Have you ever wished you could do more with the pictures you take on your iPhone? The iPhone, especially the 4S, has a good camera, but it does not offer any kind of editing and enhancing by default. As they say on the iPhone commercials, “there’s an app for that.” It really is getting to the point where there is an app for everything, and in the cases of photography, there are around a million apps. How do you decide which ones are worth your time, and which ones are garbage?

I have two applications that make your pictures on the iPhone truly something awesome to behold. If you need to give your photos a little more dramatic flair, these are the applications for you. Best of all, they are both available free in the iTunes app store, so you will be able to improve your photos, and not open your wallet!

PicYou

PicYou is a great app for giving your photos some cool effects and sharing them on social networks. When you first log in, the application will ask you to create an account or log in with your Facebook account. If you do this, you can share the photos you create quickly and easily.

To create a new photo, simply click on the camera icon on the bottom of the screen. To take your picture, click on the standard “take photo” button at the bottom. If you want to add an effect to a photo you already have, click gallery at the bottom of the screen.

Once you have your photo chosen, you can add all kinds of cool effects to it. The effects will do things like change the colors and hue of the picture and alter the border to give it a personal touch. It definitely goes a long way towards making your photos more unique looking.

You can also customize your profile to give other users more information about you with this application. Click on the Profile tab and you will see all the options available. You can find friends that already use PicYou and invite new ones. From this page, you will be able to link to your Twitter and Facebook accounts, so you can share your pictures with all your friends.

An important part of this app is following and viewing other users’ photos. You can click the popular tab to view the most viewed images. You can also click activity to see a timeline of the images posted and shared by your friends.

Pho.to Lab

This application is not as robust in the social aspect, but much more robust in the types of effects. Whereas PicYou is more about giving your images some artistic flare, Pho.to Lab is all about making your pictures crazy. They have effects such as putting a picture in a Santa Claus costume, on magazine covers and all kinds of other crazy effects.

The application will launch right into the effects selection. Some of them are not available in the free version and must be purchased. However, there are lots in the free version, so you can make a lot of this application without spending a dime (the app is ad-supported).

The effects are divided into categories. There are all kinds to choose from such as monsters, photo filters, cartoons, magazine covers and more. Once you decide on a category, click it to view the effects. It will show you a preview of what the effect will look like. Click one to select it. The app will then ask if you want to use a picture from your gallery or take a new one.

After you choose an image, Pho.to Lab will process it and show it to you. Click the share button at the bottom of that screen to share it to SMS, email, Twitter, Facebook or simply to copy the link to share it manually. You can also click the download button to store it in your device for later access.

This is an awesome application if you want to make some cool and funny photos. Instead of downloading one of the hundreds of applications that alter your images in funny ways, you can download only Pho.to Lab and let it handle everything.

Conclusion

With these two iPhone applications, you will be ready to make some of the best photos. They make adding effects easy, even if you are not technologically advanced. If you cannot be bothered with spending hours laboring in Photoshop, these are the applications for you.

Have you tried these apps? Or do you know of a better one? Post a link to some of your cool photos and apps in the comments!

Image Credit: Shutterstock

View full post on MakeUseOf

Have you ever wished you could do more with the pictures you take on your iPhone? The iPhone, especially the 4S, has a good camera, but it does not offer any kind of editing and enhancing by default. As they say on the iPhone commercials, “there’s an app for that.” It really is getting to the point where there is an app for everything, and in the cases of photography, there are around a million apps. How do you decide which ones are worth your time, and which ones are garbage?

I have two applications that make your pictures on the iPhone truly something awesome to behold. If you need to give your photos a little more dramatic flair, these are the applications for you. Best of all, they are both available free in the iTunes app store, so you will be able to improve your photos, and not open your wallet!

PicYou

PicYou is a great app for giving your photos some cool effects and sharing them on social networks. When you first log in, the application will ask you to create an account or log in with your Facebook account. If you do this, you can share the photos you create quickly and easily.

To create a new photo, simply click on the camera icon on the bottom of the screen. To take your picture, click on the standard “take photo” button at the bottom. If you want to add an effect to a photo you already have, click gallery at the bottom of the screen.

Once you have your photo chosen, you can add all kinds of cool effects to it. The effects will do things like change the colors and hue of the picture and alter the border to give it a personal touch. It definitely goes a long way towards making your photos more unique looking.

You can also customize your profile to give other users more information about you with this application. Click on the Profile tab and you will see all the options available. You can find friends that already use PicYou and invite new ones. From this page, you will be able to link to your Twitter and Facebook accounts, so you can share your pictures with all your friends.

An important part of this app is following and viewing other users’ photos. You can click the popular tab to view the most viewed images. You can also click activity to see a timeline of the images posted and shared by your friends.

