03 April 2013

Check Out The New, Official Twitter Client For Windows 8



twitter client windows 8Experience Twitter, Windows 8 style. The people who run the web’s water cooler just got around to putting together an app for Microsoft’s new platform, and it’s pretty great. Everything you love about Twitter – your timeline, your interactions and your ways of discovering new content – are all arranged in an easy-to-browse Metro app. There’s even a built-in browser, meaning you can read articles linked to without closing your timeline.


There’s an official Twitter client for iOS and Android, and it’s always getting updates. There’s even a (neglected) Twitter app for Mac. Until recently, however, Windows users have been without an official Twitter client for their platform (Tweetdeck aside, of course). That’s changed now – but only for Windows 8 users. If you’ve been looking for a desktop Twitter client, and like the Metro style, it’s time to check out the official Twitter app for Windows.


Despite Microsoft policy, I refuse to call Windows 8 apps “Modern” because it implies desktop apps are somehow outdated. They’re not.


Twitter Client For Windows 8: A Tour


Fire up Twitter for Windows 8 and you’ll need to sign in. Once you do, you’ll be presented with your timeline:


twitter client windows 8


Scroll down using your mouse, touch or the up and down arrows on your keyboard – there’s nothing unusual about that. It’s a shame links can’t be opened by pressing left – that’s my favorite feature in the Mac version – but perhaps that’s coming later.


On the left you’ll see the four main buttons Twitter offers on its site. “Connect” is one of my favorite features here, showing you the various ways others are interacting with you online.


best twitter client windows 8


I prefer seeing “Connect” – which includes new follows, retweets, favorites and “@” messages – to just “@” messages, so this is very nice compared to similar clients. Here’s the confusing bit though – the Twitter app for Mac doesn’t offer “Connect“, instead just showing the “@” messages. Why is this inconsistent? Why are some great features from one official client not on the other? And why does it happen both ways?


Another nice feature – click any link and you’ll be taken to the story using an embedded browser. This is a great way to explore your timeline in context.


best twitter client windows 8


Search is among Twitter’s best features – it’s a great way to keep up with the latest in a variety of topics. The search interface in Twitter’s Windows 8 app is about what you’d expect, offering you your favorite searches and allowing you to look for whatever:


best twitter client windows 8


Notably, if you search for a person, you can check out their complete profile – graphics and all. It’s a nice touch, and one overlooked by most desktop clients (for various reasons, including API restrictions).


twitter client for windows 8


Finally, there’s “Discover“. This tab lets you see more of what the people you follow are up to, and otherwise points out content Twitter thinks you’ll find interesting. Check this out if the timeline isn’t enough to keep you distracted (unlikely, I realize, but it could happen).


twitter client for windows 8


There’s not a lot to configure in this app – for the most part it’s pretty simple. You can configure some things, however, mostly in relation to the notifications. Here are those settings, in case you’re curious:


twitter client for windows 8


The live tile is also a nice touch, allowing you to see who is reaching out to you on Twitter at a glance. You can disable it if you find this distracting, of course.


twitter client windows 8


That’s pretty much the entire app – it’s not terribly complicated, as you can tell. It’s a straightforward translation of Twitter’s web experience for the Metro interface.


Conclusion


Whatever you think about Windows 8, you have to admit one thing: turning the world’s most used operating system into a platform with its own app store is encouraging people to create apps that didn’t exist on Windows previously. Reddit To Go, for example, brings a Reddit client to Windows – and there are several apps like it in the Microsoft Store.


Are you a fan of apps like this, or do you prefer using the web version of sites like Twitter? Please let me know in the comments below, or make unnecessary comments about how stupid social media services are, all while failing to realize the irony of using an online comments section to make such a statement.


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7 Best YouTube Workout Channels To Exercise at Home



youtube workout channelsThe rich and the famous don’t have this problem. Home gyms and personal trainers help them to get up straight from their beds and hit the gym. We lesser mortals have to call on our powers of self-motivation and discipline to trudge the few miles to the gym. But it doesn’t have to be this way. With the help of free YouTube channels for home workouts, we can start our own exercise regimen exactly where our sleeping mattress ends.


