4 Ways To Download Videos From Instagram

Ah, Instagram video. Those 15 seconds of glory and art. We told you everything you need to know about creating Instagram videos, but what if you want to download them, share them, and view them at your leisure? Whether it’s your own amazing creations or your friends’, downloading videos off Instagram is easy as pie. Just choose one of the methods below and get cracking. InstaDown Similar to the numerous websites that let you download YouTube videos, all InstaDown needs is a URL. To get the video’s URL, open an Instagram Web profile (for example: http://ift.tt/1b9LqfU), click on the video...

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Not The Wrong Site: “Office Online” Is The New Name For Web-Based Word and Excel

Technology’s most prolific name-changer is at it again. The Verge is reporting that Microsoft will change the name for its online Word and Excel services, to “Office Online”. The switch follows a recent announcement that their cloud storage service “Skydrive” will soon be named “OneDrive” – a change prompted by a dispute with British broadcaster BSkyB. If you’re confused, you’re not alone: the brand history of Microsoft’s online office suite isn’t exactly straight forward. “Microsoft Office Live” was the company’s first online office suite, designed to challenge Google Docs (which itself has since become Google Drive, but that’s another story)....

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Who Needs Dropbox and SkyDrive? Host Your Own Files With FTPbox

If you had a million dollars, would you rather store it in a safe at someone’s house or at your own place. It’s nice to have control of your own assets. Why wouldn’t the same be true for data? The whole reason most people choose to host a website or blog on their own web hosting account is because there’s more of a sense of “ownership” than if you’re hosting pages you’ve written on a site like WordPress.org or on Blogger. The beauty of having a web hosting account is that it’s basically a perfect file storage location for any...

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Who Needs Dropbox and SkyDrive? Host Your Own Files With FTPbox

If you had a million dollars, would you rather store it in a safe at someone’s house or at your own place. It’s nice to have control of your own assets. Why wouldn’t the same be true for data? The whole reason most people choose to host a website or blog on their own web hosting account is because there’s more of a sense of “ownership” than if you’re hosting pages you’ve written on a site like WordPress.org or on Blogger. The beauty of having a web hosting account is that it’s basically a perfect file storage location for any...

Read the full article: Who Needs Dropbox and SkyDrive? Host Your Own Files With FTPbox

Google Announces New LEGO Project: Build With Chrome

Ever wanted to build something out of LEGOs but avoid the danger of accidentally stepping on one of those foot-destroyers? Well, the Chrome team and LEGO Group sure have a treat for you: Build With Chrome. Build With Chrome is a program that can run on Chrome (desktop or mobile) thanks to the 3D rendering technology WebGL. The mobile version, pictured below, relies on touch for navigation, whereas the desktop version uses mouse controls. Users can select from a wide variety of LEGO bricks, change the color, and rotate the bricks or the entire board. For a little help getting...

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How To Create A Custom Windows 8 Installation ISO

What makes re-installing Windows painful is the waiting around for a few keystrokes and post-installation chores. Windows 8 installs in mere minutes, but you still have to accept the EULA, manually enter your 25 digit serial number, and apply Windows updates once the installation itself is completed. If you’re eager to optimize this process, here is a way to customize your Windows 8 installation. Preparation Before we start, you need a couple of ingredients to make this work: Running installation of Windows 8 or 8.1 Option 1: Windows 8 or 8.1 ISO file (Unfortunately, the Windows 8.1 ISO file available...

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The Sorry State Of Personal Data Security In E-Commerce

According to a new report by password manager and digital wallet developer Dashlane, the companies you shop with online are woefully incapable of providing adequate protection. You might not be altogether surprised at this news, but you shouldn’t fall into the apathetic trap. Many of these retailers owe their entire being to the Internet, yet are incapable of following even the most basic of good data practices. In short, you seriously might want to rethink where you are spending your money online. The Dashlane Report Dubbed “The Illusion of Personal Data Security in E-Commerce”, the January 24 report is the...

