14 New Articles on MakeUseOf

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• Cool Websites & Tools – Home Automation, Simple Polls, & Locked Up Email
• Evolution Of The Desk (1980-2014)
• 8 Reasons To Try Playing Minecraft [We Ask You Results]
• Going Private – How To Switch To A Local Account On Windows 8.1
• MakeUseOf Says Goodbye To Windows Phone
• How to Build a Companion Cube Mood Lamp (For Absolute Arduino Beginners)
• iOS 8 Lets You Replace Your iPhone Or iPad’s Keyboard – Here’s How
• How Much Time Do You Actually Spend Playing Games?
• Run Legacy Applications & Games On The Raspberry Pi!
• Oculus Rift Development Kit 2 Review and Giveaway
• Smartphone Security: Can iPhones Get Malware?
• The Ultimate Design Course To Increase User Engagement For $19
• 5 Killer Resources For Linux Music Streaming
• When Kickstarters Fail, 10 Million iPhones, China Blocks DuckDuckGo, And More… [Tech News Digest]

Cool Websites & Tools – Home Automation, Simple Polls, & Locked Up Email Posted: 23 Sep 2014 09:31 PM PDT Remotely – is the first home automation app built specifically for the rental industry. Residents of Remotely communities can control locks and lights from anywhere. The motion and moisture sensors keep you in the know anytime – day or night. Control the room temperature remotely and automatically while avoiding excessive electric bills or frozen pipes. Tally – everyone loves a poll as it gives them the chance to express their opinion. But some polls are very hard and overdone, when you can quite easily instead make a simple poll of a question and a couple of answers. That’s where Tally... Read the full article: Cool Websites & Tools – Home Automation, Simple Polls, & Locked Up Email

Evolution Of The Desk (1980-2014) Posted: 23 Sep 2014 07:30 PM PDT Whether you like it or not, the fact is, we depend on technology more than you know. How has your desk evolved over the last 35 years? Do you still have that Rolodex in front of you? Probably not. What about that clunky dictionary, or the answering machine? Technology (and the cloud) has replaced most of our desktop items. In this video produced by Harvard Innovation Lab, genuine vintage items were sought after and purchased in order to recreate the look and feel of an 80′s work desk. Head over to BestReviews to check out the video. Read the full article: Evolution Of The Desk (1980-2014)

8 Reasons To Try Playing Minecraft [We Ask You Results] Posted: 23 Sep 2014 06:30 PM PDT Minecraft is a strange game. Or at least it is to those who don’t play it, who haven’t been snared by its delights, who aren’t hopelessly addicted to its genius. You either love Minecraft, or completely to fail to see what all the fuss is about. MakeUseOf exists to help people understand technology on all levels. And understanding the appeal of Minecraft is just as worthy as understanding the nuances of Windows 8. So, with the aid of the ever-helpful MakeUseOf readership, we set out to discover exactly why people play Minecraft. Reasons To Be Crafty We asked you, What... Read the full article: 8 Reasons To Try Playing Minecraft [We Ask You Results]

Going Private – How To Switch To A Local Account On Windows 8.1 Posted: 23 Sep 2014 11:00 AM PDT Many users who’ve installed Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 have set up a Microsoft account that’s accessible through a web browser as well as through their local machine. In many cases, users of Windows 8.1 are selecting a connected account solely because they think there’s no other choice. In truth, going private with a local Windows account is a simple task anyone can complete in five minutes or less. Why Switch? Microsoft doesn’t require that users set up an account with the company during the installation of Windows 8.1, but the installer does everything possible to make it appear that... Read the full article: Going Private – How To Switch To A Local Account On Windows 8.1

MakeUseOf Says Goodbye To Windows Phone Posted: 23 Sep 2014 10:00 AM PDT Well, Windows Phone, it’s been a fun ride. You’ve fought hard these last few years, but now the time has come to hang up the gloves. At the end of September, we at MakeUseOf will have to stop covering you, since interest about you across the Web has been sharply decreasing and our own Windows Phone section has mirrored this. Even your awesome Windows Phone 8.1 update wasn’t enough to bring a spark. It simply can’t go on this way. Yes, we know that you’re not perfect. Mobile gaming was inferior on your platform, and there were some glaring holes... Read the full article: MakeUseOf Says Goodbye To Windows Phone

How to Build a Companion Cube Mood Lamp (For Absolute Arduino Beginners) Posted: 23 Sep 2014 09:00 AM PDT So, you’ve just got your Arduino in the mail, and you’re sitting here wondering… what on earth do I do with this?  The Arduino is a microcontroller that’s inexpensive and incredibly useful for a variety of electronically-oriented DIY projects. Building something yourself from an Arduino is incredibly satisfying – but it’s tough knowing where to start. So today we’ll be making a cute Portal-themed mood lamp to help add some texture to your living space (and establish your 2007-era nerd cred). It’s a great starting point with few components and very little wiring. Follow @makeuseof googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1360132638304-4'); }); Step 1 What... Read the full article: How to Build a Companion Cube Mood Lamp (For Absolute Arduino Beginners)

iOS 8 Lets You Replace Your iPhone Or iPad’s Keyboard – Here’s How Posted: 23 Sep 2014 08:30 AM PDT The next iteration of Apple’s mobile operating system is upon us, and it brings all kinds of improvements. Since iOS 7 was a mostly cosmetic upgrade, iOS 8 focuses on new features. Highlights include handy additions like interactive notifications, Siri’s well-deserved Shazam support for identifying music and better integration with the upcoming OS X Yosemite. But one of the most freeing features found in the upgrade is the ability to (finally!) change the default keyboard. No longer are you bound to Apple’s stock keyboard, but can instead pursue alternative methods of entering text. We’ve taken a good look at what’s available at this early stage, and how to get them set... Read the full article: iOS 8 Lets You Replace Your iPhone Or iPad’s Keyboard – Here’s How