Going to the gym is not only about personal supervision and better equipment. It is also about the banter and the mass effect of exercising together. Nothing greases your limbs better than seeing someone older (or younger) than you putting in the hard yards. But sometimes busy lifestyles, erratic schedules, travelling on the road, economics, and downright laziness make home workouts a necessity.


Some Benefits of Exercising At Home



  • Exercising at home could be comparatively convenient for you instead of going to the gym in terms of your schedule and time saved.

  • Home workouts need minimal equipment. Buying some simpler home equipment like exercise mats, dumbbell sets, kettle balls, and even an elliptical trainer can be easily covered with the money you save in gym memberships.

  • For the socially shy – you may not feel comfortable with your self-image. Start exercising at home to shoo the awkwardness away.

  • You don’t need to get dressed up and your own private shower is just a step away.

  • You have your own personal trainer thanks to the television, the web, and the many YouTube channels.


Using YouTube workout channels is what we will focus on in this article. Please bear in mind though that I am not fitness guru. I am a work-from-home guy who uses the web and these channels to bring variety to his fitness regimen when he can drag himself away from the bed, the work desk, and the latest novel he happens to be reading.


If you ask me which is the simplest but single most effective exercise one can do at home – do the burpees. It is a full body workout which will make you weep for a place to lie down. But then, these seven YouTube home workouts may make you shed more buckets of sweat.


Switch On These YouTube Channels for Your Home Workouts


I have selected YouTube exercise videos where you need minimal equipment and can do the exercise without any supervision. Or channels with a greater variety of that. It is the rule I apply to myself, and I hope it applies to you as well when you go searching for home workouts.


Frugal Fitness


youtube workout channels


The fitness show is hosted by Mike Schiemer. The YouTube workout channel’s main theme is to do it cheap. And Mike Scheimer defines himself as an exercise physiologist, personal trainer, nutritionist, fitness model, writer, and epic cheapskate. Following that philosophy, many of the exercise videos on this fitness channel are about using no equipment, just your bodyweight. There are about 290+ videos in different playlists. Nutrition and product reviews are also covered. The exercises are of intermediate level, but not too difficult with a moderate level of difficulty.



Fitness Blender


best youtube workout channel


The fitness videos are well produced. The Fitness Blender website is more comprehensive. I was a bit surprised to learn that a husband and wife team are alone responsible for maintaining the site and the YouTube channel. You have full-length home workout videos. The menu has Pilates, boot camps, strength training, HIIT, kettlebell, stretching, sports-specific training, cardio, injury rehabilitation, and programs geared for weight loss. There is a 12 video length playlist where the couple answers fitness questions.



BeFit


best youtube workout channel


BeFit is one of the better known fitness channels on YouTube. 37 million plus views attest to that. High-caliber professional trainers like Jillian Michaels, Denise Austin, and Jane Fonda among others feature here in the many exercise videos. If you like to groove try out the dance fit workout videos for some fast paced cardio burning. There’s also the series of 15 (hopefully growing videos on 5-minute workouts – great for times you are short of time and need some quick mood lifters.



My Trainer Bob


best youtube workout channel


Bob Harper is a personal trainer who is in the reality television series “The Biggest Loser”. The show gave him a profile in the United States as a fitness expert. Like him I also believe that a major part of fitness and losing weight is about diet; something I haven’t been able to impress on my mother who feeds me carbs. The YouTube channel seems to be a plug for his book. But I like the fact that his approach towards fitness is “inside-out” and he concentrates on diet, the mental and the spiritual aspects as well. There are no complete workouts here, but if you are looking for some challenge and variety give the videos a try.