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Lenovo Buys Motorola, Google Glass Games, Super Bowl XLVIII Beats [Tech News Digest]

Today in Tech News Digest, Lenovo buys Motorola from Google, a precious Twitter handle is stolen, Nintendo executives take a pay cut, the first video games for Google Glass are revealed, a virtual space battle costs real money, Twitter improves its mobile apps, and overpaid sports stars are gifted overpriced headphones. Lenovo Buys Motorola From Google We’ve just signed an agreement to sell Motorola to Lenovo for $2.91 billion: http://t.co/PKDXrTq6Oe http://ift.tt/1fcWvvK — A Googler (@google) January 29, 2014 Lenovo has bought Motorola from Google for $2.91 billion. The purchase means the Motorola brand and the current product lineup (including the...

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How To Install Windows XP, Windows 7 And Windows 8/8.1 From The Same USB [Must Read]

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Do you want to create a bootable USB drive containing Windows XP, Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 installation files to avoid creating multiple bootable USB drives? Would you like to install Windows XP, Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 from the same USB? If you said yes to above questions, you have come to the right […]

Google Sells Motorola to Lenovo

Google's decision to sell Motorola Mobility to Lenovo for $2.91 billion is even more surprising than Google's acquisition of Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion in 2011.

"Lenovo will now acquire world-renowned Motorola Mobility, including the MOTOROLA brand and Motorola Mobility's portfolio of innovative smartphones like the Moto X and Moto G and the DROID™ Ultra series. In addition to current products, Lenovo will take ownership of the future Motorola Mobility product roadmap. Google will maintain ownership of the vast majority of the Motorola Mobility patent portfolio, including current patent applications and invention disclosures."



Motorola's patents weren't that valuable, Google didn't manage to make Motorola profitable, it started to compete with the other Android OEMs and sold Motorola at a loss. Still, why not try harder to make Motorola shine once again? Why admit defeat and show that your strategy was wrong?



I think the answer can be found in Google's licensing agreement with Samsung:



"Samsung Electronics and Google Inc. furthered their long-term cooperative partnership with a global patent cross-license agreement covering a broad range of technologies and business areas. The mutually beneficial agreement covers the two companies existing patents as well as those filed over the next 10 years."



Samsung is the biggest Android OEM and a switch from Android to Tizen would be a very bad news for Google. If Samsung used its dominant position and asked Google to get rid of Motorola, Google didn't have other options.



Motorola is a lost bet, Google showed that the health of the Android ecosystem is more important than owning Motorola.



{ Thanks, Jérôme. }

Updated Stock Card in Google Search

Google's stock card that's displayed when you search for [GOOG], [TSLA], [Microsoft stock] and other similar queries is now a lot bigger. Tabs are placed above the chart and you can get the stock price at any time by mousing over the chart or tapping it.

Drag the dotted line to get the price variation.

{ Thanks, Jérôme. }

The Simplest Way To Chromecast Your Hangout

If you’ve got a Chromecast, it’s possible that you’ve thought about some creative Chromecast uses, including considering how you might use it to Chromecast a Hangout session. Why is a different question. But how? That’s actually surprisingly easy. First off, there are a number of methods offered by other people online. Don’t bother with them. You don’t need another extension (least of all the malware-ridden one I found), and you don’t need to use a special URL. It’s far easier than that. Seriously. Okay, so I will make a few presumptions here, and that is that you have already set...

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Stay True To Type: 7 Quick Guides That Tell You All About Typography

Typography isn’t hyped. Sometimes, it is such a subtle part of good design that we don’t appreciate it in isolation. A good example – Apple, which shows us the effect of typeface on the user experience. Then, there’s the whole legend on Steve Jobs and the calligraphy class he attended at Reed College. Beautiful typography had existed before Mac’s typefaces, and so have the ugly ones. Thanks to a renewed focus on great design, the art of type is in the foreground now. Learning about typography isn’t only for designers. It’s for anyone who deals with the written word. So,...

