the sound – just enough to annoy me but most people might not notice it. Which is weird, because my hearing isn’t that great.
Or Get Your Speakers RepairedThis advice is easy to give if you’re just using some retail store headphones or gaming speakers, but if you’ve got a nice set of Bose speakers or something high end, contact the place you bought them. Chances are they can repair them properly, or at least point you to someone who can. My Problem Isn’t the Speakers. What Now?The answer to this isn’t always the same answer. It depends on the device that you have or even the operating system of the device. It also depends on the cost of the device too. Let’s break this down by device, shall we? MP3 Player/PhoneWhat kind of MP3 player is it? How old is it? Has it taken a beating? How much would it cost to replace it? In many cases, you may be dealing with a $50 device that’s a few years old. If you suspect that it’s simply a firmware issue, go online to the manufacturer’s website and see if there are instructions to do a system restore. They may even have new firmware you can put on the device. Hopefully that’s all it takes, but if not then you have to look at either repairing it or replacing it. I think my dollar cut-off would be around $100. Anything over that and I consider getting it repaired, anything under that and I consider getting a new one. I say that because repair costs usually seem to cost around $50 or more just to have someone look at the device. Computer/TabletStart getting familiar with sound card drivers and system sound settings. If you’re using a Windows system, doing a simple Windows Update may do the trick. Often, Windows Update will detect if there are new drivers needed for your sound card, and will install them for you. Or you can navigate to the sound card through Device Manager and check there to see if the sound card is enabled and the driver is good. If they are USB speakers, check your USB drivers while you’re in there.
That didn’t work? Maybe you still have the CD that came with your sound card. That will have the drivers on there. Or you can go to the sound card manufacturer’s website and look for new drivers for your device. Once you find a driver that works, you may want to back that driver up, so you have it in the future. If you’re handy inside a computer case, you may want to take a look at the sound card and make sure that it is properly seated into the slot on the motherboard. Many sound cards are simply soldered to the motherboard, but the higher end cards tend to plug in. If you’re on a Mac, you can run Software Update. That will identify your sounds devices and download and install the appropriate drivers. If that doesn’t work, it may be time to call the Geniuses.
If you’re on a Linux or other operating system, chances are that you know more about the sound card drivers than I do. If not, each major distribution seems to have pretty good community support online where I’m sure you’ll find friendly assistance. Stereo Or Sound SystemThe repair or replace method is pretty much the same here as with the MP3 players. Is it an off-brand Wal-Mart $150 special or is it an earth shattering Onkyo sound system that’s worth more than my car? The former I’d just replace, the latter I would take to a specialist to be repaired.
Is your sound back yet? Bass pumping and people jumping? Can you hear every skull-shattering headshot? Hopefully, this article helped you in getting things going again. If it did, share it with a friend and let us know in the comments. If it didn’t help, let us know why, so we can pass that information along to others in need as well. If you’ve come across something odd or different in your search for sound, let us know about that too, in the comments. We might be able to help you out! Image Credits: Speaker Plug via cdedbdme @ Flickr, Speaker Port via WilliamHook @ Flickr, Skull via Shutterstock, Girl Soldering via SparkFun @ Flickr The post No Sound? Don’t Worry! Troubleshooting Tips For Your Computer Speakers appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The 5 Best Free Reddit Apps for iOS Posted: 22 Apr 2013 06:30 PM PDT
Below are five of the best Reddit apps we’ve found for iOS, and each one comes with its own unique flavor. Different designs, features, and options are available for the individual apps, and while all are great, you may favor one above the other. Personal preference might be the decider here, but remember that they are all of the highest quality. Alien Blue (iPhone & iPad)
Alien Blue is a feature-packed Reddit client that offers almost the exact same amount of usability as the browser-based version. The app allows users to sign in with multiple accounts, access their already-subscribed subreddits, and interact using both comments and messages. Images and videos can be viewed within the app itself, and users can forward posts to services like Readability, Evernote, Instapaper, and more for offline reading. Other features let users share content with their friends via email, SMS, Facebook, Tumblr, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
While there is a paid pro version of the app which includes the ability to filter posts based on keywords, hide read posts, and utilize tilt scrolling, you should be able to get by with just the free version. Honestly, I could go on and on about the app, and for a more in-depth analysis, take a look at Dave’s article on how to kill productivity with Alien Blue and James’ iPad app review. Karma (iPhone)
Karma is an app that is quite similar to Alien Blue, yet it offers a slightly different interface. Sliding your finger across a post title reveals the site’s iconic upvote and downvote arrows, decluttering the screen and allowing for more real estate to showcase post titles. Post creation, commenting, and messaging are available right away, but the app requires users to complete a CAPTCHA for some reason. It’s not a big deal, but why the extra fuss?
As far as usability goes, the app utilizes Reddit’s standard white, orange-red, and periwinkle hues to make things easier on the eyes. Post content can be saved, copied, and even shared via social networks. In short, Karma is a full-featured Reddit client that doesn’t add unnecessary glitter and paint while still offering a solid product. Upvote (iPhone)
Upvote is a highly streamlined version of Reddit. For some this may be appealing – others, not so much. In my opinion, it offers just what one needs in order to use Reddit. Using the minimalist interface, you can upvote, downvote, comment, and browse subscribed subreddits like usual. You can even save posts for offline viewing. However, some of the “missing” features I noticed were the ability to view another Redditor’s profile and utilize private messages. For the minimalist, this isn’t a problem.
Aside from its beautiful, simple design, users can view images while they scroll through their Reddit feeds. For those of you who are curious, imagine it to be a bit like your Facebook news feed. Rather than having to go through a link to view a picture, you can see it right away, and if you’re worried about anything inappropriate popping up, Upvote lets you disable NSFW posts so you can keep it clean. iReddit (iPhone & iPad)
iReddit isn’t the prettiest app at the Narwhal Ball, and this is mainly due to its lack of iPhone 5 screen support. However, it’s still an app worth mentioning, and like Upvote, iReddit is a bit more streamlined than the rest of the apps on offer. You can comment, upvote, downvote, and browse your subscribed subreddits. You can even check your inbox for comment replies and messages, and Instapaper is supported.
iReddit is very simple, but some of you may actually prefer this. As expected, it doesn’t offer an extra 2000 pounds of secret hidden features like the other clients, but it does have at least one trick up its sleeve: serendipity mode. Completely unrelated to the hit 2001 romcom starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale, serendipity mode allows users to shake their iPhone for a completely random post – pretty cool. Reddzine (iPad)For the Reddit-addicted iPad-owners out there there is the unique option of viewing Reddit in a magazine-style format using Reddzine. The app takes a cue from Pinterest and Flipboard, presenting multiple “stories” on the screen at once in an aesthetically-pleasing format. Videos and images are viewable from within the app and, generally speaking, it’s probably easier than trying to focus on your smartphone’s small screen.
