Facebook Joins The Search Game, Introduces Graph Search [Updates]

Facebook has announced a new and improved search experience called Graph Search, which helps you navigate Facebook’s vast amount of information and find new people who share your interests, specific activities, specific photos, and more. It’s different from regular Web search in that it utilizes Facebook’s database to show you information from people you know or might now, along with popular Facebook results.

Graph Search will make use of details people choose to share on Facebook, and will only use them according to each user’s privacy settings. This means that the same search for different people can yield completely different results, and this is what can make Graph Search unique. For example, you can search for friends who like to ski, for photos your friends took in Paris, for people who work in your company and like to dance, etc.

Graph Search is currently in limited beta testing for English-speaking users only. If you want to get a glimpse of the action, you can join the waiting list here. At the moment, not all the promised features are available, but these will be added shortly, as the service expands.

Privacy wise, Graph Search shouldn’t pose a serious problem as it will only use information you choose to share, and will only show it to people you chose to share it with. It remains to be seen how exactly this aspect will work, considering Facebook’s not-so-trustworthy reputation when it comes to privacy issues. You can read more about privacy and Graph Search here.

Will you use Graph Search once its available?

Source: Facebook

The post Facebook Joins The Search Game, Introduces Graph Search [Updates] appeared first on MakeUseOf.

Wi-Fi Finder Helps You Find Wi-Fi Hotspots Anywhere In The World [iOS]

Is your cellular data at a premium? Unless you are grandfathered into an unlimited plan with your carrier, the chances are that your mobile data runs out rather quickly. The best solution to the problem is to connect to the Internet through Wi-Fi. This way you don’t have to worry about sucking down your precious bandwidth, and you are likely to see a speed improvement on Wi-Fi as well.

However, if you want to find a Wi-Fi hotspot, it can often be easier said than done. But with Wi-Fi Finder, that will not be a problem.

With Wi-Fi Finder, you can find both free and paid Wi-Fi hotspots anywhere in the world, so you’ll never have to worry about running out of cellular data again. If you are worried about running out of data on your iPhone, or you are traveling overseas and you don’t want to deal with international data roaming, this is an app that you must have installed on your iPhone.

Features

This app allows you to find Wi-Fi hotspots in one of two ways. The first of these allows you to find hotspots around your current location. From the main screen, you can tap the big “Find Public Wi-Fi Near Me” button. If you are already in the search screen, you can simply tap the locate button on the top left of the screen to search around you at any time.

If you are going somewhere, and you want to know the Wi-Fi situation at your destination, you can search for Wi-Fi hotspots instead of having the app use your location. To do this, you can tap the “Search for Wi-Fi World-wide” button or simply click the search box if you are already on the search screen. Type in the area you want to search, and it will bring up the public Wi-Fi there.

The search results for both options can be displayed on a map or in a list. By default the app shows you the map view of the Wi-Fi hotspots. If you prefer to see a list, simply click the “List View” button to see the same results organized in a text-based list.

You can narrow your search by clicking the options button. From here, you can limit the venue type, provider, cost, save a location to recent searches, and more. This will certainly make it easier to find a Wi-Fi hotspot that suits your needs.

If you click the Recent button on the bottom of the screen, you will see the search results you saved there. If you plan to come back to a certain search time and time again, saving the results is a great option.

Next to Recent is an option called Favorites. This is where you will save a particular Wi-Fi location. If you used Wi-Fi at a place and were particularly fond of the service offered, you may want to keep it saved here so you can remember it and come back to it later.

If you know of a Wi-Fi network that is not listed, you can add it, but each Wi-Fi network is reviewed by the creators of the app, so it may take 4-6 weeks for it to show up within the app. To do this, click the “More” button on the bottom fo the screen and then go to “Submit a Hotspot.” You can also add a new hotspot via the options menu from the search results.

The app also has the ability to store Wi-Fi locations offline, which is great if you know you are going to be traveling somewhere and using data is completely off-limits. You will have to do this in advance, as it requires Wi-Fi to download the Wi-Fi database. To access the offline database, go to “More” and click the option.