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This Painfully Ordinary Chrome Plugin Is Probably Slightly Less Boring Than Working

What do you do when you want to attract eyeballs to your site? You could spend time and effort curating content which is well-written, fact checked and original. You could craft your art and build a following. You could engage with your readers and let your content (and audience) grow naturally. That sounds like hard work, though. Why bother doing all that when you can just share someone else’s content and give it a linkbait headline? Linkbait headlines are truly shocking It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Upworthy has been doing rather well of late. They’ve been described by Fast Company...

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Your Favorite Song Is Playing Somewhere. Find It With RadioSearchEngine

One hand on the steering wheel, one hand on the “seek” button. There’s always a better song, you’re going to find it. If that’s how you drive, you’ve probably always wished there was a search engine for radio. And now there is – for your computer (cars will just have to wait). Radio Search Engine regularly indexes online radio stations, allowing you to search for a specific song playing…somewhere. You can then listen to the song (usually halfway through), then continue to listen to whatever station you stumble upon. You might find yourself listening to a Japanese top-forty station, but...

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8 Ways To Find And Enjoy Your Personal Internet Music Nostalgia Trip

Intimidated by your MP3 collection because it is too big to manage, or frustrated because it is too small? Use the Internet to find and enjoy your favourite songs, streamed to your computer or mobile device. Go back in time and evoke memories with these music tools. Play Your Favourite MP3s In iTunes It’s all too easy to load up iTunes and expect your favourite songs to play. The truth is, they’re unlikely to start pumping on your stereo unless you actively go searching for them, or use a custom playlist to collect the songs together. After all, who wants...

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Mercury Browser For Android: A Worthy Contender In The Browser Stakes?

Not satisfied with the browsing experience on your Android tablet or smartphone? Mercury Browser could help fix that. Google’s Play Store lists several excellent browsers for devices running on Android. If you’re looking to install one, chances are that you’re leaning toward choices like Chrome, Firefox, and Opera, especially if you’re accustomed to their desktop versions. Other popular choices such as Dolphin Browser and UC Browser are probably on your list too, as they were on mine when I bought a Samsung tablet last year. In search of a comfortable Web experience, I tried various Android browsers and then some....

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Google Glass Lenses, Netflix Expansion, Chrome Lego, Prince Bootlegging [Tech News Digest]

Today in Tech News Digest, Google Glass gets prescription lenses, Chrome apps come to iOS and Android, Netflix prepares to invade mainland Europe, the Netherlands overturns its block on The Pirate Bay, Lego comes to your browser thanks to Build With Chrome, and Prince gets his purple knickers in a twist. Google Glass Gains Prescription Lenses Google has revealed the Titanium Collection, a quartet of frames which can be paired with its wearable Glass headsets. The four distinct frames are designed to appeal to different aeshetic sensibilities. All are made from titanium, are thin and light, and cost $225 apiece....

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10 Things To Do When The Internet Goes Down [We Ask You Results]

The Internet is an important – some would say dominant – part of modern life. It provides opportunities for work and play, education and entertainment, and everything else you care to mention. It’s this unending well of variety that has people more addicted to the Internet than they are more traditionally addicting substances, such as alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine. The impact the Internet has had on our lives, and its continued presence in almost everything we do, makes it all the more frustrating when it suddenly and inexplicably disappears. When the Internet goes down, life goes on, as we discovered...

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An Important Notice From Gmail

It's the first time I see an important notice in the mobile Gmail interface. Here's the message:

You may have been impacted by a recent issue in Gmail that inadvertently caused some actions (e.g. delete, report spam) taken while viewing a message to be applied to a different message. The issue occurred between January 15 and January 22 and is now fixed.



We encourage you to check your Trash and Spam folders before February 14, 2014 for any items you did not intend to delete or mark as spam and move them back to your inbox. We apologize for any inconvenience.

I couldn't find other references to this notice, so it's very likely that a very small percentage of Gmail users got it. It's interesting that the message is not displayed in the desktop Gmail, I only see it in the mobile Gmail interface.