For the iPhone users out there, great ebook reading experiences can be had with apps like iBooks and Stanza. But what about for us Android users?

As someone who has recently been getting sucked into reading more and more novels, I’ve been on the prowl for the best ebook readers on Android. So far, nothing has matched the sheer power and elegance of Stanza, but Aldiko has gotten close.

First released in 2009, Aldiko has been working towards offering the best-in-class ebook reading and management experience for Android users. Let’s take a look at what this app can do.

eBook Formats

Aldiko officially supports ebooks in the .epub and .pdf formats. However, if you have ebooks in a different format, you can use a program called Calibre to convert those files into .epub format. From there, Aldiko will be able to read it just fine.

Importing ebooks into Aldiko is extremely easy. All you have to do is connect your Android to your computer and drag the files onto your device. Then, from within Aldiko, you can search your device and tell it which files to import. Simple.

If some of your ebooks are locked by Adobe DRM, you can even sign into your Adobe ID to have those ebooks unlocked.

In-App Bookstore

At the time of writing this article, installing Aldiko on your device will result in a free ebook for you: White Fang by Jack London. For those of you who have never read this book, it is a small and unexpected treat.

However, one of Aldiko’s great features is an in-app bookstore powered by Feedbooks. Without ever having to leave the app, you can purchase books that have been recommended by other readers, books that have been featured in the New York Times Bestseller List, or books that are entirely free of charge.

On top of that, you can use the app to browse through ebook listings on Smashwords. Smashwords is a great place to find ebooks, both free and paid, across all genres and formats.

Library Management

Managing your pile of ebooks is extremely easy with Aldiko. You’ll be able to find the book you want to read almost instantly by sorting by title or by author–whichever you prefer.

Reading

If you want to bookmark a page–in case you have to stop reading for a bit, or if you want to return to a specific spot later–you just tap a button and label the bookmark.

If you want to look for a specific scene but don’t remember where it is, use the full-text search.

As you’re reading, you can bring up a context overlay with a single tap on the page. You’ll instantly see how far into the book you are, and you’ll be presented with a bunch of options for customizing your reading experience.

Settings and Customization

Aldiko allows you to change a lot of settings in order to maximize your comfort. Change the font face, the font size, the margin sizes, and the colors of the text and page. You’ll never be distracted by poor aesthetics again.

And it doesn’t stop there. There are a few other options that really add those finishing touches while you read.

Verdict?

Aldiko still lacks a few features that I would like to see, such as tracking your progress through the current chapter (as opposed to the whole book), more options for sorting your library, the ability to edit book details, etc.

However, compared to other ebook readers on the Android Market, Aldiko is definitely the best one I’ve tried so far. I would highly recommend it for anyone who plans on reading many ebooks on their Android device.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

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We recently reported that Picnik will be closing on April 19th. The demise of the popular online photo-editing service has been met with scorn from fans, who are unhappy with Google’s decision to kill one of the web’s best free tools in the name of consolidation.

There’s no need to panic, however. While Picnik will be missed, there are some solid alternatives available that are just as free.

Google+ Creative Kit

If you don’t consider the actions of Google to be a mortal sin, you may receive the best results by sticking with the Google family. The company’s Creative Kit is, in essence, a port of Picnik’s functionality into Google+. Users have been able to use this feature for several months, but awareness remains limited. That’s probably because the Creative Kit is easy to miss. To access it, you first need to click on a photo you’ve uploaded in Google+, then click on the rather small Creative Kit button tucked away into the upper left hand corner of the screen.

Most of the basic features of Picnik can be found here, minus the Advanced, Touch-Up and Frames categories. With that said, I’d be shocked if Google does not add in these tools within the next few months. I don’t think the company has anything against free photo editing – they just want people to use these tools through Google+ rather than a separate website.

Speaking of which, you can export all of your Picnik photos over to Google+, making it rather easy to migrate from one to the other.

Aviary (Phoenix or Facebook App)

One of the better free image editing options available on the web is Phoenix, which is part of the Aviary suite of free media editing utilities. Phoenix is not tied into any social network or any other website and it doesn’t require registration. You can load it and start editing within seconds.