Conclusion

If you need help to find Wi-Fi hotspot networks available to the public in your area, this is the app you need to download. It is incredibly easy to use, and it comes with a huge database of Wi-Fi networks from all around the world. If you cannot use cellular data, but still want to access the Internet from your phone, Wi-Fi Finder will solve that problem with ease.

The post Wi-Fi Finder Helps You Find Wi-Fi Hotspots Anywhere In The World [iOS] appeared first on MakeUseOf.

Download Dropbox App For Windows 8

CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL POST



Dropbox, the popular cloud storage provider, has released dedicated Windows 8 app and is now available in the Store. While Dropbox for Windows 8 app can be installed alongside the desktop version of Dropbox, it’s more useful for users who’re using a tablet or touch device powered by Windows RT operating system. The initial release [...]

Auto-Post your RSS Feed to Google+ Pages

dlvr.it, a cross-posting service that allows web publishers to automatically publish RSS content to Twitter and Facebook, now supports Google Plus Pages as well. →

All you have to do is create a new route in dlvr.it with Google+ as the destination and your RSS feed as the source. The tool will then watch your RSS feed for updates every 15 minutes and any new blog posts will automatically be posted to your Google+ Page.

You may publish multiple RSS feeds to your Google Plus Pages and #hashtags may also be added to your Google+ updates based on the category /tags of your posts. Similarly, you may define a custom schedule when updates should be pushed to your Google Plus.

While dlvr.it is the first third-party service that lets you cross-post content to Google Plus, they have made this feature available to paid users only and publishers will have to shell out $9.99 per month to populate Google+ with their RSS Feeds.

The other limitation is that dlvr.it can only push web content to Google+ Pages and not to your personal profile on Google Plus.

Also see: Generate RSS Feeds for Google Plus

---

This story, Auto-Post your RSS Feed to Google+ Pages, was originally published at Digital Inspiration on 15/01/2013 under Google Plus, RSS, Internet.

Google Chrome 24 Stable Version Released

Online & Offline Installer

Everyone knows that Google Chrome is the world's #1 web browser. Google Chrome has more than 310+ million users worldwide. Now chrome developer team has released a new stable version of Google Chrome 24 for all the Windows, Mac and Linux PCs. Most important update on this new version is chrome 24 supports Mathematical Markup Language (MathML). This is the first (MathML) supported chrome version.

The new version of chrome is released with all the security bugs and errors fixes from its previous version. Here I'm giving you the download links of both online and offline installer.



Download Chrome 24 - Online Installer

Download Chrome 24 - Offline Installer

Writing For the Digital Age: 5 Free Writing Style Guides Online

Somebody correctly remarked that English is a funny language. You can question why quicksand works slowly or why does a nose run while feet smell. As Dough Larson said – “If the English language made any sense, a catastrophe would be an apostrophe with fur.”

But it is the language the world speaks and we have to put in our two bits to do it correctly. The web has created a global audience, so if you are among the ones who write in English for a living, you got to be word perfect even you may not be pitch perfect with your accents. As a writer and blogger, I know the pitfalls of a typo or making a mistake with an ‘effect’ or ‘affect’. If writing perfection is your calling card, you need a Writing Style Guide by your side.

What Is A Writing Style Guide?

A style guide documents the basic rules that help to ensure consistency in any written or visual work. Think of it as a set of standards everyone should follow. These standards could be about fundamentals like grammar and punctuation, or address structural elements of layouts, typography, citations, and visual design. For example: a writing style guide could tell the writer the minimum words he should use or that an image should be of a specific size. Some guides may also lay down rules for tone and voice. The main motive is to create a uniform experience for the audience.

AP Style tip: Capitalize film titles and put them in quotations: “Lincoln,” “Les Miserables,” “Life of Pi,” “Skyfall” and “Argo.”

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) January 9, 2013

Wikipedia defines it as – A style guide or style manual is a set of standards for the writing and design of documents, either for general use or for a specific publication, organization or field. The implementation of a style guide provides uniformity in style and formatting within a document and across multiple documents.