Pho.to Lab

This application is not as robust in the social aspect, but much more robust in the types of effects. Whereas PicYou is more about giving your images some artistic flare, Pho.to Lab is all about making your pictures crazy. They have effects such as putting a picture in a Santa Claus costume, on magazine covers and all kinds of other crazy effects.

The application will launch right into the effects selection. Some of them are not available in the free version and must be purchased. However, there are lots in the free version, so you can make a lot of this application without spending a dime (the app is ad-supported).

The effects are divided into categories. There are all kinds to choose from such as monsters, photo filters, cartoons, magazine covers and more. Once you decide on a category, click it to view the effects. It will show you a preview of what the effect will look like. Click one to select it. The app will then ask if you want to use a picture from your gallery or take a new one.

After you choose an image, Pho.to Lab will process it and show it to you. Click the share button at the bottom of that screen to share it to SMS, email, Twitter, Facebook or simply to copy the link to share it manually. You can also click the download button to store it in your device for later access.

This is an awesome application if you want to make some cool and funny photos. Instead of downloading one of the hundreds of applications that alter your images in funny ways, you can download only Pho.to Lab and let it handle everything.

Conclusion

With these two iPhone applications, you will be ready to make some of the best photos. They make adding effects easy, even if you are not technologically advanced. If you cannot be bothered with spending hours laboring in Photoshop, these are the applications for you.

Have you tried these apps? Or do you know of a better one? Post a link to some of your cool photos and apps in the comments!

Image Credit: Shutterstock

View full post on MakeUseOf

Have you ever wished you could do more with the pictures you take on your iPhone? The iPhone, especially the 4S, has a good camera, but it does not offer any kind of editing and enhancing by default. As they say on the iPhone commercials, “there’s an app for that.” It really is getting to the point where there is an app for everything, and in the cases of photography, there are around a million apps. How do you decide which ones are worth your time, and which ones are garbage?

I have two applications that make your pictures on the iPhone truly something awesome to behold. If you need to give your photos a little more dramatic flair, these are the applications for you. Best of all, they are both available free in the iTunes app store, so you will be able to improve your photos, and not open your wallet!

PicYou

PicYou is a great app for giving your photos some cool effects and sharing them on social networks. When you first log in, the application will ask you to create an account or log in with your Facebook account. If you do this, you can share the photos you create quickly and easily.

To create a new photo, simply click on the camera icon on the bottom of the screen. To take your picture, click on the standard “take photo” button at the bottom. If you want to add an effect to a photo you already have, click gallery at the bottom of the screen.

Once you have your photo chosen, you can add all kinds of cool effects to it. The effects will do things like change the colors and hue of the picture and alter the border to give it a personal touch. It definitely goes a long way towards making your photos more unique looking.

You can also customize your profile to give other users more information about you with this application. Click on the Profile tab and you will see all the options available. You can find friends that already use PicYou and invite new ones. From this page, you will be able to link to your Twitter and Facebook accounts, so you can share your pictures with all your friends.

An important part of this app is following and viewing other users’ photos. You can click the popular tab to view the most viewed images. You can also click activity to see a timeline of the images posted and shared by your friends.

Pho.to Lab

This application is not as robust in the social aspect, but much more robust in the types of effects. Whereas PicYou is more about giving your images some artistic flare, Pho.to Lab is all about making your pictures crazy. They have effects such as putting a picture in a Santa Claus costume, on magazine covers and all kinds of other crazy effects.

The application will launch right into the effects selection. Some of them are not available in the free version and must be purchased. However, there are lots in the free version, so you can make a lot of this application without spending a dime (the app is ad-supported).

The effects are divided into categories. There are all kinds to choose from such as monsters, photo filters, cartoons, magazine covers and more. Once you decide on a category, click it to view the effects. It will show you a preview of what the effect will look like. Click one to select it. The app will then ask if you want to use a picture from your gallery or take a new one.

After you choose an image, Pho.to Lab will process it and show it to you. Click the share button at the bottom of that screen to share it to SMS, email, Twitter, Facebook or simply to copy the link to share it manually. You can also click the download button to store it in your device for later access.

This is an awesome application if you want to make some cool and funny photos. Instead of downloading one of the hundreds of applications that alter your images in funny ways, you can download only Pho.to Lab and let it handle everything.

Conclusion

With these two iPhone applications, you will be ready to make some of the best photos. They make adding effects easy, even if you are not technologically advanced. If you cannot be bothered with spending hours laboring in Photoshop, these are the applications for you.

Have you tried these apps? Or do you know of a better one? Post a link to some of your cool photos and apps in the comments!