Some of Reddit’s normal features like commenting and voting are only accessible via Reddzine’s Pro version, though. This is a minor inconvenience, but if you’re a lurker by definition, this shouldn’t be much of an issue. Whether you’re a seasoned Redditor or newcomer to the service be sure check out our awesome guide to Reddit! What other Reddit clients for iOS do you know about? Any preferences for Android? Add your thoughts to the comments below this list! The post The 5 Best Free Reddit Apps for iOS appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Three-Way Battle For Online Shopping Supremacy! Google Vs Yahoo Vs Bing Posted: 22 Apr 2013 05:31 PM PDT
The HistoryThe first of the three major search engines to adopt a price comparison engine was Google when it started Froogle in late 2002. The service has since been rebranded as Google Shopping. Yahoo followed Google's lead by purchasing the price comparison service Kelkoo in 2004 (it sold Kelkoo in 2008). Microsoft showed up last, initiating Bing Shopping after purchasing Jellyfish.com in 2007 – at the time, their service included a rebate, remitting a percentage of each purchase back to the buyer. Unfortunately, they no longer offer that service. However, for those of you seeking to find great deals on all sorts of gadgets, check out Tim’s run-down of the best online shopping sites around. Alternatively, try reading Tina’s excellent guide to Internet shopping. MethodologyIn reviewing the three online shopping sites, I used three main criteria:
Additionally, I used five different tech-related products to benchmark each service. I threw in the Surface Pro for the heck of it, as it did not sell very well at all and in theory there should be some excellent deals on it relative to the MSRP.
Bing ShoppingBing Shopping uses a fairly straightforward, aesthetically clean interface. Aside from a single ad, displayed on the right-side of the screen, nothing really distracts from the primary objective – shopping. After navigating to the front page of the site, you'll see three core features – filters, where you filter searches by price and discounts; price comparisons, where you can compare across retailers; and graphs showing the price of a product over time.
For whatever crazy reason, Bing's prices came mostly from Canadian retailers. It didn’t seem to index any products from large companies, such as BestBuy, Amazon or eBay. This strongly indicates that Bing Shopping is in some kind of Canada-only beta phase and their service isn’t yet ready for prime-time.
Yahoo ShoppingYahoo Shopping favors a more compact display than either Google or Bing. Its strongest features include real-time search suggestions – for example, whenever you type in a searchable term, such as “iPhone 5″, Yahoo autocompletes the rest – price comparisons & price-filtering, where you can search by specific criteria.
Google ShoppingGoogle Shopping has been around the longest out of all the price comparison websites, so in theory its prices should be lower than all the others. However, as of 2011, Google began charging retailers in exchange for listing their products. Assumedly, this would reflect negatively in their prices. Overall, Google Shopping centers around their core function – search.
Google Shopping differs substantially from the services offered by its competitors in that it incorporates its own search technology and text ads. Even after charging vendors for listings, it still comes out significantly ahead. ConclusionClearly, Google Shopping dominates over both Bing and Yahoo. The folks from Mountainview dug up prices much lower in all categories, included shipping, with few errors. While both Yahoo and Bing possess useful features which Google should take note of, the overall experience offered by Google Shopping renders the competition impotent in comparison. For the hardest to please of deal-hunters, I strongly suggest using my tips on how-to get better deals on everything. Not only does my method get lower prices than even Google, it’s also easier to use. Seriously. The post The Three-Way Battle For Online Shopping Supremacy! Google Vs Yahoo Vs Bing appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 Tools For Converting Movies For Viewing On a Smartphone Posted: 22 Apr 2013 04:31 PM PDT
Video conversion isn’t as essential as it used to be when playing videos on a modern smartphone. With apps like VLC for Android, you can play videos of almost any type or size directly on your smartphone. However, you may still want to convert a movie before viewing it to save precious storage space on your smartphone and get more battery-efficient playback. HandBrakeHandBrake is one of the more popular video conversion tools. These apps are referred to as “transcoding” tools, because they can convert videos from one encoded format to another encoded format. We’ll be focusing on the Windows version here, but HandBrake also runs on Mac OS and Linux. You can download Handbrake for any platform from its website. HandBrake also offers DVD-ripping capabilities, so you can convert a movie from a physical DVD to a file you can watch on your phone. To do this, you’ll need to install the DVD43 software for Windows, which bypasses the DRM included with DVDs to allow this ripping. Depending on the country you’re in, this may technically be illegal. After installing and launching HandBrake, click the Source menu and choose the type of video you want to convert. Select Video File for a single file or Folder to convert all video files in a single folder. If you want to convert a DVD, insert the disc into your computer and it will appear in the Source drop-down box.
Once the file is added, you can start tweaking your conversion settings. If you added a DVD, click the Title box and select the appropriate section of the DVD. Whatever you’re converting, you’ll need to specify a destination. You can enter a destination for this conversion using the Destination box. If you’d like HandBrake to take care of this automatically in the future, you can open its options window (Tools -> Options), select the Output Files tab, and enter a default location in the Default Path box. For example, you can have HandBrake automatically save all converted video files to your desktop or another easy-to-access location. To quickly select appropriate transcoding settings for your device, click an option in the Preset column. There are options for the iPhone and different types of Android phones, as well as other devices like the iPod Touch, iPad, and Apple TV. You can also select one of the normal profiles.
You can optionally modify the conversion settings after selecting a preset. For example, the Picture tab allows you to set a custom width and height for your video file. However, you’ll probably be fine if you stick to the default settings. Once you’re ready to perform the conversion, click the Start button. HandBrake will convert your selected source video and create a new video in the destination folder you specified.