Passion4Profession


top youtube workout channels


Passion4Profession is another well-produced YouTube workout channel. The motto is – train where you want, how you want, and when you want. I guess that’s the perfect definition of a home workout. The videos are nice animated depictions of exercise movements and postures. Most of the exercises use your bodyweight. Using the playlist is convenient because the videos playlists address specific parts of the body among other things. On the website, you can check out the exercises by clicking on a spot on the body map. Then list video exercises you want to follow using a filter.



Blogilates


top youtube workout channels


POP Pilates Instructor Casey Ho takes you through workouts that might get you to think of doing them the Gangnam style way. But they are peppy and colorful. And Casey Ho treats the seriousness of getting fit with fun. You can’t scoff at nearly half-a-million subscribers. She is always chatting and that should help to keep your own energy levels up as you follow the exercises in a corner of your home. The hits playing in the background help too. I don’t doubt her qualifications after seeing her do the burpees while chatting up the viewers. That takes some doing.



The Daily HIIT


youtube workout channels


High-intensity interval training is supposed to be better for burning more calories. There are both sides of the argument. But it is short, intense, and can really get your heart pumping in the shortest time possible. The Daily HIIT videos are high-intensity all right, and you should try them if you have an intermediate to advanced level of fitness because they can take a lot out of you. If the pace is too much, try the HIITlite series which is of lower intensity but still sapping. The Daily HIIT is a companion series and a successor to BodyRock.TV another fitness channel on YouTube.



A Word of Advice


The statutory warning remains – if you are physically inactive or have a medical condition, do consult a physician before you start exercising.


There are lots of YouTube workout channels with thousands of YouTube videos on fitness and health. But what’s true of the physical world is also true of the online one. Perhaps, more so. YouTube is the Wild West of online videos. There are good videos and there are also umpteen bad ones. When it comes to exercise and health, wrong instructions could be detrimental. Examine the sources more closely. Take the comments under the videos into consideration…even the seven video channels I have profiled here. It’s very difficult sometimes to make out who is an expert and who is playing make-believe.


These seven YouTube workout channels aren’t the only ones of course. But they are definitely among the best I could find. Being the lazy types we are, always glued to our workstations, we have looked at different ways of keeping our myofibrils together. You can take ideas from 5 Effective Ways To Workout At Home With Online Videos or watch a few from 6 Must-See Exercise Videos For Those Of Us Who Spend Most Of The Day Sitting. If you have a Wii then Top 5 Wii Fitness Games To Get Into Shape From Home could be more fun than any gym with a free spa.


Do you workout from home? Tell us about your reasons – it is a conscious choice or one due to the stresses of urban life? What sort of fitness habit do you follow? Which are the YouTube workout channels or online resources you would recommend?


Image Credit: Young woman training via Shutterstock


The post 7 Best YouTube Workout Channels To Exercise at Home appeared first on MakeUseOf.



Windows 8.1 (Windows Blue) New Features



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Up until a couple of days ago, we all only new that Microsoft is working on the next release of Windows, codenamed Windows Blue. Over the last weekend, a pre-release of build of Windows Blue (build number 9364) leaked to the web, revealing new features and options so far included in the update. A number [...]

Google Blocks Gmail's Mail Fetcher



Google has always added great security features that protect user accounts: from SSL access to most services, Google Safe Browsing, Gmail's spam and phishing filters to 2-step authentication, phone number verification and Gmail's account activity monitoring.



Sometimes Google's security features are extra paranoid and block Google's own services. I tried to use the mail fetcher feature from a secondary Gmail account and Google mentioned that the authentication failed (it's been enabled before). I entered the right password and Google still couldn't authenticate. Then Google started to show warnings in my main Gmail account, at the top of Google search pages and even sent an email and an SMS message: "Someone recently tried to use an application to sign in to your Google Account. We prevented the sign-in attempt in case this was a hijacker trying to access your account."



Google sent me to this page which says: "We detected activity on your Google Account from a location you don't usually sign in from." The IP address is 209.85.192.147 (mail-pd0-f147.google.com) and it's from United States. Obviously, it's Google's own IP address.