The interface itself is more akin to a traditional image editing program like Photoshop, so it could be a little intimidating at first. You also won’t find some of the easy photo filtering features you find with Picnik.

Where you will find those features is the Aviary app on Facebook, which was just launched. Known officially as the Aviary Image Editor, this tool gives you the ability to open photos from your albums and manipulate them with a number of common tools. There are even stickers to add and effects to apply.

Better still, you can connect Picnik to Facebook, so you can edit and save photos now with Picnik but open them later in the Aviary Image Editor if you want to make any changes.

Pixlr

Making the choice for the third alternative in this article was tough. There’s a lot of good options out there such as Fotoflexer and Phixer. However, these simply seem to do the same thing as the Creative Kit and Aviary Image Editor, but offer an inferior interface and inferior social network connectivity.

So instead I direct you to Pixlr, a veteran of the online image editing wars. Pixlr is a lot like Phoenix. It’s a standalone photo editor geared towards advanced users. However, of the two I’d say Pixlr is without a doubt the more robust option. It simply has more features.

Pixlr also offers an easy editor called Pixlr-o-matic, which is available online, via Facebook and as an iOS and Android app. However, it’s focused on adding effects and filters rather than real photo editing.

Although not directly a part of any social network, Pixlr does include the stand social network connectivity, which means you can open and edit photos stored in Facebook and Picasa (among others).

Conclusion

I think that Aviary Image Editor is the leader of the alternatives listed here. Creative Kit is nice, but its integration into Google+ seems a bit Frankenstein. Google has taken a stripped-down version of the Picnik software and stitched it on to their social network. Hopefully they will put more work into the feature.

What alternative will you be using once Picnik goes offline? Let us know in the comments.

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A few months ago I wrote an article highlighting some of the best resources on the web for finding 8bit music, all manner of MOD files and the software required for playback. Today I’m going to be venturing a little deeper and digging out the tools you’ll be needing in order to create some chiptune yourself.

The modern MOD-scene is a friendly, care-and-share alike community consisting of programmers producing free software, composers sharing their music for free and those who simply love the music. Thanks to software emulation, there’s no need for original hardware any more – though many do still insist on using classic technology for their musical needs.

This will be a two-part guide, with hardware, samples and VSTs coming next week.

Trackers & Making Music

A tracker is not an absolute necessity for creating 8bit, and many people get away with using digital audio solutions like FLStudio or Audacity. However, If you’re really serious about creating 8bit music then you’re going to want to learn how to use a tracker.

Whilst each tracker is different, the methodology behind making music is virtually identical on each piece of software. The most noticeable difference between standard audio software and a music tracker is the way the track is constructed – vertically, as opposed to horizontally – but there’s far more to it than that.

There are 6 main characteristics common to music trackers: tracks (channels), samples, notes, effects, patterns and orders. Tracks are the vertical strips onto which you construct the music, and whilst trackers of old only had a limited amount of available tracks the modern offerings have vastly improved on this. Samples are sound recordings that must be imported (and sometimes generated in-tracker) in order to construct  music.

Notes then adjust the pitch of the samples in order to match them to musical notes, allowing you to construct complex patterns of varying notes with only a handful of samples. Effects go hand in hand with notes, as these are commands added to the end of the note to instruct it to play arpeggio, vibrato, portamento and so on.

A pattern consists of multiple tracks playing at once to make up part of a song, whilst the order defines when each pattern plays, for how long and specifying other options like whether each pattern should be looped or not. These are the basics, and once they’re firmly implanted in your head then the only thing holding you back is your imagination and eagerness to experiment.

Software

Here are some of the best, completely free music trackers as well as relevant documentation where available.

OpenMPT (Windows) [Official Documentation]

Based on ModPlug Tracker, OpenMPT (Open ModPlug Tracker) builds on this release with a number of awesome features including support for VST effects and instruments. VST stands for virtual studio technology and allows instruments such as synthesizers and drum kits as well as a number of effects to be used in OpenMPT. This is somewhat special as I haven’t found any other free trackers that provide support.