You can now copy your video file to your phone by connecting it to your computer with a USB cable or, if it’s an Android phone, using the excellent AirDroid app to transfer the video file to your phone over Wi-Fi. If you’re converting a lot of videos on a regular basis, you could use DropFolders along with Handbrake to automatically convert video files you add to a specific folder on your computer. SUPERSUPER is a Windows application with its own cult following. Kannon recently dubbed it a “HandBrake killer”, noting that “no free (or paid) video software in its class matches the versatility and broad file-type compatibility of SUPER.” SUPER offers more power and options than HandBrake. It’s also more compatible with different video formats. HandBrake has removed support for AVI, XviD, and OGG/OGM codecs, but SUPER still supports these formats. However, SUPER is a much more complicated application with a user interface that isn’t nearly as user-friendly. It also installs adware during the installation process, which you must immediately uninstall after installing SUPER if you want to keep your Windows system clean. And it’s Windows only, so Mac and Linux users are out-of-luck. If you’re interested in SUPER, head on over to Kannon’s guide to using SUPER, where he’ll walk you through dodging the adware and getting to grips with SUPER’s interface.
More ToolsThese are our 2 favorite tools for converting videos, whether you need a slick, easy-to-use interface optimized for the most popular formats or you need the most flexible video-conversion tool out there. For more ideas from readers like you, check out the discussion on MakeUseOf Answers, where readers recommended their favorite video conversion tools. What’s your favorite tool for converting videos before watching them on your smartphone? Do you prefer one of the above tools, or have you found a better one? Leave a comment below and share your favorite one! Image Credit: Smartphone mobile video via Shutterstock The post 2 Tools For Converting Movies For Viewing On a Smartphone appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Everything You Need To Know About Managing Your Firefox Bookmarks Posted: 22 Apr 2013 04:01 PM PDT
If you're like me, you don't really need much more than the basic feature set of the native Firefox bookmarks. But like most things, prolonged use can result in clutter, chaos, and disorganization. Have your bookmarks become unkempt and hard to manage? Keep reading for some great tips and tools to help keep it all under control. Managing Firefox Bookmarks
First things first, let's take a look at the native Firefox bookmarks system. It's nothing spectacular but it's an elegant balance between simplicity and complexity and I think it's perfect, even for a power user like me. As long as you keep it organized (which isn't too hard as long as you don't toss your bookmarks in carelessly), it should do you well. Adding Bookmarks
Removing Bookmarks
Organizing Bookmarks
Firefox SyncBack in 2011 when Firefox 4 was released, the browser received a new feature called Sync. Firefox Sync lets you store some, or all, of your browser data (e.g., bookmarks, open tabs, history, etc.) on a cloud that synchronizes with other installations of Firefox. In order to synchronize, the other Firefox browsers need to know your sync code, so your data is safe and sound. Interested? Do you want to learn more? Do you need instructional guidance on how to set it up? If so, check out Jeffry's Firefox Sync writeup. Smartest Bookmarks Bar
Smartest Bookmarks Bar is a Firefox addon that gives you some degree of control and flexibility over the presentation of your bookmarks. Do you see the bookmark bar at the top, right under the address bar? With Smartest Bookmarks Bar, you can change it up a bit to something more compact and presentable.
Bookmark Deduplicator
Bookmark Deduplicator is a simple Firefox addon that does exactly what its name implies – it automates the process of finding and removing multiple copies of the same bookmark. It's extremely easy to use, too. Just click on Start and it'll clean up your bookmarks right away. As simple as it is, there are a few features that it could use. For example, it'd be great if it presented a list of all detected duplicates and allowed you to pick and choose which ones you wanted to remove. More control is always great. But this addon is still useful, so try it out! Bookmark Favicon Changer
Bookmark Favicon Changer is one tool out of many that aid in favicon management. My personal experience is that favicons can be ugly, buggy, or downright nonexistent. When you want to keep your bookmarks bar organized and beautiful, a stray favicon can be frustrating. Bookmark Favicon Changer really helps in that department. With this addon, you can take any bookmark, right click on it, and either change the favicon to something of your choosing, reset it to its default favicon, remove the favicon completely, or export the favicon for use elsewhere. I don't think there's much else to be said. It's a great tool so install it if improper favicons bother you. ConclusionFor those of you that prefer regular Firefox bookmarks to the fancy alternatives like Listango or Miitla, then the above tips and tools should help you streamline your day-to-day bookmarking. Do you know of any other addons or tips that can help with managing FireFox bookmarks? Please share them with us in the comments. My Firefox addon knowledge is, admittedly, pretty small so I'd be grateful to learn about what else is out there. The post Everything You Need To Know About Managing Your Firefox Bookmarks appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hyper-Lapse Photography is Like Time-Lapse Photography On Speed [Stuff to Watch] Posted: 22 Apr 2013 03:31 PM PDT
A hyper-lapse uses this same time lapse photography technique, but instead of a fixed viewpoint the camera is moving, giving the impression of smooth glides or massive speed in addition to the rapid passing of time. Last week there was a rather special hyper-lapse video in the news, as well as a WebGL experiment that lets you create your own. So on that topical note here are seven of the best hyper-lapse videos I could find, all of them from the photography-conscious Vimeo. Google Street View Hyper-LapseAlready quite famous and reported right across the Web, the Google Street View Hyperlapse has absolutely nothing to do with Google themselves (for a change). Instead it is the work of Teehan and Lax Labs and utilises WebGL rendering technology (so you’ll need Chrome or a similar WebGL enabled browser), the Google Maps API and liberal helping of JavaScript. The results are spectacular, particularly because Teehan and Lax have supplied the tools with which to create your own. None of the hyper-lapses I’ve tried to recreate are quite as smooth and impressive as the video below, but it’s still the coolest thing anyone’s managed to achieve with all that Google Street View data. Make your own at hyperlapse.tllabs.io. Berlin Hyper-LapseThis video uses time-lapse and hyper-lapse techniques to show off the beauty and historic architecture of Germany’s capital city. Note the sequence when the camera is rushing toward the Brandenburg Gate as being a fantastic example of hyper-lapse photography, as well as the “3D” feel of the movie as the camera pans liberally around while keeping a select few subjects seemingly in the same place. In addition to being a photographic masterpiece, creating such a movie requires a