Image Credit: Shutterstock

View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/itunescloud.jpg" alt="itunes match" />With the recent launching of Apple’s href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/set-icloud-ios-devices/">iCloud and the music streaming service href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/itunes-match-officially-launched-itunes-1051-news/&sa=U&ei=9ivVTrr8BsrhiALr1ejFDg&ved=0CAQQFjAA&client=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNE9BKRpTY9hRXLPJ9Pf4O1gBvRtnw">iTunes Match, cloud computing seems to be the future of Apple and other computer companies. If you use multiple Apple devices like I do, you no doubt welcome the recent upgrades for wirelessly syncing data between your computer and iOS devices.

But after subscribing to and exploring iTunes Match, I find the paid service not as useful as Apple’s wireless iTunes syncing, its Home Sharing feature, and music streaming service sites like Rdio.com and Spotify.

iTunes Match

iTunes Match is a music streaming service ($24.99 per year) that essentially allows you to sync all the songs (including the ones you purchased in the iTunes Music Store and ones you imported from other sources such as CDs) from your iTunes Music Library to your iCloud account over Wi-Fi or 3G. In turn, you can access your songs in the cloud from any iTunes supported Mac or PC and on your iOS devices.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/itunes_match.jpg" alt="Itunes match" width="580" height="364" border="0" />

With iTunes Match, your song files are not physically uploaded to the cloud. Rather, iTunes scans your iTunes Library and matches your song content with the vast catalog of songs in the iTunes Music Store. The matched music is added to your iCloud account. Songs in your library that are not found in the Store don’t of course get matched, and thus don’t appear in iCloud.

If you’re an avid user of iTunes and customer of the iTunes Music Store, iTunes Match may very well be a useful subscription service for you. In addition to having access to your music in the cloud, the paid service backs up your music to cloud; and if your songs are ever deleted on your local drive they can be re-downloaded from your iCloud.

But there are problems with iTunes Match that you might want to consider. First off, though you can stream your music from your iCloud account over Wi-Fi onto your iTunes supporting computer(s), you can’t stream music in the same way to your iPhone and other iOS devices. You have to actually select and download those songs from your iCloud account to your device, which means that it will take up memory space in your device. In fact, when you turn on iTunes Match on your device, it replaces the iTune library set up for your device prior to iTunes Match.

Wireless iTunes Syncing

With the release of iOS 5 for the iPhone and other Apple devices, you can now sync data between your device and the iTunes library on your computer over your local network.

With this wireless syncing, you can add and delete songs and playlists in your iTunes library for your devices and sync those changes without having to make a wired connection to your computer. In fact, after the initial setup, your iOS device will automatically sync your iTunes library when you have the device plugged into a charger and connected to your local Wi-Fi network.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Sync_Now.jpg" alt="itunes match review" width="400" height="600" border="0" />

You can also manually execute wireless syncing in the Summary page of your iTunes or in the Settings app of your iOS device (General > iTunes Wi-Fi Sync > Sync Now). I prefer this approach over iTunes to managing music on my iPhone. This method allows me to select and deselect songs in my iTunes library instead of having to download them (and manually remove them) individually from my iCloud account.

I even use a Smart Playlist in iTunes that automatically removes songs I’ve played on my iTunes and/or my iPhone in the last 2 weeks. When songs are dropped off they are automatically replaced with new tracks from my library.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/smartplaylist1.png" alt="itunes match review" width="580" height="213" border="0" />

This wireless smart playlist requires no manual downloading on my part and it keeps my iPhone updated with different music from week to week.

Home Sharing Features

iTunes Match may be most useful to iTunes users who travel frequently and want to have access to their music in the cloud. However, for the rest of us, the Home Sharing feature of iTunes (see href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-set-up-home-sharing-on-your-apple-mobile-device-mac/">here for how to set it up) will probably be sufficient for sharing and accessing all the content in your iTunes library with your computers and iOS devices. With iTunes Match, on the other hand, you can only share your songs, not your other content such as downloaded movies and TV shows.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/screenshot16432.png" alt="itunes match review" width="326" height="306" border="0" />

Streaming Music Services

Lastly, I would argue that streaming music services like Spotify, Rdio, and MOG may be a better and much more affordable option for those of us who have a good Wi-Fi connection.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/mog.png" alt="itunes match" width="580" height="285" border="0" />

An affordable $5 per month subscription to one of these music streaming services allows you to stream, commercial free, all the songs and albums in their catalog. For $10 per month you can stream music from these sites to your mobile smartphone. These music streaming sites also have free ad-supported options as well. See my article, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/pros-cons-streaming-downloading-mp3s/">The Pros and Cons of Streaming Music vs. Downloading MP3s for more about this option.