Writing style guides are more common in publishing and academics. There are many different varieties of style guides; some are general while some are specialized. Some are universal while some are region specific. The fact is that anyone can create a style guide for internal use. On the other hand, there are easily available style guides which anyone can refer to.

5 Style Guides for Bloggers, and Content Writers

Associated Press Style Guide or the AP Style Guide is the recommended one for journalists and I would say, even for online writing. It is a widely followed standard as it allows newspapers to easily sell or exchange stories without having to make wholesale changes in the press piece.

The Chicago Manual of Style on the other hand is equally well known but followed by authors and writers. Both have updated social media guidelines for the digital age. But being industry standards they carry nice price tags. So, let’s look into five free style guides that are also out there for our reference.

The Yahoo! Style Guide

Yahoo has been putting together online copy since the early years of the web and the Yahoo Style Guide is supposed to be a result of all their best practices. The style guide started as an in-house reference and the website is a companion to the book by Chris Barr. Yahoo style Guide differs from the AP Style Guide in some respects and the differences are listed. The Yahoo Style Guide is more relaxed and on the face of it seems just what you would need for web writing.

The BBC News Styleguide

When it comes to the Queen’s language, few can argue with BBC’s usage. The BBC News Styleguide is a standard set forth for clear written and spoken communication. The single 86-page PDF file is a primer for that. It is not about strict guidelines but more about what you should follow to get it just right. As the guide says – The BBC is listened to throughout the world and should be a beacon of correct English. The PDF guide covers topics on the basics of parts of speech, jargons, abuse of clichés, and political correctness.

The Guardian and Observer Style Guide

75 is not a bad age for a style guide, but The Guardian style guide has managed to keep pace with the times (I did find web 2.0 and Wi-Fi there). The Guardian remains one of U.K.’s leading dailies. The style guide is alphabetically listed and is concise with its instructions on word usage (and abusage). The style guide also has its own Twitter handle at @guardianstyle.

National Geographic Style Manual

The National Geographic Style Manual is a guide to preferred National Geographic Society style and usage. It is a house guide but can be used by others for reference purposes as it is free and openly available on the Nat Geo site. Search through the site alphabetically or use the search box on top. Though National Geographic is science oriented, the style guide is non-academic and is meant for general usage. You will quite obviously see a lot of words from the world of natural sciences. The first version came out in print form in 1962, so one can assume the guide is full of editorial experience.

The Elements Of Style

Many consider William Strunk’s little booklet (just 43 pages of American English usage) an essential read. In fact, Times listed it as one of the 100 best and most influential books written in English since 1923. Written in 1918, it remains relevant to this day. His 17^th principle of composition is one which everyone should remember – “Omit needless words.” You can get to an online version of the book by following the above link. The little guide is searchable.

The question you should ask yourself is – do I need a writing style guide? The answer could be yes, because it lays the foundation for any writing you do on the web. There are many other resources like dictionaries and spell checkers, but if you want to put it all together professionally, sift through a style guide.

Feedback wanted – have you purposefully ever looked up a style guide? Do you consider it along with your research?

The post Writing For the Digital Age: 5 Free Writing Style Guides Online appeared first on MakeUseOf.

WinZip 17 Pro for Windows: Redesigned For Social Sharing And The Cloud [Giveaway]

PCLinuxOS: A Linux Distribution Which Mixes And Matches Software For A Better Experience

It’s an understatement to say that Linux users have plenty of choice when it comes to which distribution they’d like to use. There are multiple approaches to accomplishing the same tasks, from what kind of packages (such as .deb or .rpm) are used to what packages are included by default on installation media to the purpose of a distribution — whether it’s stable or cutting edge and if its pure or accepting of proprietary software.

In any case, there are plenty of aspects of distributions which you can have your own preferences, and then choose a distribution which caters to those. If you are looking for a distribution that mixes up a lot of different distributions, I have something for you.

About PCLinuxOS

PCLinuxOS is a pretty unique Linux distribution for people who are fairly knowledgeable about Linux. Therefore, it isn’t quite a distribution which I can recommend for new users, but it’s great for Linux users who want to try new combinations. PCLinuxOS is often seen as an independent project as its quite a bit different from any other major distribution, but it still has roots with Mandrake Linux 9.2, whose successors now include Mandriva Linux and Mageia.