lot of patience when it comes to editing. Footage was shot on a Nikon D7000 with a simple tripod and two lenses, an 18-105mm and a longer 70-300mm and the resulting footage had to be stabilised manually, frame-by-frame. Time of RioAnother video shot using both time-lapse and hyper-lapse techniques, Time of Rio is a beautiful visualisation of the passing of time in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. This is another video that doesn’t solely rely on hyper-lapse but also time-lapse, footage shot on rails as well as a few hand-held sequences. The opening of the movie uses hyper-lapse to travel down Copacabana beach with a thin blade of focus to great effect. The footage was captured over the course of a few months and then edited in Light Room, touched up in After Effects before being thrown into Final Cut X for the uh… final cut. A Massive GoPro ArrayMarc is a very lucky boy, and a clever one at that. He’s managed to get himself a considerable number of GoPro cameras and used them to great effect in building an array. This coverage allows him to achieve a 3D effect by which subjects appear frozen in the air while the camera pans around them. This of course isn’t possible in real life, and it’s the angle of coverage Marc built into his rig that makes it possible. The true hyper-lapse moments come at the very start and end of the film, particularly where Marc is talking to the camera about his idea. This bit is particularly well-shot, and I’m incredibly impressed with the lip-syncing achieved. Just another reason to buy a ridiculous amount of GoPro cameras, as if I already needed one. Brisbane Time-Lapse & Hyper-LapseThe Australian city of Brisbane is the capital of the state of Queensland, and a rather beautiful modern metropolis on the east coast of the continent-sized nation. This might not be the smoothest of movies but it certainly does Brisbane justice, showing off the natural, historical and cutting-edge nature of the city in just under two and a half minutes. There are a few beautiful hyper-lapse shots, particular of a panning around the CBD and a journey through the Queen Street Mall. Also included are the obligatory time-lapse photography sequences and the result is a true homage to what is a fantastic part of the world. Vienna Hyper-LapseAn incredible piece of work that is made up mostly of hyper-lapse shots of Austria’s capital, this particular video plays out more like a tourism promotional than an exercise in photography. The editing techniques and fantastically smooth motion point to a seriously professional team behind this one, who shot and edited over the course of 2012 and 2013. In total there were 14 days of shooting over the course of three months which resulted in more than 16,000 photographs requiring 48 hours of post processing. Once the source photos had been edited into shape it only took 40 hours (!) worth of video editing before this video was ready to go. Let that be a lesson – these techniques have the power to thrill and amaze, but also eat into your professional and personal life in a massive way. Camtrac Time-LapseFinally for a little bit of nature to finish off this article here is a film shot by Dan Eckert using a Camtrac which is a dolly used to transport a camera for super-still shots. I don’t think Dan could have done much better with this almost-$2000 piece of kit (though you can get cheaper versions for much less on eBay) as he puts it through its paces in Death Valley, California. Have you seen any good motion time-lapse or hyper-lapse videos recently? Have you tried creating your own with Google Street View? Fill us in on the details in the comments, below. The post Hyper-Lapse Photography is Like Time-Lapse Photography On Speed [Stuff to Watch] appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AirParrot Brings AirPlay Mirroring To Windows & Older Macs Posted: 22 Apr 2013 02:31 PM PDT
More generally, AirPlay means streaming audio and video to an Apple TV, or only audio to an Apple Airport. For more information on AirPlay, read my previous post - What’s AirPlay, And How To Use It In Mac OS X Mountain Lion. Although AirPlay works great in a lot of situations, it isn’t a perfect system. Perhaps most importantly, Apple’s AirPlay system is proprietary, meaning it’s only officially implemented by Apple and thus only available on Mac OS X and iOS devices, leaving a lot of Windows-Apple crossover users out in the cold. Secondly, AirPlay mirroring – which is the act of streaming the content’s of your computer display to an Apple TV – is only available on recent Apple hardware. For older Mac’s, the AirPlay mirroring icon simply doesn’t show up in the Mac OS X menu bar. For a complete list of supported computers, take a look at this Apple support article. Luckily, both of these problems are solved by AirParrot. AirParrot (USD 9.99)AirParrot is a third-party application (that is, not affiliated with Apple) that unofficially implements the AirPlay protocol. To put it simply, AirParrot provides an alternative implementation of AirPlay mirroring. Thanks to AirParrot, you can mirror your computer’s display to an Apple TV, whether you’re using Mac OS X or Windows. Alas, if you’re on Linux, you’re limited to streaming your audio using AirTunes. Even Mac computers with unsupported hardware sets can use AirPlay mirroring this way. All of this for the reasonable price of $10.
Of course, you shouldn’t expect the same performance from AirParrot. If you have a Mac OS X computer with supported hardware, you should just use the built-in AirPlay mirroring functionality. However, for those two groups for which AirPlay mirroring was previously out of reach, AirParrot is a godsend. Installation & Display ConfigurationAirParrot is available for both Mac OS X and Windows computers, and can be bought for $10 from the AirParrot website. AirParrot seems slightly more focused on their Mac OS X version, which might receive a new feature slightly faster than the Windows version. That being said, the Mac OS X and Windows clients both work largely the same. On your Mac, installing AirParrot adds a presence to your Mac OS X menu bar. On Windows, the AirParrot icon is added to your task bar instead. Similar to the official AirPlay mirroring menu, pressing the icon let’s you select a compatible Apple TV device. Contrary, to the official menu, this drop-down menu offers more display options.
Aside from mirroring your display – which is the default option – you can also have your computer consider the Apple TV-connected display as an additional screen, and extend your display. Selecting this option adds a display to your computer’s display management preferences, where you can further customize how your computer should handle the extra screen.
AirParrot’s third display option is even more interesting, although this feature is only available using AirParrot’s Mac OS X client. Instead of mirroring or extending your computer’s display, you can ask AirParrot to display only one specific app through your Apple TV. Again using AirParrot’s drop-down menu, simply select a windowed application that’s currently open to stream it to your Apple TV. The Contrast With AirPlay MirroringFor most people desperately wanting to use AirPlay mirroring with unsupported hardware, AirParrot is a knight in shining armour. Alas, even AirParrot is not perfect, and there are some stark differences between using AirParrot on unsupported hardware and using the official AirPlay technology on supported hardware.