OpenMPT continues the 8bit revival by supporting a number of newer file formats including Impulse Tracker (.IT/.ITP files) as well as good old fashioned (but somewhat limiting at times) .MOD and .XM files. OpenMPT is currently only designed to be used with Windows, and unfortunately I had a lot of trouble getting this to work through WINE on Linux.

One of the most complete, powerful and user-friendly trackers out there.

MilkyTracker (Windows, Mac, Linux) [Official Manual, Unofficial Tutorial]

Another much-loved tracker, MilkyTracker attempts to be a faithful recreation of the popular DOS tracker, FastTracker 2. It also aims to satiate Amiga fans, providing enhanced playback compatibility with the Amiga classic ProTracker. MilkyTracker is able to create .MOD and .XM tracks, has a unique custom user interface and supports MIDI-in.

MilkyTracker has not made the leaps forward that OpenMPT has in the form of VSTs and advanced formats, and this is because it has been designed to be and remain a second generation tracker.

SunVox (Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android) [Official Manual, Video Tutorials]

SunVox aims to be a more contained workstation than Milky or OpenMPT and to achieve this there are a lot of synthesizers and effects bundled from the get-go. In addition to this the software has a particularly flexible architecture, allowing it to perform well on older machines, mobile devices and even smartphones.

Indeed, there are iOS and Android versions available – but they’re going to cost you. If you’re weighing up the purchase then luckily all other versions are free. If you’ve still got an old Windows Mobile or PalmOS device then you’ll be pleased to know SunVox is fully compatible, so why not try it out!

SchismTracker (Windows, Mac, Linux + more) [FAQ, Message Board]

SchismTracker is a free Impulse Tracker clone that aims to recreate the feel and functionality seen in the old DOS application. Whilst Impulse Tracker doesn’t add anything particularly new to the plate (unlike ChibiTracker above) it is very flexible in construction, and according to the author: “Schism will most likely build on any architecture supported by GCC4 (e.g. alpha, m68k, arm, etc.)”

As well as Windows, Mac and a handful of Linux distributions, SchismTracker can be downloaded for the Pandora and even the Nintendo Wii (though that version is no longer supported).

SonantLive (Browser) [Instructions]

Because you want to play with a tracker and you’re too impatient to download a portable app and run it – introducing SonantLive, a music tracker than runs in your browser! Yes, it works and should give you a basic introduction to patterns, sequences, waves and of course the process behind constructing a pattern.

It’s not necessarily as powerful as the other trackers on this list but then again it’s web-based, designed for fun and completely free. You can even save and load!

Conclusion

There’s simply not enough space here to go into hardware chiptune, the many free samples the web has to offer or all the gorgeous VST instruments and effects that are floating around for free. You’re going to have to wait for next week in order to enjoy those.

In the meanwhile if you’ve got any other trackers or software you rely on for your chiptune needs then don’t hesitate to add them in the comments below.

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Check out some of the latest MakeUseOf discoveries. Most of the listed websites are FREE or come with a decent free account option. If you want to have similar cool website round-ups delivered to your daily email, subscribe here.

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MyRoute SafeDrive – One of the significant ways in which iPhone apps have helped humanity is by helping drivers on the road know what lies ahead, taking their phone calls for them, showing routes etc. I’m sure you know about such apps; there are many of these out there. MyRoute Safe Drive is a new entrant in this league. Read more: MyRoute Safe Drive: Speed Limit Alert App [iPhone]

		Zwiggo – If you were to plan a weekend trip, having all the itinerary sorted out before the trip begins would be a prudent thing to do. Doing it through email or Facebook Groups or Google+ might not be very convenient. Zwiggo lets people like you build a collaboration space for planning such group tasks. Read more: Zwiggo: Collaborate With Friends To Plan Group Activities
		Cloudability – Tracking all of your paid cloud accounts can be overwhelming. Fortunately, we have Cloudability. This tool lets you monitor your accounts from a single dashboard, helping you save money, keep track of payments, and avoid over usage while generating a graph report of your usage. Read more: Cloudability: Track All Your Cloud Services & Payments In One Place
		Tradyo – Finding great deals online will not do you much good if they are geographically too far to use. This is precisely why you should be searching for local deals to begin with. You need a tool that focuses on location-based trading and allows its users to easily trade locally. Tradyo is exactly that. Read more: Tradyo: Buy And Sell Locally Using Your iPhone [iOS]
		TwitDesktop – Would you like to share how your desktop looks with others? Normally this would mean taking a screenshot of your desktop and emailing it to your friends. But with a new web service called TwitDesktop, sharing a screenshot of your desktop has never been easier. The first step is to authorize it access to your Twitter account. Read more: TwitDesktop: Easily Share Screenshots On Twitter