There’s an interesting mix of Mandrake Linux elements remaining in PCLinuxOS, as well as a couple notable features found in other distributions.

Mix & Match

First, PCLinuxOS uses the RPM package format, which it inherited from Mandrake Linux. However, the included package manager is Synaptic Package Manager, which is found in Debian as well as distributions derived from Debian. It also includes a Control Center that is similar to what can be found in Mageia and its precursors. As a unique feature, PCLinuxOS is a rolling release with the publication of occasional new ISO images so that you can always test out and install a recently updated version of the distribution.

However, once installed, you’ll simply need to keep up with updates to stay up to date – no new releases to upgrade to.

Plenty Of Software

Recent publications of the PCLinuxOS ISO images include a boatload of software for you to use, right out of the box. If you can think of it, it’s probably already included. Even just the Internet section alone includes about everything you’ll need, like Firefox, Thunderbird, Kopete, Xchat, Filezilla, Choqok, and Dropbox. It even includes codecs from the start, which is something you won’t find on other major distributions such as Debian, Ubuntu, and Fedora. In other words, there probably won’t be much more that you’ll need to install to have a fully functioning system.

Plus, because PCLinuxOS uses a rolling release model, you can be sure that it offers the latest versions out there. In fact, the December 2012 ISO images currently uses the latest version of KDE 4.9.

Testing & Installation

In order to try out PCLinuxOS for yourself or even install it, you’ll need to head over to their download page and get their latest ISO images. There are other desktop environments available besides KDE, but I recommend it the most if you have the available system resources. While the site offers both torrents as well as images on HTTP mirrors, I recommend that you use the suggested torrent link and avoid the HTTP mirrors so that you have the best download rates and the latest ISO images. When I looked at the HTTP mirrors, some of them were hosting ISO images from December 2010.

Once you have downloaded the ISO image, you’ll need to burn it to a DVD or write it onto a USB drive. Then configure your system’s BIOS to boot off of the prepared media, and then launch into the new distribution. From there, you can mess around in the live environment or go ahead and start the installer.

Conclusion

PCLinuxOS is an interesting twist to the regular, popular distributions. I do think that Linux enthusiasts would like it, but the only downside to the distribution is that it is only supported by a community, and not a larger entity as compared to Ubuntu, Fedora, or even Linux Mint. However, if you like what you see, there’s nothing wrong with trying it out!

How do you like PCLinuxOS’s selection of technologies? What would you want in your own ideal distribution? Let us know in the comments!

The post PCLinuxOS: A Linux Distribution Which Mixes And Matches Software For A Better Experience appeared first on MakeUseOf.

Get Creative With Evernote: 10 Unique Uses You Haven’t Thought Of

Evernote is one of the ultimate tools in productivity, and with a wide variety of multiplatform apps, there’s no limit to the way that you can use the service. We’re big fans of Evernote here at MakeUseOf, for lots of reasons, so we’ve written a list of 10 unique ways you can use the service – with some tips and tricks you might not have thought of.

Whether it’s taking advantage of Evernote’s checklist feature, or the fact that you can save photos in the app on the go, using the mobile app, don’t be afraid to get creative with your Evernote use. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to download our Evernote Manual for free.

Save Classified Listings Before They Expire

How many times have you bookmarked a Craigslist listing only to find that the post has expired next time you go to check it out? With Evernote, you can save the entire listing, with all of the information, contact information and photos by using Evernote’s Web Clipper. This feature can come in handy on sites like eBay, Craigslist, or just about any online classified site you can think of.

Take Notes While Reading a Book

If you’ve already made the switch to eBooks, making digital notes while you’re reading is nothing new, but if you’re still attached to reading books, and don’t want to put your notes in the margin, why not use Evernote? Create an individual notebook for each book, take photos of the page you want to jot a note down about with your phone, and type in the note with the image.

By using Evernote, you have a digitized and easy to search database of your notes – just make sure to include the page number in your typed up notes.