How to fix this issue? Go to this page, click "Yes" and "Yes - Continue". From the Google confirmation message: "As a security precaution, Google may prevent an application from accessing your account if it's the first time we've seen this application sign in to your account, or if it's attempting to sign in from a new location."






Then Google sends you to this page and you need to click "Continue" and "sign in using the application you want to authorize access to your account within the next ten minutes."






Unfortunately for Google, it wasn't even the first time when Gmail's mail fetcher was enabled. Google should find a way to make Gmail's mail fetcher work without having to jump through hoops.


What Should Have Been Culled Instead Of Google Reader? [You Told Us]



The company which has its many and varied tentacles wrapped tightly around all four corners of the Web recently announced the culling of Google Reader. This decision annoyed many people, some of whom immediately began looking around for alternative RSS readers. The chances of Google culling other services in the future are high, as the company has these spring cleans regularly.


Kannon tried to prepare us for this possibility by highlighting alternatives to existing Google services, which is a must-read for those eager to prepare for a possible forthcoming technology apocalypse. But wait. Aren’t there some things you’d actually like to get culled? That was the slightly offbeat discussion that formed the basis for last week’s We Ask You column.


The Results


We asked you, What Should Have Been Culled Instead Of Google Reader? We didn’t limit you just to Google products, though some people seemed to assume this was the case. There’s a lesson to be learned here… before you comment on a MakeUseOf article read more than just the title.


The response was fair, with dozens of you deigning to tell us what product, service, company, app, or operating system you’d like to see placed in a coffin and lowered into the ground. What I foresaw as being an offbeat, fun discussion actually prompted some really heartfelt (and often angry) comments.



Many Google products and services were named during the discussion, including Google Finance, Google Video, Google Keep, Google+, Blogger, Orkut, and Android. To top it off someone wanted to see the company as a whole disappear, mainly owing to privacy concerns.


Other notable mentions include Twitter, Klout (which ranks people online according to their reach), social media in general, the practice of SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and misinformation/ignorance over open source alternatives to expensive products, with Microsoft Office being the example cited by the OP.


Comment Of The Week


We had great input from the likes of (our own) Chris Hoffman, Garey B, and gmvolk, to name just a few. Comment Of The Week goes to Suzannah, who, as well as the respect of myself and hopefully everybody reading this, receives 150 points to use for MakeUseOf Rewards.



Google Keep. Axe it.

Note to Google:

The date you launch a product to be used on a daily basis and designed to house carefully collected information crucial to your workflow …

….should probably not be the SAME DATE you axe a product used by so many on a daily basis and designed to house carefully collected information crucial to their workflow.

You miiiiiiiggght just run into a little bit of trust issues on your new product. Axing Google Reader while launching Google Keep just advertised “Hey, folks, stay with Evernote, because when it comes to daily workflow, we just can’t be trusted.”

Just sayin’.



We like this comment because it really got to the heart of why people are mad at Google for dumping Reader. The company launched Google Keep soon after ditching Reader, but it should realize how difficult it’s going to be persuading people to move from Evernote and the like when there is no guarantee Keep will itself be kept.


We will be asking a new question tomorrow, so please join us then. We Ask You is a weekly column dedicated to finding out the opinions of MakeUseOf readers. We ask you a question and you tell us what you think. The question is open-ended and is usually open to debate. Some questions will be purely opinion-based, while others will see you sharing tips and advice, or advocating tools and apps for your fellow MakeUseOf readers. This column is nothing without your input, all of which is valued.


Image Credit: Davidd


The post What Should Have Been Culled Instead Of Google Reader? [You Told Us] appeared first on MakeUseOf.



7 Reasons Why You Should Be Using Twitter



why use twitterTwitter has now been with us for seven years and counting, having celebrated its seventh birthday on March 21, 2013. This was seven years to the day since Jack Dorsey sent out the first tweet in 2006, at a time when the micro-blogging social network was known simply as twttr.