These are just half of the websites that we discovered in the last couple of days. If you want us to send you daily round-ups of all cool websites we come across, leave your email here. Or follow us via RSS feed.

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Despite the many reasons why people preach the use of Linux, actually going through with the switch is a completely different story. I know this only too well as I went through the exact same process before everything came together and I fell in love with Linux. However, I have to admit that it took a while with numerous attempts at using Linux for more than a week.

It’s not that Linux is hard to use or understand, but it simply doesn’t fit the Windows mindset that most people have. Expecting to do everything in Linux exactly like in Windows is where problems start appearing, which can easily deter a good number of users. Thankfully, there is now a Linux distribution that could make the process a whole lot easier.

About Zorin OS

Zorin OS is a Linux distribution based on Ubuntu, but besides identical packages and base system there are some major differences between the two. One of the major goals of Zorin OS is to offer a user interface that is similar to that of Windows, making Windows users feel more comfortable when they use Zorin OS. I must say that Zorin OS does a pretty good job with it.

Downloading

You can download the ISO for Zorin OS by going to this page and downloading their “Core” ISO. The developers also offer lite and educational variations for you to download, but in most cases you’ll have the better experience with just the core. This review will focus on the Core edition.

Additionally you’ll find a Premium page where they offer you Ultimate, Business, Multimedia, and Gaming editions, which is mostly just the Core software with many additional applications for that type of system. The effort it takes to put all those extra programs into the ISO is why they charge for those editions.

Once you have your downloaded ISO burned onto a CD, written to USB, or ready to go for VirtualBox, you can boot straight into the live environment. Loading shouldn’t take very long, and in no time you’ll be presented with the Zorin OS desktop.

Desktop

As you might recognize, the default look for Zorin OS mimics Windows 7 quite well. There are only a couple of shortcuts found on the desktop, and in the taskbar you’ll find the Start menu on the left (with Zorin OS branding, of course), the icon tray on the right, and then in the middle you’ll find the cool looking buttons that show which programs are currently open (do those even have a technical name?). Overall, it looks very much like Windows 7, which is very impressive.

Start Menu

If you actually click on the Start menu, you’ll see a lot more Windows 7-esque goodness. The Start menu, which appears to be GnoMenu with an appropriate theme, looks extremely similar to Windows 7′s Start menu. Keeping a small Linux touch, however, all programs in the left side of the menu are organized into the regular categories that regular Linux users are familiar with. There is also no “Recent Programs” list as is in Windows 7.

Look Changer

So all this stuff that looks a lot like Windows 7 is great for someone coming from Windows, right? Well what if they’re trying out Linux because Windows XP is starting to become very dated for an operating system? No need to worry there either. In the Control Center, there is a button called Look Changer, which will open a new window where you can choose between a Windows 7, Windows XP, and regular Linux Gnome desktop. With Windows XP available too, switching to Zorin OS is even easier for more people.

Default Applications

Zorin OS also comes with some pretty interesting default applications. Instead of Firefox as the default browser as is the case in all major distributions, Zorin OS chose Chrome in part due to its ever-increasing popularity. Many will enjoy this, while those that don’t will simply need to install their browser of choice. Not a hard thing to do. Zorin OS also includes Nautilus Elementary over Nautilus, which offers a tweaked user interface for a cleaner look. As for everything else, the usual applications that you would expect are included.

Conclusion

This interesting Linux distribution has some great incentives for Windows users to try out the Linux side of computing. Aside from all the differences between itself and Ubuntu, the rest is business as usual, letting you get work done like a pro.

What do you think about Zorin OS? Is it the best way for Windows users to try Linux? Let us know in the comments!