Keep Measurements, Sizes, etc. Handy When Shopping

Whether it’s measurements for your furniture, clothes sizes or even your printer’s ink type, you can take that kind of information with you everywhere you go. That way, next time you’re at the store, you’ll always have that information handy if you happen to find something that you want to buy.

Create Lists Of Everything From Goals To Groceries

Because Evernote allows you to create checklists, there’s no end to the kinds of lists you can create using the app. Whether it’s for day-to-day tasks like groceries, to life-long goals that are on your bucket list, or even just a list of movies you want to watch, you can take your checklists with you everywhere using the mobile Evernote app.

Record Your Prescriptions

If you have a lot of prescriptions, you can keep them organized using Evernote. Take photos of the doctor’s prescription, of the pill box or bottle, and even how each individual pill looks. Keep track of how often you take them, and how often you need to refill the prescription.

Save Photos Of Your Takeout Menus

Rather than keep a drawerful of messy takeout menus, why not take photos of the menus and save them to Evernote. Create one notebook for all of your takeout menus, and use one note per restaurant. While the images aren’t searchable, you can at least put in relevant tags making it easy to look up all the menus for certain types of cuisine, or better yet, searching for specific restaurants by name.

Save Your Favorite Meals At Restaurants

While it does require an additional Evernote app, in this case Evernote Food, you can keep track of your favorite meals, drinks and more while you’re out and about. Recently updated to add an awesome set of features and iPad support, Evernote Food can be the ultimate alternative to Instagramming your food.

Rather than share it with others, using Evernote Food is all about making it easy to remember which restaurant serves your favorite salad and where to go to get the best cup of coffee.

Save Important Documents: Warranties, Contracts, Birth Certificates, etc.

Any kind of important document that you want to keep track of, you can simply save in Evernote. Whether it’s an important contract, your birth or marriage certificate, or any other important papers, take photos of them, or save them as PDFs and save them to Evernote. That way you have important information handy with you no matter where you go.

Create a Virtual Library Of Your DVD, Video Game Collections, etc.

If you have a large collection of DVDs, video games, books, or anything else, you can take photos of each item, add notes about them, and even make a note of when you lend them out and who you’ve lent them to, and you can keep track of your personal belongings. Nothing is more annoying than lending a book to a friend and forgetting who you gave it to, so why not let Evernote help you remember?

Use Evernote As a Rolodex

While there are a lot of great apps that make it easy to exchange contact information simply by touching phones, the traditional business card is far from dead. Rather than keep a messy box of business cards, take photos of the individual business cards and save the note with the contact’s name.

Are you looking for more ways to get the most out of Evernote? Check out 3 more ideas here.

The post Get Creative With Evernote: 10 Unique Uses You Haven’t Thought Of appeared first on MakeUseOf.

What Is USB Debugging Mode On Android? [MakeUseOf Explains]

If you use an Android phone and you’ve searched forums for solutions to problems, you’ve probably heard the term “USB Debugging” every once in a while. You may even have seen it while looking through your phone’s settings. It sounds like a high-tech option, but it really isn’t; it’s quite simple and useful.

One beauty of Android is that it has a lot of built-in features, many of which are advanced. If you want to supercharge your phone with mods and whatnot, you can; if you want to use it just as it was out of the box, you can ignore the advanced stuff. USB Debugging is a feature that all users can benefit from, though, so you should know what it does and when to use it.

What Is USB Debugging Mode?

USB Debugging Mode is a mode that can be enabled in Android after connecting the device directly to a computer with a USB cable. The primary function of this mode is to facilitate a connection between an Android device and a computer with Android SDK (software development kit). As the name might suggest, Android SDK is a software suite that’s designed to aid in the development of Android apps.

Ever wondered how a programmer creates apps on the Android? They definitely don’t code them straight on the phone device! That would be nightmarish at best. Instead, they utilize the environment of the Android SDK to code apps on a computer, use USB Debugging Mode to transfer those apps to a device for testing.

But, again, here’s the takeaway: USB Debugging Mode establishes a direct connection between an Android device and a computer and readies it for deeper-level actions. That’s the important part.