Apple declared the older hardware incompatible for a reason. More recent computers include a chip on the GPU that’s able to transcode the display output to H.264 in real-time. If you mirror a display using AirPlay mirroring, you’ll still face a buffering delay. However, there’s hardly any added delay for transcoding the video. On other computers, there is. Video needs to be transcoded on the user level, meaning it’s subjected to the intricacies of processor and memory scheduling. Here, the transcoding delay is not constant.
This may sound complicated, but the consequences are rather simple – the video transcoding delay and thus the frame rate are unreliable. Most of the time, this isn’t much of a bother. The AirParrot preferences give you tighter control over video quality and frame rate. AirParrot is great if you want to surf on the web, or show a picture slideshow. However, you won’t be able to comfortably stream long videos to your Apple TV. How do you use AirPlay in your home? Tell us about your set-up in the comments section below the article! The post AirParrot Brings AirPlay Mirroring To Windows & Older Macs appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Is it Raining? 4 Beautiful & Free Weather Apps For Windows Posted: 22 Apr 2013 01:01 PM PDT
If you own an iOS device, there are many beautiful iOS weather apps for you to enjoy. If you go for Android, the selection of Android weather apps is just as good. We also recently covered some wonderful weather apps for Mac, and if you’re looking for weather widgets for Windows, there are several ones to choose from as well. This is why I was so surprised when I had a hard time finding a good, uncluttered and free full-fledged weather app for Windows. Nevertheless, I eventually managed to find some that I liked. Forecaster
Forecaster was and remains one of my all-time favorite weather apps. Being nothing more than a deviantArt project, and with the newest version being released back in 2011, Forecaster is probably not a program you’d spend even a moment looking at. But believe me, it’s worth well more than a moment, especially if you’re looking for a simple and portable weather app that feels like a widget, but stays well out of the way when you don’t need it. The free version of Forecaster lets you add up to two different locations to monitor, with one location always represented with a relevant icon in the taskbar. By donating $2 or more, you can add as many locations as you want. Since Forecaster is somewhat old, it doesn’t officially support Windows 8, but it ran on my system without a problem. Click here for a full review of Forecaster. YoWindow
I must admit, I’ve never heard of YoWindow until recently, and when I first saw the price for its “Unlimited” version, I positively balked. $20 is way more that I’m going to pay for a weather app, as good as it may be. After all, this information is free for all on the Web! Fortunately, YoWindow also has a free version, which is unique and fun enough to make it to this list. A combination between desktop app and screensaver, YoWindow is your window to the outside world, in case you don’t have one handy sitting on the wall. It comes with a peaceful landscape that matches the weather and time of day, and comes with calming nature sounds to boot, if you wish to have them. Everything on the screen is customizable, so you can decide which elements you want to see on your window. Unlike a real window, you can drag time forward and backwards, and see conditions change in front of your eyes. YoWindow can be set up as a screensaver as well. There are some limitations to the free version, such as only one kind of landscape, and a 3-day forecast instead of a full week, but it’s definitely useful enough to keep you informed on the current and upcoming weather. The Weather Channel
If you’re really interested the weather, and want to stay on top of full forecasts for different locations, as well as weather news, different radar maps, pollen counts, and more, check out The Weather Channel’s free desktop app. The app lets you add many different locations which you can easily switch through. For each location, you get the current weather, including parameters such as wind speed, humidity, visibility, etc.; an hourly forecast for the next 2 days; and a daily forecast for the upcoming week. On the Maps section, you can look at a radar map, clouds map, temperature and “feels like” maps, and more. The app also comes with its own Video section, which pretty much completes this Weather Channel desktop experience, making it almost like the real thing. Weather for Windows 8
If you’re on Windows 8, you might be surprised to know that you already have a pretty awesome weather app installed. Microsoft’s default Weather app is a surprisingly good way of keeping in touch with the weather. It’s Weather’s its biggest so-called feature that turns into its biggest downside: the Modern interface. While I have nothing against Windows 8′s Modern (aka Metro) interface, having a weather app you can’t minimize and takes up your entire screen no matter what is far from being practical. That aside, Weather is a competent weather app relying on Bing Weather, and aggregating weather information from The Weather Channel, AccuWeather, WeatherTrends360, and others. It includes everything from daily and hourly forecasts to various maps and historical weather graphs. To make the information more handy, leave the app on the location you care about the most, and this will be displayed on Weather’s live tile on your Start screen.
You can also set weather details to display on your lock screen by adding Weather to your lock screen apps. The quickest way to do this is by pressing the WinKey and typing “lock“. Make sure you’re searching in Settings and not Apps, and then choose “Lock Screen“. To show weather information on your lock screen, click the plus sign under “Choose an app to display detailed status” and choose Weather.
That’s It?I haven’t forgotten WeatherBug (which I find to be hopelessly cluttered on Windows), Wunderground (which is still available as a “Windows Vista gadget”), or AccuWeather (available as a Windows gadget or a Modern app that I could never get to work). There are also some nice paid options for Windows 8 such as WeatherFlow and Forecast HD ($2 each), if that’s what you’re looking for. Finding the best weather app for you is a matter of personal preference, but if, like me, you like your apps as simple and uncluttered as possible, the above four are the best I could find. Do you know of something really good I missed? I’d love to hear about it in the comments! The post Is it Raining? 4 Beautiful & Free Weather Apps For Windows appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mac Mail – 5 Plugins That Will Rocket Your Productivity Posted: 22 Apr 2013 12:01 PM PDT
Fortunately, there are several third-party plug-ins that enhance Mail and address some of its annoying problems or missing features. Today, I would like to review five plug-ins that I think are well worth downloading and given a try before purchasing. These plug-ins help you handle attachments, preview your messages, and conveniently set reminders for messages. After you download and install a plug-in, you will typically need to restart the Mail application, and then open Mail’s Preferences to enable and customize the plug-in. Whichever plug-in you download, be sure it’s compatible with your current operating system. Attachment TamerIf memory serves me correctly, by default when you add an attachment in a Mail message, it does not display the file as an icon, which can be annoying when you’re trying to compose or read a message. Attachment Tamer ($14.99) is a handy feature for controlling how you want to display attachments in Mail.