Twitter was originally an internal service for employees of Odeo but entered into the public domain in July 2006. By 2007 early adopters and tech bloggers had started to use Twitter, and the service has grown every year since then. In 2009 it benefited from the Oprah Effect, hitting the mainstream in a big, bad way. Those who are interested can read Twitter’s full origin story.


However, despite now boasting more than 200 million active users Twitter is lagging a long way behind Facebook and its userbase of 1 billion-plus. Those who haven’t yet succumbed to the lure of Twitter seem unlikely to ever do so, and they’re missing out on an exciting and intoxicating experience. Which is a crying shame.


What follows are seven reasons why you should be using Twitter, the ‘seven’ representing the number of years Twitter has been around for. Even if you have so far rejected the social network either out of ignorance or a lack of desire, I urge you to read on and at least consider giving it a go.


Interesting People


why use twitter


We all want to surround ourselves with interesting people, don’t we? Sadly not all of us get the chance to do that in the real world. You’re tied to your family by blood, and while other people are your friends for a reason (meaning you should get on with them extremely well) that doesn’t mean they’ll have anything particularly interesting to say.


Twitter is meant not for friends and family but for people you actually want to communicate with. You can follow anyone and anyone can follow you. There’s none of the mutual agreeing to be friends required by Facebook, so if you want to follow 500 complete strangers then that’s your right. If none follow you back then it doesn’t matter a jot.


TL;DR: Twitter is full of people with things to say, and you can listen.


Breaking News


why you should use twitter


Twitter has proved its worth in recent years as a platform for breaking news. The simplicity of the site means that the first think many people at the scene of a developing news story do is to tweet about it. A few retweets later and the news has spread. This has led to Twitter beating traditional news outlets to a story on many occasions.


Even if you don’t want to actively tweet yourself, you can use Twitter as a source for breaking news. By following news aggregators, rolling news channels, and journalists, you can get the inside scoop of a story long before it hits the mainstream news outlets.


TL;DR: Who needs newspapers when Twitter usually beats them?


Tracking Trends


why you should use twitter


As well as breaking news Twitter is a fine resource for tracking online trends. If a YouTube video is going viral then it will be getting shared on Twitter. If a new meme is spreading like wildfire then it will appear on Twitter. If a celebrity has done something newsworthy but has managed to avoid the news leaking to the mainstream press it will likely appear on Twitter.


Hashtags also figure into this, and most of the Trends listed on Twitter use this simple method of assigning a particular subject to a tweet. You can tailor Twitter trends to suit you, switching from ‘Worldwide’ to those emerging from a particular country.


TL;DR: Trending hashtags can tune you into the zeitgeist.


Company Contact


using twitter


Companies love Twitter. Your favorite brand is highly likely to have a presence on the site, whatever product they sell or service they provide. Twitter is a great tool for brands to promote themselves and their products, but they are unable to push their wares onto consumers without consumers pushing back.


Twitter represents one of the quickest and easiest ways to contact a company to get instant customer service. The response you receive may not be as fine-tuned as you would get by speaking to a person on the phone, but at least you won’t be kept on hold for hours before you get that attention.


TL;DR: Get a quick response by embarrassing a brand on Twitter.


Celebrity Access


using twitter


Celebrities love Twitter too. While not every famous person is present on the site, a high percentage are. The celebrities get another platform to promote themselves and their latest film/television show/book/perfume, and in return their fans gain a new way of accessing their heroes.


While those who are really keen on certain famous people have always found ways to talk to them, Twitter makes it very simple indeed. If a celebrity is on Twitter then anyone else on Twitter can send a message to them. They may even respond. Indeed, I’ve communicated with several celebrities on Twitter in this way.


TL;DR: Tweeting a celebrity beats stalking them.


Creative Outlet


using twitter


Most of the entries so far have outlined reasons to follow other Twitter users, such as girl geeks and popular scientists. But you can easily turn this on its head by instead creating a Twitter presence that others want to follow. You’re only limited by your creativity.