How Much Time Do You Actually Spend Playing Games? Posted: 23 Sep 2014 08:00 AM PDT “Just one more game!” We’ve all said it at one point or another, whether we’re playing 2048, Civilization, or Dota. You sit down for a bit of play after dinner and the next thing you know, the sun’s coming up. It’s always surprising – or not surprising at all – how quickly time can fly when gaming. If any of that sounds familiar to you, you may be shocked to know just how much time you actually lose in these circumstances. It might feel like “a few hours here and there” but the truth is not so merciful. These tools will... Read the full article: How Much Time Do You Actually Spend Playing Games?

Run Legacy Applications & Games On The Raspberry Pi! Posted: 23 Sep 2014 07:00 AM PDT We’ve previously looked at how the Raspberry Pi can be used as a retro gaming system, and as a substitute desktop PC for low-level office tasks – but did you also know that you can run several classic operating systems on the tiny computer? If you’ve been involved in computing for twenty plus years, this may prove useful for looking at old data. Alternatively, you might fancy checking out some old games. The RetroPi collection of emulators are primarily from gaming systems, but ROMs for older desktop operating systems can also have their place. After all, it’s quick and easy... Read the full article: Run Legacy Applications & Games On The Raspberry Pi!

Oculus Rift Development Kit 2 Review and Giveaway Posted: 23 Sep 2014 06:30 AM PDT It’s been a year since the first Oculus Rift Development Kit was released, and it’s safe to say the world of gaming will never be the same again. With work on content well underway – games, movies, interactive adventures – the release of a second development kit brings significant upgrades and represents a giant leap towards the final consumer release in 2015. While the first stage of development was very much a creative phase of figuring out what does and doesn’t work in VR, the second stage is about polishing those concepts to work with new technologies like positional tracking. Let’s take... Read the full article: Oculus Rift Development Kit 2 Review and Giveaway

Smartphone Security: Can iPhones Get Malware? Posted: 23 Sep 2014 06:00 AM PDT Apple has historically marketed its desktop products as being impervious to the rampant malware that plagued Microsoft systems in the early 2000s, but the iPhone’s swelling popularity has made it a prime target. According to reports, malware affecting “thousands” of iPhones can steal App Store credentials – but the majority of iOS users remain perfectly safe. Here’s what you need to know about malware and Apple’s approach to mobile security. What is Malware? Malware is a portmanteau of ‘malicious’ and ‘software’, and it refers to any software that forcibly gains access to, gathers data from or disrupts the otherwise normal operation of a device – often with damaging consequences. The... Read the full article: Smartphone Security: Can iPhones Get Malware?

The Ultimate Design Course To Increase User Engagement For $19 Posted: 23 Sep 2014 05:30 AM PDT The Dribbblization of design is regularly bemoaned by professionals in the industry. In layman’s terms, it is a trend toward creating dysfunctional works of popular digital art or concepts, rather than producing a usable interface. But design is not a beauty contest. It’s about making stuff that works. If that approach appeals to you, then you should check out The Ultimate Design Course by Susan Weinschenk, which is currently heavily discounted at just $19 (91% off). The course focuses on user engagement — in essence, capturing the attention of your visitors — learn about how they think, what drives them... Read the full article: The Ultimate Design Course To Increase User Engagement For $19

5 Killer Resources For Linux Music Streaming Posted: 23 Sep 2014 05:00 AM PDT Do you love listening to streamed music? Don’t know what apps you can use to get the job done? We show you the five best Linux applications you can use to listen to online music. Best of all, we don’t discriminate between different kinds of streamed music — this list takes care of them all. Spotify Did you know that Spotify has a native Linux client that you can use right now? In fact, there are two different options you can use — the native client which is in beta (but still works amazingly well), or the Windows client with... Read the full article: 5 Killer Resources For Linux Music Streaming

When Kickstarters Fail, 10 Million iPhones, China Blocks DuckDuckGo, And More… [Tech News Digest] Posted: 23 Sep 2014 04:30 AM PDT Also, HTC working on Google Nexus tablet, real-time YouTube analytics, the release of PlayStation TV, and when two Friends sold Windows 95. Kickstarter Distances Itself From Failures Kickstarter has updated its Terms of Use to make the relationship between creators, backers, and the company clearer. The updated Terms of Use state that when someone backs a project they’re making a contract with the creator of that project. Kickstarter itself isn’t part of this contract, merely providing the platform on which the two parties come together. With Kickstarter having safely removed itself from the equation, the new Terms of Use then... Read the full article: When Kickstarters Fail, 10 Million iPhones, China Blocks DuckDuckGo, And More… [Tech News Digest]

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