The plug-in includes controls for viewing text and HTML files, PDF documents, audio files, and images as icons, with optional size limits and exceptions. Sending files as icons also makes it easier for the recipient to read your text without being distracted by a full display of the images themselves. Attachment Tamer also provides options for how you want to view files from specified senders — either as icons or displayed as they were sent. You can also choose to display the full names of attachments, which by default Mail truncates. QuoteFixBy default when you quote text from a sender’s email message, Mail puts the cursor above the message in your reply; this is called “bottom-posting”. This is odd because typically you want the recipient to first read what part of the message you are replying to. The plug-in, QuoteFix (Free/Donate), fixes this annoyance by placing the cursor below the original message when you reply or forward a message.
Other features include removing the sender’s signature from the reply, removing trailing white space, customizing attributions (including HTML and templating), and selecting whether or not to remove the sender’s signature.
Spending some time customizing how you want QuoteFix to handle your quotes and replies can make your mail messages a lot easier to read, and could inspire others to use better mail etiquette, rather than the sloppy approach of including full mail messages in a reply. PerspectivesSince I work at my computer throughout the day, I have a bad tendency of checking my mail whenever new messages arrive. This is still a habit I’m trying to break, but another Mail plug-in I use, called Mail Perspectives ($24.95) helps cut down on how often I open Mail. Mail Perspectives is a compact window that displays the latest message or most recent message list in your Mail inbox. I have the window sitting on my second monitor where I can glance at it as I work. Mail Perspectives has three embedded windows, which allow you to either view all the mail messages in your inbox, only the new messages, or all the messages for the current day. You can view messages as a list or navigate through a display of each message one at a time.
You can also hover your mouse over a message and get a pop-up window that allows you to view the entire message outside the compact window, in a handy Quick Look window, or you can reply, print, delete, or open the message in your Mail application. There are also features for selecting which inboxes you want Mail Perspectives to display, as well as options for how you are notified when mail arrives. This plug-in is a little pricey but it does come with a 30 day free trial so you can see how useful it might be in your workflow. MailHubThe popular Mailbox app for the iPhone includes a handy feature for attaching a reminder to individual messages, and recently I discovered that another Mail plug-in called MailHub ($19.00), includes the same capability, with additional options for setting template reminders. MailHub does add a toolbar to the Mail application, but you may find its handy features worthy of taking up some space. The Reminder feature includes options for setting time shortcuts (as well as pre-installed Snooze times) that you can quickly select for a message, or you can set a specific date and time. Your reminders get added in the Calendar app like any other reminder.
Some of MailHub’s features are similar to the default features in Mail, but they are quicker and more efficient. For instance, while Mail can expand mail conversations or threads, MailHub does it better by making it easier to click individual messages in a thread. MailHub also allows you to filter messages by a sender. If you want to quickly review past and recent mail messages by a sender, you simply select a message sender, and then click on the little head and shoulder icon in MailHub’s toolbar. To filter messages like this without MailHub, you have to actually do a search in Mail of the sender’s name.
MailHub includes several other features for deleting messages, creating new mailboxes, organizing, and filing away messages into different folders. There are preferences for setting the color theme of MailHub’s toolbar, an option for auto-hiding it, and over a dozen keyboard shortcuts for nearly every feature in the plug-in.
MailHub also has a 30-day trial, and I highly recommend it if you need to manage lots of mail on a daily basis. Many Mail plug-ins are highly useful, but remember they can be broken by updates to the Mail client, and you may even have to uninstall them in order for Mail to function properly. The plug-ins I reviewed above all work in the latest version of Mac OS X Mountain Lion. There are several other free plug-ins that you can find on the net, but you need to make sure they have been updated for the latest version of the operating system you’re using. Let us know what you think of these Mail plug-ins and which plug-ins you recommend. The post Mac Mail – 5 Plugins That Will Rocket Your Productivity appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| What Is The Best Way To Remove Timestamps From Photos? Posted: 22 Apr 2013 11:01 AM PDT
Now, I have switched off date embeds from the camera settings in all my cameras and being somewhat of an “expert amateur”, I rely completely on EXIF information to tell all about a photo. But the good news is that you can dust off the old photos with timestamps and do a bit of editing to remove the timestamps from them. The benefit of that labor? Make them frame worthy or just a bit neater to look at. Timestamps don't really serve a purpose and are a distraction. So, here are some simple techniques to remove them from your old (or new) photos. The Simple But Dirty Way – Crop Your Photo
This is the simplest way to remove the timestamp but it is not always effective. Cropping will remove a large part of your image. You are in luck if the timestamp can be cropped out without altering the composition while resizing the image. Crop tool is a basic tool and you can crop your photos in any photo editor, from MS Paint to IrfanView, or any cloud based photo editor too. As you can see from the above picture, the cropped result (below) is hardly ideal as it has snipped away a large part of the photo and modified the composition for the worse. I compensated by adding thick margins above and below the cropped photo.
A Lesser Eyesore – Using MS Paint
MS Paint is the simplest tool at your disposal. More importantly there's nothing complicated to learn about it. It is not a perfect tool for the job, but if you have no other recourse, you can use it to block the timestamp with a color that resembles the background behind it. As you can see in the picture below, the timestamp is embedded against a black background. You can select the background color and paint over the timestamp.
You can select the timestamp – hit delete – and then use the fill tool to color the vacant area with an approximation of the background color. I agree it's not a perfect solution; but if you are artistically challenged, this is a simple try. You can just pull it off with backgrounds that are solid and of a single color. The Easy Way – Inpaint (Not Free)
If you are routinely stumbling over image editing jobs that require you to remove unwanted elements from your photo, then there is a cheaper alternative to Photoshop. Inpaint is a photo-restoration software for Windows and Mac. It is not free (Purchase price: $19.99) but it has a handy free trial version to get your feet wet with. The trial version leaves a watermark. The benefit of using InPaint to remove timestamps is that it is simply a one-click affair. Here are the brief steps:
Inpaint works very similarly to Photoshop's Content Aware feature, but without the steeper price tag and the more complicated steps. Inpaint also removes other unwanted elements from a photo, and with some luck can work its magic on a variety of photo bombs. That's why paying a few bucks for the software that is hassle free could be earned back in the time saved. But if you are still looking for a free solution, then you have to turn to one of the best free alternatives to Photoshop that is out there. The Power of Photoshop in a Free Package – GIMPIf you haven't been introduced to GIMP yet, then it's high time. GIMP (The GNU Image Manipulation Program) is the open source alternative to Photoshop and those of us who aren’t moneybags; it also translates to – free. Here are five websites to learn a bit more about GIMP and get comfortable with the program. Or if you want to do it faster, here are some easy GIMP video tutorials for a beginner. Just like many programs today, the graphic editor can also be extended with special GIMP plug-ins. It is just such a plug-in we are going to turn to for removing timestamps from our photos. The plug-in we are going to use is called Resynthesizer . It is available for both Windows and Linux. After you download the ZIP file, you can copy all the Python files and paste them in GIMP's plug-in folder. To locate the plug-in folder, launch GIMP. Go to Edit – Preferences. Scroll down to Folders – Plugins. You can see the path for my specific portable installation of GIMP. Restart GIMP so the graphic editor recognizes the new files.