So what is your view of iTunes Match, iCloud and other streaming music services. Which do you prefer and why?

View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/featured-arduino.jpg" alt="arduino circuit board" />Last time I left you href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/started-arduino-starter-kit-installing-drivers-setting-board-port">having set up your Arduino to work with Mac or Windows, and having uploaded a simple test app that blinked the on-board LED. Today I’m going to explain the code you uploaded, the structure of Arduino software, and a little more about the electronic bits on the board itself.

This article is part of an introduction to the Arduino series. The other articles in the series so far are:

• title="What Is Arduino & What Can You Do With It? [Technology Explained]" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/arduino-technology-explained/">What is Arduino and what can you do with it?
• title="What’s Included In An Arduino Starter Kit? [MakeUseOf Explains]" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/whats-included-arduino-starter-kit-makeuseof-explains/">What is an Arduino starter kit and what does it contain?
• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/8-cool-components-arduino-projects/">More cool components to buy with your starter kit
• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/started-arduino-starter-kit-installing-drivers-setting-board-port/">Getting Started With Your Arduino Starter Kit – Installing Drivers & Setting Up The Board & Port

The Hardware

Let’s take a closer look at what the Arduino Uno has in terms of bits on the circuit board.

Here’s an enlarged diagram to refer to:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ArduinoUnoFront1.jpg" alt="arduino circuit board" width="580" height="440" />

• Along the top, there are 14 digital Input/Output pins (numbered 0-13). These are the most versatile pins on your Arduino and can function as either input or output, and will form the core of your projects. Digital means that the signal these pins can write or read will be on or off.

• 6 of those digital pins, which are marked by the tilde sign ~ are capable of doing what it is called href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse-width_modulation">Pulse Width Modulation. I’m not an electrical engineer so I won’t embarrass myself by explaining the science behind this, but to you and I it means we can provide a range of output levels – for instance, dimming an LED or driving a motor at varying speeds.

• Pin 13 is special in that it has a built-in LED. This is for convenience and testing purposes only really. You can use that on-board LED, as you did in the Blink example app, by simply outputting to pin 13 – or it can be used as a standard I/O pin.

• On the bottom right are 6 analog input pins. These will read the value of analog sensors such a light-meter or variable resistors.

• On the bottom left next to the analog input pins are power pins. The only ones you really need to worry about are the ground pins (GND), 3.3v, and 5v power lines.

• Finally, the only switch found on the Arduino is a reset switch. This will restart whatever program it has in its memory.

• The Arduino has a set amount of memory, and if your program goes too large, the compiler will give you an error.

The Structure Of An Arduino Program

Every Arduino program is made up of at least two functions (if you don’t know what a function is, be sure to read my title="The Absolute Basics Of Programming For Beginners (Pt. 2)" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/absolute-basics-programming-beginners-part-2/">basic programming tutorial, part 2 – function and control statements, and title="The Basics Of Computer Programming 101 – Variables And DataTypes" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/basics-of-computer-programming-variables-datatypes/">part 1 where we discussed variables before continuing).

The first is the setup function. This is run initially – once only – and is used to tell the Arduino what is connected and where, as well as initialising any variables you might need in your program.

Second is the loop. This is the core of every Arduino program. When the Arduino is running, after the setup function has completed, the loop will run through all the code, then do the whole thing again – until either either the power is lost or the reset switch is pressed. The length of time it takes to complete one full loop depends upon the code contained. You may write some code that says “wait 6 hours”, in which case the loop isn’t going to be repeating very often.

Here’s a quick state diagram to illustrate:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/arduino-state-diagram.png" alt="arduino circuit board" width="544" height="362" />

Examining The Blink Program

Take a look back at the Blink program code and identify the setup and loop functions.

Here’s the setup: />

void setup() { /> // initialize the digital pin as an output. /> // Pin 13 has an LED connected on most Arduino boards: /> pinMode(13, OUTPUT); /> }

The lines that begin with // are simply comments to explain the code to a human reader, and they don’t get uploaded to the Arduino. So in fact, there’s only one line of setup code in this particular Arduino app. That line is saying “Set pin 13 to output mode”. 13, remember, is the built-in LED.

Then there is the loop: />

void loop() { /> digitalWrite(13, HIGH); // set the LED on /> delay(1000); // wait for a second /> digitalWrite(13, LOW); // set the LED off /> delay(1000); // wait for a second /> }

The comments at the end of each line of code explain their function quite well. HIGH and LOW refer to the ON and OFF state of a digital output – in our case the LED. You could actually write ON or OFF in the code too, both are synonymous (as is 0 and 1 also). Delay tells the Arduino to wait for a bit, in this case 1000 milliseconds (or 1 second).