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Mint has now launched its much-loved financial software application for Android tablets. Mint.com is an awesome way to keep track of your spending and savings. It allows you to set goals, keep track of where you are spending your money, as well be reminded when you have bills coming up to be paid. If you have a hard time keeping track of your money, Mint.com is the solution for you. We have covered Mint extensively at MakeUseOf, because it really is that damn good.

Mint.com offers browser-based solutions as well as apps for iPhone, Android Smartphones and iPad. For owners of 9 and 10 inch Android tablets, now there is an app for you. For now, this app is designed to work on 9 and 10 inch models, although it seems that you can use it with 7 inch ones as well. At this point, there has not been word if the amazingly popular Kindle Fire will be supported. Obviously, Mint has supporting Android in their sights, and it’s impossible to ignore the popularity of the Kindle.

The app offers no new functionality from the earlier versions, but that’s not a bad thing, since the earlier version got nearly everything right. The only visible changes are some reordered modules and font changes.

For Mint, this is a great move. It opens a whole new market, and one that is growing fast. If you are a Mint user with an Android tablet, the time to download is now.

Source: Tech Crunch

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Facebook scams are a dime a dozen, but they still tend to entice lots of people to click and share them. Only last week we told you about a scam which offers an alleged $500 Amazon gift certificate, and today we found out about one that offers instant weight loss.

Speedy weight loss is something many people are looking for, and this specific scam is using a very popular diet – the HCG diet. The new scam reads something along the lines of “I’ve lost 10 pounds in just one week all thanks to HCG!” and a link for you to click. There are other versions of it going around, but you get the gist. Whether or not you can actually lose all this weight with HCG is not the point, because the link has nothing at all to do with it.

So what is it about? The usual thing. If you click on the link you will be told to share it with all your friends, add a favorable comment, and will then be promptly redirected to some website that tries to sell you something unrelated or get you to fill a survey. These Facebook scams exist to drive more traffic to the scammer’s websites, preferably while earning some of your money on the way. So please, don’t fall for it. And if you see your friends sharing something similar, do let them know they’re endangering everyone, and get them to remove the post from their wall.

Source: Sophos

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Check out some of the latest MakeUseOf discoveries. Most of the listed websites are FREE or come with a decent free account option. If you want to have similar cool website round-ups delivered to your daily email, subscribe here.

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Patternizer – Do you want a new background for your design or maybe for an arts project? Well, if it’s a pattern you need, then you should give Patternizer a try. As the name suggests, is a website that allows users to create custom patterns according to their own requirements and needs. Using the service is pretty easy and fun. Read more: Patternizer: A Simple Tool To Create Custom Patterns Online

		ClickDummy – Do you have a sketch or a mockup plan you want to get feedback on or show your clients before finishing it? If yes, then you should check out Clickdummy, a website that turns your sketches and drawings into more interactive mockups. For example, turning your Photoshop template into a real-life mockup design. Read more: ClickDummy: Get Feedback On Live Mockups
		Deel.io – If you are hunting for group buying and daily deals, then you should check this out. Deel.io is a Google Maps mashup and search engine for daily deals in your city. Created by former Google engineers, this tool pushes the cutting edge of “deals search” by aggregating data from all deals websites applicable to major cities in the country. Read more: Deel.io: Find Daily Deals On Google Maps
		Tinkercad – Recently 3D printers have gained much popularity. These devices let you design 3D objects on your computer and then materialize them using 3D printers. But going to a 3D printing place to have your objects designs can be a time-consuming process. For the designing part you can use the excellent web service titled Tinkercad. Read more: Tinkercad: Design 3D Objects For 3D Printing
		Gridlover – Creating grids for webpage designs is not easy work. You have to code up your grid, preview any changes you make, and continue to do so till you get something you are satisfied with. A web service called Gridlover greatly simplifies the task by letting you create a grid and obtaining its CSS quickly. Read more: Gridlover: Quickly Create Grids & Obtain Their CSS Code

These are just half of the websites that we discovered in the last couple of days. If you want us to send you daily round-ups of all cool websites we come across, leave your email here. Or follow us via RSS feed.

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