Resynthesizer adds a few smart plug-ins under GIMP's menu. Browse to: Filter – Enhance – Heal selection. Heal selection is just like Photoshop's Content Aware feature or its Clone Tool. In fact, it preceded Photoshop as explained by Patrick David in this very thorough explanation of how the Heal selection tool works in GIMP. It is a good read if you want to understand the "magic" behind the tool and how it makes objects bigger than timestamps disappear. For our purposes, we just have to do the following steps…
Here’s how the final processed image looks after you export it as a JPEG file:
There are many other ways to remove timestamps from photos with GIMP. But I have found this to be the simplest and quickest to use. Also, the easiest to explain. Recalling PhotoshopPhotoshop and even Photoshop Elements are great software. But they are expensive both in terms of dollars and the value of your time as you will have to learn it from scratch. If you already have a copy, then of course, you can find umpteen tutorials on the web that talk about removing timestamps and watermarks of all kinds. To help you start off, here's a YouTube video that demonstrates Photoshop and its excellent Content Aware tool. The easiest way to remove timestamps from your photos is not set it in the first place. It's one of the things you should immediately do after buying your camera. But if the ugly deed is done, then I hope these tips can help you with the fix. Do you find timestamps to be an eyesore? Do you have any other technique to recommend? The post What Is The Best Way To Remove Timestamps From Photos? appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Considering Switching to T-Mobile USA? Here’s What You Need to Know About Plans, Service, and Phones Posted: 22 Apr 2013 10:00 AM PDT
Plans
Because these are non-subsidizing “Value” plans, your phone’s price won’t be hidden into your monthly rate. If you need to pay off a phone, that amount will be added; if you have a phone paid in full, then your monthly rate becomes cheaper. If you set up a payment plan, the monthly rate for your phone depends on your credit and phone’s value. If that seems a little confusing, let’s show some examples of what people might get:
Again, the great thing about these plans are that you’re no longer under an annual contract, you pay less monthly if you’re not paying towards a phone, and you’re free to upgrade your phone whenever you want. In most cases, you should see some substantial savings compared to the other big carriers. Even while you are paying more when you’re on an installment plan for a phone, you can still probably end up saving money. Family PlansFamily plans also have a simple structure under the Simple Choice framework. While your first line costs $50 per month as a base price, your second line will only cost $30 per month and your third, fourth, and fifth lines will only cost $10 per month each. You’ll still have to separately add data packages to each line, so scenarios can look like this:
Considering they include unlimited everything, those really aren’t bad prices. Service and Coverage
Speaking of LTE, T-Mobile has just recently announced the availability of LTE service in 7 cities — Baltimore, Houston, Kansas City, Mo., Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Jose, Calif., or Washington, D.C. — which are accessible with the iPhone 5, Blackberry Z10, and Samsung Galaxy Note 2. T-Mobile USA’s LTE service should be compatible with any future LTE devices sold by T-Mobile USA. The coverage of their LTE service should also improve during 2013, supposedly covering 100 million Americans by mid-2013 and 200 million Americans by the end of 2013. Speed tests on their LTE network have been impressive, but as the network is still rather new, traffic is light. Phones
ConclusionWhether T-Mobile is right for you is a hard question to answer, depending on whether the plan ends up being cheaper for the same or more service, if you are in an area with good coverage, and whether you’re using a phone which is completely compatible with its network. It’ll still take a bit of your own research and comparisons in order to make a complete decision. However, it never hurts to take a look at T-Mobile USA’s new advances and whether they could benefit you. Are you using T-Mobile or considering switching to T-Mobile? If so, what do you like the most? If not, what’s keeping you from switching? Let us know in the comments! The post Considering Switching to T-Mobile USA? Here’s What You Need to Know About Plans, Service, and Phones appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ClamCase Pro iPad Keyboard Case Review and Giveaway Posted: 22 Apr 2013 09:30 AM PDT
To remedy that, the market is currently flooded with various tablet keyboard cases. Some are quite innovative, others are meh. So how does the ClamCase Pro iPad Keyboard Case fair? We’ll first take you on a walkthrough of the ClamCase Pro; then, you guessed it, offer it up in a giveaway! Introducing the ClamCase ProThe $169 ClamCase Pro is actually the company’s second attempt at an iPad keyboard case. The first version, known simply as the ClamCase didn’t fair well due to its cramped keyboard which was nearly impossible to type on. Despite that, it’s still available from the company’s website for $149.
The ClamCase Pro addresses the whole typing issue; not only that, the keyboard section of the case is now enveloped in aluminium. At first glance, the case and iPad ensemble is slightly reminiscent of a MacBook Air. The keyboard connects to the iPad via Bluetooth, and is compatible with the iPad 2, 3 and 4. If you’re looking to spend less than $169 for an iPad keyboard case, and that’s completely acceptable, you might want to consider the Logitech Solar Keyboard Folio which is $40 less than the ClamCase Pro at $129. It features a full QWERTY keyboard and is solar-powered for perpetual preparedness. It’s also cleverly designed to adapt multiple positions for typing and media consumption.
If that’s not up your alley, then you might be interested in Belkin’s upcoming Ultimate Keyboard Case — a thin and lightweight keyboard case which folds flat to allow you to hold the iPad like a tablet. In this arrangement, the keyboard actually faces the back of the iPad — a clever design that’s not only prettier, but also minimises accidental keystrokes. The Belkin Ultimate Keyboard Case will be available in May for $99.