Finally, a note about the programming language used here. Notice that both setup and loop functions have the word void before them. This is a special word for nothing, because the function returns nothing when it is called – it simply runs the code contained within. For now, let’s leave it at that by saying that the function’s block of code is enclosed by curly braces { }, and that each line of code must end with a ; semi-colon.

Try altering the basic program somehow by changing the precise delay values to something larger or smaller. See how small you can get it down to before the flashing is no longer noticeable. Work out which value to change to get it to stay on for longer, or to stay off for longer. Try adding some more digitalWrite and delay statements into the loop function to create a more complex flashing pattern like the href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOS">morse code for SOS. If you have a buzzer, try connecting it to pins 13 and GND too (hint: the red wire goes to 13, black to ground).

That’s all for today. Next time we’ll add in some more LEDs and write our own application from scratch. As ever, comments and shares much appreciated. I can’t imagine you’d have any problems with the code referred to today, but if you’ve tried adjusting the code slightly and are running into errors or unexpected behaviour, feel free to post it in the comments and we’ll see if we can work through it together.

View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/featured-arduino.jpg" alt="arduino circuit board" />Last time I left you href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/started-arduino-starter-kit-installing-drivers-setting-board-port">having set up your Arduino to work with Mac or Windows, and having uploaded a simple test app that blinked the on-board LED. Today I’m going to explain the code you uploaded, the structure of Arduino software, and a little more about the electronic bits on the board itself.

This article is part of an introduction to the Arduino series. The other articles in the series so far are:

• title="What Is Arduino & What Can You Do With It? [Technology Explained]" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/arduino-technology-explained/">What is Arduino and what can you do with it?
• title="What’s Included In An Arduino Starter Kit? [MakeUseOf Explains]" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/whats-included-arduino-starter-kit-makeuseof-explains/">What is an Arduino starter kit and what does it contain?
• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/8-cool-components-arduino-projects/">More cool components to buy with your starter kit
• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/started-arduino-starter-kit-installing-drivers-setting-board-port/">Getting Started With Your Arduino Starter Kit – Installing Drivers & Setting Up The Board & Port

The Hardware

Let’s take a closer look at what the Arduino Uno has in terms of bits on the circuit board.

Here’s an enlarged diagram to refer to:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ArduinoUnoFront1.jpg" alt="arduino circuit board" width="580" height="440" />

• Along the top, there are 14 digital Input/Output pins (numbered 0-13). These are the most versatile pins on your Arduino and can function as either input or output, and will form the core of your projects. Digital means that the signal these pins can write or read will be on or off.

• 6 of those digital pins, which are marked by the tilde sign ~ are capable of doing what it is called href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse-width_modulation">Pulse Width Modulation. I’m not an electrical engineer so I won’t embarrass myself by explaining the science behind this, but to you and I it means we can provide a range of output levels – for instance, dimming an LED or driving a motor at varying speeds.

• Pin 13 is special in that it has a built-in LED. This is for convenience and testing purposes only really. You can use that on-board LED, as you did in the Blink example app, by simply outputting to pin 13 – or it can be used as a standard I/O pin.

• On the bottom right are 6 analog input pins. These will read the value of analog sensors such a light-meter or variable resistors.

• On the bottom left next to the analog input pins are power pins. The only ones you really need to worry about are the ground pins (GND), 3.3v, and 5v power lines.

• Finally, the only switch found on the Arduino is a reset switch. This will restart whatever program it has in its memory.

• The Arduino has a set amount of memory, and if your program goes too large, the compiler will give you an error.

The Structure Of An Arduino Program

Every Arduino program is made up of at least two functions (if you don’t know what a function is, be sure to read my title="The Absolute Basics Of Programming For Beginners (Pt. 2)" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/absolute-basics-programming-beginners-part-2/">basic programming tutorial, part 2 – function and control statements, and title="The Basics Of Computer Programming 101 – Variables And DataTypes" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/basics-of-computer-programming-variables-datatypes/">part 1 where we discussed variables before continuing).

The first is the setup function. This is run initially – once only – and is used to tell the Arduino what is connected and where, as well as initialising any variables you might need in your program.

Second is the loop. This is the core of every Arduino program. When the Arduino is running, after the setup function has completed, the loop will run through all the code, then do the whole thing again – until either either the power is lost or the reset switch is pressed. The length of time it takes to complete one full loop depends upon the code contained. You may write some code that says “wait 6 hours”, in which case the loop isn’t going to be repeating very often.

Here’s a quick state diagram to illustrate:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/arduino-state-diagram.png" alt="arduino circuit board" width="544" height="362" />

Examining The Blink Program

Take a look back at the Blink program code and identify the setup and loop functions.