In some versions of Android, the USB Debugging Mode feature may be called Developer Mode. With such a name, it can be easy (and reasonable) to think that you’ll never need to deal with this aspect of Android if you never plan on developing anything. That’s not exactly true.

Why Is USB Debugging Mode Important?

USB Debugging grants you a level of access to your device. This level of access is important when you need system-level clearance, such as when coding a new app. However, there are a few non-development-related benefits from this new level of access that can give you much more freedom of control over your device.

For example, with Android SDK, you gain direct access to your phone through your computer and that allows you to do things you normally couldn’t, like snag instant screenshots of your device or run terminal commands with ADB. These terminal commands can help you restore a bricked phone–a useful tool for any adventurous Android owner. Without it, you’d have to get a replacement phone.

USB Debugging is also necessary if you ever want to root your Android device. Before an app like One-Click Root can dig into your system and deliver the exploit that roots the device, USB Debugging is necessary to allow that function in the first place.

Yes, the original intention for USB Debugging Mode was only meant for developers who needed to copy data between their computers and Android devices, to install apps on the phone without notifications, and to read log data off the phone. But even if you aren’t a developer, you’ll probably run into a few apps that require USB Debugging Mode to function properly, so this mode does affect you and you should know about it.

What You Need to Know About USB Debugging Mode

By this point, you may have noticed that USB Debugging isn’t used all too frequently. You’re right. This feature of Android isn’t something that you take advantage of on a daily basis unless you’re coding an app. However, when it does come in handy, it really saves you a lot of time, effort, and even money.

Therefore, it’s best to keep USB Debugging Mode disabled and only enable it when you really need it. When running an app, for example, it’ll let you know if it needs you to enable the mode before it can do anything. When that happens, you can enable it, let the app do its thing, then disable it again. Few apps will require your phone to constantly be in debugging mode.

Lastly, starting with Android 4.2, access to the USB Debugging Mode option has been hidden by default. I’m not entirely sure why the development team thought that move was necessary, but fortunately it’s not too much of a pain to get it visible again. Read How to Enable USB Debugging on Android 4.2 if you need to know how.

Conclusion

Just know that USB Debugging is not a super-high-tech feature that you need to be afraid of. Think of it as yet another tool that gives you full control over your device. This kind of power does invite abuse, though, so keep it disabled at all times and only enable it when you know you need it and you’ll be fine.

If you have any questions about USB Debugging, please ask in the comments. I’ll try my best to answer them.

Image Credit: USB In Phone Via Shutterstock

The post What Is USB Debugging Mode On Android? [MakeUseOf Explains] appeared first on MakeUseOf.

Three Gorgeous Apps That Give iOS a Run For Its Money [Android]

iOS hasn’t changed very much in appearance for the past few years – but it is beautiful. There’s an innate elegance and smoothness to many iOS apps; something that can’t really be captured in words, but more in the responsiveness of the interface and its functional minimalism. The same, unfortunately, can’t be said for Android – many Android apps are pretty messy, using a hodgepodge of unclear UI conventions and controls.

This, however, is starting to change. I’ve recently come across three different apps, each with a different purpose, but all united by one thing – aesthetics. These are apps by developers who take the Holo design guidelines seriously, and it shows. So today’s roundup is a different one, because it’s around form, rather than function.

For Twitter: Falcon Pro

It’s hard to count the things $1 Twitter client Falcon Pro gets right, but I’ll try – clean, flat aesthetics; clear tweets and typography; inline graphics that can be easily resized to fill the screen; and of course, lovely menus that slide in from left and right.

It’s an ambitious utility, and the animations aren’t as smooth as they can be, which is something holding back many Android utilities – iOS just feels smoother. Still, the way Falcon Pro utilizes every pixel on the screen and organizes functionality to be both clear and appealing is definitely something other developers can learn from. This isn’t a full-on review, but if you’re looking for a solid Twitter client, give Falcon Pro a shot.

I switched to it from Plume, which I’ve previously reviewed. It’s just feels better, and is more fun to use (at least for me).

