DigitalOcean: The Best VPS Host For Newbies

If you’re looking for VPS hosting – whether to run a Minecraft server, host a bunch of files, or simply to run a 24/7 remote computer – you would do well to start with DigitalOcean. Not sure what the difference is between VPS hosting and shared hosting? We’ve got you covered with a quick explanation of the various types of web hosting. If all you need is a cheap server to run a WordPress blog, you’d be better off with one of these web hosting services. But if shared hosting is too limited for you, you’ll want to look into...

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Share Gmail Themes

If you use a custom Gmail theme, you can share it with other people. Unlike regular Gmail themes, custom themes use the picture you've selected, so you can generate a permalink that allows other Gmail users to quickly switch to your theme.



Just go to Gmail's Themes page, go to the "custom themes" section and pick "share your theme" if you already use "custom light" or "custom dark". If you don't use them, click "custom light"or "custom dark" and select a background image.

You can share your theme by email, using Google+ or you can simply copy the URL generated by Gmail. Here's an example.

When someone clicks the URL, Gmail will show a "theme change confirmation" dialog.

Watch Carl Sagan’s Cosmos Right Now On YouTube [Stuff to Watch]

Back in the 1980s, we knew considerably less about the world around, above and within us. In a world gripped by Cold War, Carl Sagan’s Cosmos served as a reminder that science is about discovery and knowledge, rather than just a means of increasing your arsenal. Thirty years on we can stream Carl Sagan‘s groundbreaking documentary for free on YouTube, and still learn something from it. Despite the decades of knowledge gained since the show’s inception, the show is still brimming with intrigue and relevance, so sit back and enjoy the show that inspired a whole generation of scientists to...

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Google Releases Windows Phone App for Google Reader

Google is about to launch its second Windows Phone app. This time, Google picked a service that was used by a few million users until it was discontinued last year: Google Reader.



While the new app won't be able to show the latest news from your feeds, it's a clear sign that Google started to embrace Microsoft's mobile platform. Apparently, Google was about to launch the app in January 2013, but developers were busy updating Google's apps for Android and iOS. A week ago, someone found the app and decided it's a good idea to release it. The application lets you login to your Google account and shows this message: "Google Reader has been discontinued. We want to thank all our loyal fans. We understand you may not agree with this decision, but we hope you'll come to love these alternatives as much as you loved Reader."

It's simple, minimalist and pretty late, just like Windows Phone.

How to Set Up CDN the Right Way and Avoid SEO Problems

Tired of your website loading like a snail? Well, installing a CDN system on your WordPress blog can help, but setting it up wrong can really hurt. I’ll show you why and how to avoid those problems. CDN stands for “Content Delivery Network”, and it’s a way to cache content on your website that doesn’t change very often across several servers located all across the Internet. This might include scripts and images that make up parts of your web pages that never change. So now, whenever someone in California, for example, accesses your website in their browser, the content is...

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Gmail, Back to 2004

To celebrate 10 years of Gmail, Google will launch a special Gmail interface that takes you back to 2004, when Gmail was launched. The retro interface doesn't include a contact manager, drafts, a rich text editor and other advanced features. Gmail will only show the most recent messages, since the storage is limited to 1GB.

Source: Kevin Fox

NS5, Free Phone From Google

Google is about to launch a free phone that will be called NS5. It's a free 8GB version of Nexus 5 ("Nexus Special 5") that will only be available in the US. You'll still have to pay $50, but you'll get $50 Google Play credit, so the phone is actually free.



NS5 will only be available online at the Google Play Store. It comes with a special version of Android KitKat that installs some new software, adds new features and restricts a few options. Chrome's data compression proxy is now used at the OS level, so all the traffic is routed through Google's servers and you can't disable this feature. Your phone is associated with a Google account, you can no longer disable location services or Google+ Auto Backup and there's a new sponsored card in Google Now that shows personalized recommendations. You'll also hear some relevant audio ads when calling companies or when you play your music.

It's a great opportunity for Google to test new software, find new ways to monetize its services and capture the value of free hardware. Building a platform that makes mobile phones accessible for everyone has always been at the heart of Android.

3 Ways To Get Your Hands On Free Social Analytics Reports

Accessing quality social media reports can often become a costly endeavor. It’s important to get this data, however, as it can make or break your social profiles as well as change the way you run them. The websites below give you access to plenty of free reports that will provide insights and further understanding of your social media profiles and pages. Simply Measured Other than offering a powerful analytics platform (paid), Simply Measured also provides 13 free social media reports from their ‘Free Social Media Tools‘ page. To access the reports, you’ll be asked to perform a social ‘action’. If...

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