Here’s the setup: />

void setup() { /> // initialize the digital pin as an output. /> // Pin 13 has an LED connected on most Arduino boards: /> pinMode(13, OUTPUT); /> }

The lines that begin with // are simply comments to explain the code to a human reader, and they don’t get uploaded to the Arduino. So in fact, there’s only one line of setup code in this particular Arduino app. That line is saying “Set pin 13 to output mode”. 13, remember, is the built-in LED.

Then there is the loop: />

void loop() { /> digitalWrite(13, HIGH); // set the LED on /> delay(1000); // wait for a second /> digitalWrite(13, LOW); // set the LED off /> delay(1000); // wait for a second /> }

The comments at the end of each line of code explain their function quite well. HIGH and LOW refer to the ON and OFF state of a digital output – in our case the LED. You could actually write ON or OFF in the code too, both are synonymous (as is 0 and 1 also). Delay tells the Arduino to wait for a bit, in this case 1000 milliseconds (or 1 second).

Finally, a note about the programming language used here. Notice that both setup and loop functions have the word void before them. This is a special word for nothing, because the function returns nothing when it is called – it simply runs the code contained within. For now, let’s leave it at that by saying that the function’s block of code is enclosed by curly braces { }, and that each line of code must end with a ; semi-colon.

Try altering the basic program somehow by changing the precise delay values to something larger or smaller. See how small you can get it down to before the flashing is no longer noticeable. Work out which value to change to get it to stay on for longer, or to stay off for longer. Try adding some more digitalWrite and delay statements into the loop function to create a more complex flashing pattern like the href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOS">morse code for SOS. If you have a buzzer, try connecting it to pins 13 and GND too (hint: the red wire goes to 13, black to ground).

That’s all for today. Next time we’ll add in some more LEDs and write our own application from scratch. As ever, comments and shares much appreciated. I can’t imagine you’d have any problems with the code referred to today, but if you’ve tried adjusting the code slightly and are running into errors or unexpected behaviour, feel free to post it in the comments and we’ll see if we can work through it together.

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/YouTubeSquareLogo.png" alt="" />Just recently YouTube put out a href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/youtube-improve-user-experience-news/">nice update that made some changes to the end of the video screen and the playlist feature, and now they are at it again, bringing an update to their movie page. Everything looks a lot cleaner now on the new page, and it is certainly easier to navigate. I would say the layout looks somewhat similar to Netflix, which is a good thing, because Netflix has the layout for streaming videos down to a science. It still retains the YouTube style, just in a neater and easier to use way.

A major part of this update stems from YouTube trying to bring more of their Indian movies to the forefront. They currently have over 1,500 Indian movies on there, and this update was designed to make it easier to get access to those movies. If you are in India, href="http://youtube.com/movies">YouTube.com/movies will automatically show you their Indian movies, and if you are outside India and want to get access to them you can go href="http://www.youtube.com/movies/indian-cinema">here and href="http://www.youtube.com/movies/bollywood">here.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/india.png" alt="" width="480" height="294" />

What do you think of the new YouTube page? Let us know in the comments!

Source: href="http://thenextweb.com/in/2011/11/04/google-shows-off-1500-indian-films-with-redesigned-youtube-movies-page/" rel="nofollow">TheNextWeb

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/2011-11-02-17h33_45.png" alt="" />After giving us a preview several months ago, Gmail is now launching its brand new look and will automatically update all accounts soon. The new look is keeping up with other Google+ themed changes that have been happening all over Google products (like href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/google-reader-receives-update-adds-google-design-news/">Reader, for example), and comes packed with new features on top of the aesthetic changes.

The change will happen automatically for everyone, but if you can’t wait or just want to see what it’s all about, you can choose to switch by clicking the “Switch to the new look” link on the right side of your Gmail screen (if you use the Gmail tasks feature on the right side of your screen, you will have to close it to see the link).

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/2011-11-02-17h34_51.png" alt="2011-11-02 17h34_51" width="548" height="369" border="0" />

One of the most prominent changes is to the themes. Gmail has got a brand new set of themes, and the one you’ve been using is most likely gone, so be prepared for a real change when you switch to the new look. Google has chosen a clean, straight-lined look which resembles Google+, and the old toolbars have been changed into icon-based ones.

Among the new features you’ll also find an improved conversation view complete with profile pictures, a new, customizable search box, more control over the content you see (like labels, chat, etc.) and adjustability to monitors of different sizes.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/gmailconversationview.jpg" alt="" width="578" height="282" />

Watch this short video for a recap of the changes to Gmail:

src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vfW5e6jVsMs?hd=1" frameborder="0" width="580" height="325">

For now, you can go back to the old look if you don’t like it, but it won’t stay available for long.  Let us know what you think of it in the comments below.  A big improvement or a horrible mess?