For Reader: Press

I am not the only one inspired by iOS: Press is a new RSS reader that syncs up with Google Reader, and takes quite a few design cues from iOS app Reeder. We’ve looked at Reeder’s desktop version before, and just by going over the screenshots in that post you’ll see the similarity at first glance. Press shows your subscriptions on a light grey background, and its reading view is a pleasure to behold:

The only beef I have with Press is that it doesn’t sync items in the background, so every time I run it I have to tap the Sync button and wait a moment while it talks to Google Reader and pulls in all the feeds I didn’t read. Other than that, it’s a joy to use.

It’s far from the only news reader for Android – we’ve previously looked at Pulse for Android and JustReader, both fine options – but Press does have that understated visual flair that just makes it fun to use without coming off as ostentatious or overly animated (some apps just try too hard).

For The World Around You: Holo Compass

Finally, here’s simplicity itself:

Yup, it’s a compass. Holo Compass, to be exact. That’s all it does – it’s just a compass. It’s not a flashlight, not a map, not a measuring device, and not a camera. One simple thing, and it works. It’s visual minimalism reminds me of another of my favorite utilities, the Ovo timer for Android. Just like Ovo, Holo Compass uses a very flat scheme, with no shadows or anything to detract from its centerpiece, the compass. If your device has a reliable built-in compass sensor, Holo Compass is one of the best ways to use it.

A Design Trend

I feel that form follows function, not the other way around – i.e, the first thing a coder should worry about is what their app should help the user do. That said, the hallmark of a truly excellent product is that it manages to be both functional and beautiful at the same time – and I’m happy to see more and more Android apps arriving at this level of excellence. Also, I’m happy to say I’ve just included Falcon Pro and Press in our list of Best Android Apps.

Do you know of any other beautifully-designed apps? Let us know in the comments!

The post Three Gorgeous Apps That Give iOS a Run For Its Money [Android] appeared first on MakeUseOf.

Use Wolfram Alpha To Dig Up Cool Statistics About Your Facebook Account [Weekly Facebook Tips]

If you’ve heard of Wolfram Alpha before, you’ll know that it’s a wealth of knowledge that’s occasionally compared to the likes of the Star Trek computer. There are all sorts of weird and wonderful uses for Wolfram Alpha, including powerful search terms, other searching tips, widgets, a variety of cool uses and other truly powerful uses of Wolfram Alpha. However, even if you know all about these Wolfram Alpha tools, you may still not yet know about their Facebook analytics tool.

With the Wolfram Alpha Facebook analytics tool, you can find out a huge amount of information about your Facebook account. It’s quite fun to see which of your posts or photos are the most popular, who your top commenters are, who is sharing your posts the most and more interesting tidbits. Plus, it’s easy to use this tool and completely free. Why not have a go?

Using Wolfram Alpha for Facebook

Using Wolfram Alpha’s Facebook analysis tool is completely free, so all you need to do is log in using your Facebook credentials and give it access to your account. It will then either link your Facebook to your Wolfram Alpha account or create a Wolfram Alpha account for you. You’ll then see that “Facebook Report” is entered into the search box for you, so all you need to do is hit enter to get the results.

From there you’ll be able to browse information about your Facebook account or use the Wolfram Alpha search tool to find out things about your Facebook data. Then the fun starts! Here’s a video showing how it works.

What Does The Facebook Report Show?

Your personalised Wolfram Alpha Facebook report will show all sorts of statistics about you, your Facebook usage and your friends. Every time you visit Wolfram Alpha in the future these will be updated to reflect your current situation, so you’ll always see new information. The main screen shows an overview, but each section can be expanded by clicking the “More” button in the top-right.

Your personal data will show interesting facts related to your birthday and age, such as your star sign, how old you are in days, and some fun star and moon chart information (which presumes you were born in your listed home town).

Data collected about your friends will show you their locations on a map, charts of gender differences, age distribution, relationship statuses, friends who have the most mutual friends, most common names and surnames, and more. You can even see a diagram of your network, showing where the overlaps are between friend groups.