You can start a Twitter account about anything, as long as you abide by the rules set forth by the company. You may want to parody a famous person, write short poetry, recount witty anecdotes, or tell lame jokes. Twitter gives you a certain sense of anonymity to plumb the depths of your creativity.


TL;DR: Be imaginative with themed tweets.


140 Characters


why use twitter


If you’re anything like me you have a short attention span. You can read novels, in-depth features, and articles several thousand words long, but there are times when you’d rather not have to. This lack of attention span is why TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) became so popular, and it has also certainly helped foster the popularity of Twitter.


You only have 140 characters to say what you want to say in a tweet (excluding URLs). This means people are forced to get to the point quickly, paring the facts down to their core essence. Sure, there may be a link to a longer news story, but it’s surprising how much information you can consume purely from reading tweets.


TL;DR: 140 characters makes TL;DR redundant.


Conclusions


If you’re already a fan of Twitter then do you think this list sums up the best reasons others should try the site for themselves? Is there another, perhaps better, reason why? If you’re not on Twitter yet has this article made you consider signing up to see if it’s for you? If not, why not? What is the one thing holding you back?


Anyone who signs up to Twitter as a direct result of this article is guaranteed at least one follower… me. If you join Twitter just tweet me at @DavePee telling me as much and I’ll follow you… though I reserve the right to unfollow or block you at a later date for any reason whatsoever.


Image Credits: Ed Yourdon, Michael Beck, Michael Coghlan, Brett Jordan, Frank am Main, Denise Krebs, Maryland GovPics


The post 7 Reasons Why You Should Be Using Twitter appeared first on MakeUseOf.



New Gmail Smart Labels



Smart Labels is a very useful feature from Gmail Labs that automatically categorizes messages. Right now, Gmail has categories for forum messages, social updates, notifications and promotions.



Gmail's code includes some new smart labels for travel, receipts and events. I've tried to search for label:^smartlabel_event, label:^smartlabel_receipt, label:^smartlabel_travel and they don't seem to work.






Google already categorizes your Gmail messages to enable the features added to Google Now a few months ago. Google needs to identify confirmation messages for restaurant reservations, hotel bookings, flights, events you purchased a ticket for, online orders and it's obvious that Gmail could create smart labels for each category.


Gmail's Sponsored Promotions



Gmail's personalized ads are nothing new. Back in 2011, Google announced that Gmail would no longer show just ads related to the message you're currently reading, but also ads related to topics you're interested in. "For example, if you've recently read a lot of messages about cameras, maybe you'd like to see an offer from your local camera shop."



I've recently noticed some Gmail sidebar ads slightly different than the experimental format from 2011. You could hide the ad by clicking the "x" icon and even check other ads by clicking the "more promotions" link. The "sponsored promotions" page actually has a permalink: https://mail.google.com/mail/#pinbox (first spotted a few months ago). If you don't see any promotion, opt in here.









The ads look like regular emails, although features like "reply" or "mark as spam" aren't available. "It's a new type of ad you can save to your inbox or forward on. If you dismiss this ad, you won't see it again." Ads have permalinks like: https://mail.google.com/mail/#ad/76002.






New Interface for Google Drive Shared Folders



Google Drive's shared folders have a new "grid view" interface that borrows the file preview feature from the standard GDrive UI. It's great for sharing photos, but it also works for other files.



"Over the next week, users who are invited to open a shared folder will notice a much improved visual layout of the folder's contents. You can even click on an item to preview and flip between the content. Want to keep the shared folder? Use the 'Add to Drive' button on the top right to store it directly in your Drive for fast access across all devices," informs Google.



Here's an example of shared folder (Android wallapapers):






And here's the old interface:






You can open any folder in the new interface. Just replace https://drive.google.com/#folders/FOLDERID or https://docs.google.com/folder/d/FOLDERID/edit with https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=FOLDERID, FOLDERID is a long ID.



I wonder if Google Drive will start to include the photo albums from Picasa Web and Google+ Photos. This would make GDrive less disjointed.



{ Thanks, +Cougar Abogado. }