Source: href="http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/gmails-new-look.html">Gmail Blog

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/shutterstock-home-network.jpg" alt="" />Taking a break from our regular awesome software reviews and tutorials, I thought it’d be interesting if myself and some of the other staff writers here at MakeUseOf show you our own home setups – whether that be in the form of fantastic custom desks, complicated home media-streaming networks, or just the apps and services we make use of on a regular basis and our favourite software tools. It’s also a good chance to clean my desk up a bit.

Main Computer

My main work machine is a 27” iMac. Bored of sitting all the time and for health reasons, I switched the desk legs for some extendable ones at IKEA and I now have a fantastic simple standing desk that’s actually really solid. If you already have a suitable desktop, you can pick up just the legs for about $100. I do need to do something about the cables though.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/stadning-desk-ikea.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="433" />

I have a second monitor beside it which runs Windows 7 inside a virtual Parallels machine, mostly used for testing purposes and because it’s much easier to take screenshots with a virtual machine.

Network

With a total of about 10 clients, everything in my house is networked together – including the TV. Where possible, I run a wired ethernet connection. No matter how good your wireless router is, a wired connection is always going to be faster, especially important when shuffling around large files and streaming HD movies. The main router is a stock firmware device given to me by my cable company – it’s good enough, and acts as both a 4 port switch and a wireless router. To extend the network upstairs, I then have a separate network switch connected via a simple crossover ethernet cable.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/home-network.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="379" />

The number of devices is perhaps a bit excessive, but most are old laptops that wouldn’t sell anyway, and like most geeks I can’t bear to throw hardware away.

If you’d like to learn more about setting up a home network of your own, be sure to read our href="http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/easy-guide-computer-networks ">Easy Guide to Computer Networks for a great primer on the topic.

Home Server

Sitting in the cupboard is my home media, backup, and file server. Right now it’s running href="http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/windowshomeserver/default.mspx">Windows Home Server 2011 – I know we’ve covered a lot of free alternatives before (such as href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/set-home-server-amahi/">Amahi and href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/media-server/">all these), but ultimately I prefer the stability of a Windows server and the fact that apart from being a rock solid server, it can also run Windows apps at the same time. With 2 x 1TB drives, it’s able to href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/backup">backup all the Windows machines on the network automatically, as well provides a remote time machine based backup for any Macs (though I don’t use that). Apart from the usual Windows file-sharing, I also run href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/setup-perfect-media-center-plex-mac-windows/">Plex Media Server which I showed you a few weeks ago. That’s then able to serve movies and TV shows around the house with full metadata information and covers automatically downloaded.

Of course, with all that space it also runs href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/utorrent/">uTorrent. Rather than use the built-in href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/utorrent-remote-control-utorrent-downloads">uTorrent remote access, I prefer to have Windows Remote Desktop activated so I can use the entire desktop remotely. You can set this up on any Windows 7 machine easily using new features introduced in the href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-cool-windows-7-cloud/">Windows Live Mesh app. For security, any traffic to the outside world is secured across an anonymous href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/vpn/">VPN – I use href="http://vpntunnel.se">VPN Tunnel (a paid, unlimited access service perfect for torrents).

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/iphone-yawcam.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="387" />

Situated in a small room with a window upstairs, it’s also ideal as a motion-sensing security system using a webcam and a suite of tools I showed you before. When activated, the system can send href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/set-multiplatform-notification-system-growl/">Growl alerts to my mobile and around the network. Learn how to set up your own href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/motion-detection-surveillance-system-iphone-notification/">free home security system here.

Media Center

Though the TV is able to read some files straight off the network, I prefer to use my media centre PC and just output to the TV. This avoids any format issues, and allows me to have wonderful metadata and covers from Plex as I said, streaming from the server – this is done through XBMC and the PleXBMC plugin. Last week, I hacked the Xbox360 Kinect camera into this Windows PC to let me href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/control-windows-pc-kinect/">control XBMC by frantically waving my arms around, but plugging the camera back into the Xbox got tiring quickly so I’m making do with a long-corded USB mouse until I get a chance to test out some remote control apps. Android owners have a free official app from XBMC, and here’s a href="{http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/boxee-plex-xbmc-remote/id403716879?mt=8">free app for iOS that handles Plex, XBMC and Boxee – I just haven’t got around to trying them yet!

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/movie-grid.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="326" />

To be honest, there’s quite a few Media Center apps you could use, and it’s really down to personal preference which you choose in the long run. Some of the writers here prefer href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/boxee-beta-an-app-that-will-change-how-you-think-about-television/">Boxee, which I’ve yet to try myself but apparently has great social features, while others go for a straight up href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/xbmc-10-dharma-mature-featurerich-crossplatform-media-centre/">XBMC install, with all the hacks and tweaks that involves.