Statistics about your Facebook usage are also available, including when you log in and from which device or application, which posts you made were the most popular (across the whole of Facebook), which posts you made got the most likes, how often you post updates, how often you upload photos, how often you post links, your top commenters, the people who share your posts the most, post length, a map of your check-in history, your most commented on photo, your most liked photo, word frequencies and a word cloud.

All of the data can be filtered to show results for different timeframes or with other filters, such as for gender or age. This means you can keep exploring your Facebook data for quite a while before the fun stops!

Sharing The Fun

Of course, once you’re done exploring your Facebook data, you may want to share the results. It’s simple to share your favourite chart or a permanent page of your Facebook statistics with your friends via Facebook.

What did you find out about your Facebook account? What was your favourite statistic from Wolfram Alpha?

The post Use Wolfram Alpha To Dig Up Cool Statistics About Your Facebook Account [Weekly Facebook Tips] appeared first on MakeUseOf.

What You Need to Know About Native Social Networking Tools In Windows 8

Whenever you switch to a new operating system there are always a few new things to learn – and with Windows 8, the learning curve has increased considerably with the new user interface and built-in store adding a new dimension to Microsoft’s long-running OS.

One of the key differences in Windows 8 is the approach to social networking. Whereas previously it was something that was easily covered by visiting websites or installing third party clients, social networking in Windows 8 – typically accessing services such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn – is made all the more simple by the provision of integrated support and approved clients that can be downloaded from the store.

Getting to grips with social networking in Windows 8, therefore, might prove quite difficult to start with – until you’ve got to grips with the People screen.

Windows 8 People Explained

For many years, Windows has got by without having its own dedicated contact management system. Unlike Mac OS X, Windows has instead relied on its integrated email tool or third party solutions, but with Windows 8, this comes to an end with the introduction of the People screen.

Like its Windows Phone namesake, this holds the contact details for all of your friends and family, and can display details from various social networks.

Twitter, Facebook, Windows Live, LinkedIn and Google accounts are all supported, and can be added either by opening People and clicking the Connect option in the top right corner and entering the account username and password.

The immense benefit of this is that Windows 8 will then effortlessly import the details for all of your contacts from Facebook, Google or whatever your preferred social networking service is. Opening the People tool will then display your friends for you to scroll through, and you can use the What’s New button to see the latest news. Updates will also be displayed on the live tile on the Start screen.

Facebook On Windows 8

At the time of release, there is no dedicated Facebook app for Windows 8. Rather, users are expected to integrate the social network into their computers via the People screen, as described above.

This isn’t really a massive hardship; although there is no access to groups and pages through this tool, and Facebook games are also disabled (all of which can of course be viewed through the Internet Explorer browser), you can effortlessly move through conversations on Facebook through the People screen.

Engaging with your friends is simply a case of clicking their update, reading through the comments and leaving your own. The View Notifications button in the People screen will display any responses to threads that you’re involved in.

If you want to update your own status, meanwhile, you can do so from the main People screen – click Me and in the Facebook “What’s on your mind?” field you can leave your thoughts. This view also provides access to your Facebook photos by scrolling right.

Twitter For Windows 8

It’s not too different with Twitter. Importing an account requires the same steps, and the What’s New button displays not only updates from Facebook but also Twitter.

When you want to comment on or like a Twitter update, once again all you need to do is select it and tap the Like button and/or leave a comment; new status updates can be left by clicking the drop-down arrow (if there are multiple accounts setup) and selecting Twitter, before entering your thoughts.

You will be alerted to mentions and retweets in the View Notifications screen. Although not the most ideal way of using Twitter, the integration is good, and the Start screen live tile updates make it ideal for quick use.

Social Networking, The Windows 8 Way

Simple integration of these popular social networks enables users to skimp on installing dedicated apps, although in the case of Twitter this isn’t recommended for intensive use.

Accounts for both Twitter and Facebook can be added to Windows 8, thereby populating your contacts screen (People) and enabling you to quickly interact with friends and family on your new computer.

Meanwhile, third party apps (for Twitter at least!) are provided that expand on the native integration – and if you want to play Facebook games, you can simply launch the web browser!

The post What You Need to Know About Native Social Networking Tools In Windows 8 appeared first on MakeUseOf.