Who’s it for?Granted, a keyboard case with over 60 buttons and an additional battery needed to power it will ultimately add bulk to the ensemble; and is therefore not for everyone, especially if you don’t intend to do much typing. Using the ClamCase Pro is invariably a trade-off between portability and typing speed.
But if the iPad is your go-to device for work and play, then you’ll enjoy the ClamCase Pro. One particular group of people I can think of who will be able to appreciate the ClamCase Pro are students who prefer tablets over laptops. The ClamCase Pro will make note-taking in class much easier, and they’ll still get to play Angry Birds during breaks. Initial ImpressionsThe ClamCase Pro is essentially a two-piece case attached by a hinge in the middle. It’s basically made of plastic, but the keyboard is graced with an aluminium surface. At 680 grams, the case weighs quite a bit; and as you might have guessed, most of the weight is attributed to the keyboard. However, it also acts as a counterweight for the iPad so it doesn’t topple over.
You’ll find the usual suspects on the iPad side of the case: camera, dock connector, and speaker cut-outs; volume rocker, the works. It’s also probably a good idea to mention that the ClamCase Pro supports the auto sleep/wake feature on the iPad, so shutting the case would automatically put the iPad to sleep.
The case opens and close as a laptop would. There’s no fancy swirl or twist mechanisms here. It’s a simple hinge, and the case goes from fully shut to quarter-way open, which is ideal for typing; then swings back and acts as a stand for your iPad; and finally, all the way back so that the keyboard and the iPad are now back to back for tablet operation.
When in tablet mode, however, the keyboard is completely exposed and must be disabled to prevent accidentally pressing on the keys. It’s also pretty uncomfortable, not to mention tiring, to hold single-handedly since it’s both heavier and thicker with the case on. And if I’m honest, I don’t enjoy holding it with the keyboard against my fingers — it’s just uncomfortable.
Things start to look better in typing mode. It seems as though it’s calling out for some work to be done. The case features a full QWERTY keyboard with several dedicated keys which perform specific functions i.e. check battery level on the ClamCase Pro, simulate the iPad’s Home button, invoke Spotlight, increase/decrease volume, start a photo slideshow, play/pause, etc. There are even buttons to help make Cut, Copy and Paste operations a one-touch affair.
I can also appreciate the weight distribution better with the iPad in the case. There’s no doubt about it, it’s heavy; but the whole ensemble feels very stable in the typing position. However, the hinge is slightly too “sticky” for my liking, in the sense that it requires quite a bit of force to get it moving. But I guess it plays a role in helping the iPad stay in a particular position. Setting up the ClamCase ProThe keyboard connects to the iPad via Bluetooth. In fact, if you didn’t already know, that’s the only Bluetooth function that the iPad can perform. Anyways, setting up is rather easy: turn the keyboard on and switch it into Discovery mode. Enable Bluetooth on the iPad and pair the devices together. Bingo bango.
Typing with the ClamCase ProNow, let’s take a look at the core function of the ClamCase Pro — typing. As soon as my fingers hit the keyboard, I’m stricken by the familiar feeling of physical keys, which is kind of satisfying. Then, I start to realise how small the keys are. They measure (w) 13 x (h) 14 mm whilst the keys on an Apple keyboard are 15 x 15 mm. If my calculations are correct, the keys on the ClamCase Pro are 20% smaller. Nevertheless, it’s still very usable albeit a little cramped. I can’t imagine how the first rendition was like to use.
Naturally, typing speed improved while using the ClamCase Pro. More importantly, punctuation keys are more easily accessible, because they’re where you’d expect to find them on a regular keyboard. In fact, the ClamCase Pro keyboard also includes Control, Option and Command buttons — and they too, perform exactly as you’d expect they would on a desktop. They keys are a little springy and much narrower than I’m used to but overall, it’s a major improvement compared to typing on the screen. And before you ask, no they’re not backlit.
There is however, one problem with using the ClamCase Pro — my finger keeps reaching for the trackpad except, there isn’t one! I have to persistently remind myself that I’m typing on my iPad and I need to reach for the screen instead. Power and chargingThe ClamCase Pro boasts a respectable 100 hours of uninterrupted use before requiring a recharge. A full recharge would take merely 120 minutes and the device is able to hold that charge for 6 months. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to personally put these claims to the test but during the entire period I was reviewing the ClamCase Pro, I never had to recharge the keyboard case once.
The case can be recharged using the supplied micro USB cable. For the road warrior, this may mean an additional cable to bring along but the battery in the ClamCase Pro is so efficient that charging it just before a trip should suffice. Well technically, it should survive a 10-day trip quite easily even if you’re chugging away at the keyboard 8 hours a day.
Should you buy the ClamCase Pro iPad Keyboard Case?Personally, I don’t do much typing on my iPad but I do see the value of a keyboard case. Typing on physical keys is less awkward and generally more efficient time-wise. But the question here is, should you buy the ClamCase Pro? My main concern is the steep $169 price tag, and I can’t be certain that paying that amount of money is justifiable. For me, a better choice would be the Logitech Solar Keyboard Folio, save myself $40, and never bother with charging it. But it could just be that I’m a nut for anything solar.
The ClamCase Pro is a good idea, but the overall added chunk puts me off. The keyboard position in tablet mode isn’t ideal. I’d wait to see how the Belkin Ultimate Keyboard Case turns out. MakeUseOf recommends: Probably not a good idea. How do I win the ClamCase Pro iPad Keyboard Case?Step 1: Fill in the giveaway formPlease fill in the form with your real name and email address so that we can get in touch if you are chosen as a winner. MakeUseOf giveaways are open to readers worldwide. Fill out my online form. Step 2: Share!You’re almost done. Now, all that’s left to do is to share the post! (Note: no points will be awarded.) Alternative entry method: Use your points!Exchange your MakeUseOf points for an entry into the competition. First, create a MakeUseOf account, earn points and exchange your points for an entry! Learn more about our Game system and Rewards program. By participating in this giveaway, you agree to the giveaway rules. This giveaway begins now and ends Friday, May 3rd. The winner will be selected at random and informed via email. Spread the word to your friends and have fun! Send your products to be reviewed. Contact Jackson Chung for further details. The post ClamCase Pro iPad Keyboard Case Review and Giveaway appeared first on MakeUseOf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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