Web Services

I must admit I’m quite minimalist when it comes to web services. href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/gmail/">GMail and href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/google-reader/">Reader have permanent tabs in my Chrome browser, and I have the obligatory Facebook account. Other than that, I don’t tweet, and virtually all my web browsing originates through various feeds in Google Reader. Sorry to disappoint, but I’m much more of a hardware and networking kind of guy.

That’s it from me, but I hope you’ll get to see what works for other writers in the coming weeks, so stay tuned and we can both look forward to reading those. As ever, feel free to comment or ask questions and I’ll do my best to reply. For general questions, you might want to ask in the href="http://www.makeuseof.com/answers">Q&A part of the site, where our regular contributors and eagle-eyed editors jump at the chance to share their computing knowledge.

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/intro8.jpg" alt="buying a laptop computer" />Are you familiar with dying laptop syndrome? Is your mobile workstation showing signs of wear, tear, age and abuse? I know you’re both probably very attached to one another, but it might be time to let go…

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/buying-tips/">Buying a new laptop computer can be both frustrating and expensive. Brand loyalty will only get you so far, and before long you’ll find yourself carefully studying specifications, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/choosing-a-laptop-9-great-review-sites/">reading countless reviews and examining every online shop you can find for the best price. Even if you’ve only got a modest budget in mind, you’re going to have to spend a lot of time with your new machine – so it pays to make the right decision in the long run.

Sandy Bridge

Intel’s second generation of Core-i “Sandy Bridge” processors landed in March, albeit a couple of months late thanks to a recall. The evidence of this is clear all over the web, manufacturers like Dell, Asus, Acer and Apple already have models sporting the speedier, more href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-ways-to-reduce-the-power-consumption-of-your-computer/">energy efficient chips.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/sandybridge.jpg" alt="buying a laptop computer" width="580" height="344" />

You’ll also probably notice many of the first generation Core-i processors floating around in numerous deals, as retailers try to shift “old” stock. The last generation aren’t bad processors by any stretch of the imagination, though if you’re really looking to future-proof yourself then the newer chips are by far the better choice.

Sandy Bridge processors run on average 5-10% faster than the previous generation, operate at cooler temperatures, are more energy efficient and the href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/apu-technology-explained/">on-board graphical processors (GPU) provide impressive performance for an integrated, non-dedicated solution.

USB 3.0

In 1996 USB 1.0 was standardised with a maximum transfer rate of 12 Megabits per second. By April 2000 USB 2.0 set the bar higher with maximum theoretical speeds of 480 Megabits per second (in real terms 60MB per second), and now href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/usb-30-technology-explained">USB 3.0 is here to change the game again.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/usb.png" alt="what to look for when buying a new laptop" width="580" height="303" />

With realistic transfer speeds of 3.2 Gigabits per second (that’s a mighty 400MB of data every second) why wouldn’t you want USB 3.0 on your next laptop? Notebooks often require additional, external storage (especially for href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/backup/">backup purposes) so buying into speedier technology early is bound to pay off once you’ve invested in some USB 3.0 devices.

Good Screen Resolution & Colour Reproduction

One thing that repeatedly lets down well-equipped laptops is a poor screen. If you intend on doing more than just word processing and web surfing; fancy playing games, watching videos or editing photos on your laptop then don’t forget a decent display.

Despite promising “HD resolution”, many notebooks still only carry a 720p compliant screen. For some serious visual real-estate, invest in a full HD model (1080p or better). If you’re concerned about accurate colour representation then look out for RGB LED backlighting (possibly as an upgrade, for example Dell’s latest XPS machines).

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/rgb.jpg" alt="buying a laptop" width="580" height="468" />

Unlike “white” LEDs which are blue with a coating of yellow phosphor to appear white, RGB LED backlighting provides a purer white and richer colours especially in the green and blue spectrums.

Chiclet Keyboard

style="text-align: left;">Vaguely resembling Scrabble tiles, chiclet keyboards are (among some manufacturers, at least) all the rage at the moment. The keys certainly make for a refreshing look, but also offer the benefit of not having gaps between the keys.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/chiclet.jpg" alt="buying a laptop" width="580" height="433" />

This means your keyboard should gather far less dust, fluff, crumbs and other desk-related paraphernalia over time. Reviews suggest that some of these keyboards are excellent, offering superior action and a much more href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/the-best-free-apps-to-help-you-start-touch-typing/">comfortable typing experience over traditional keyboards.

For real wow-factor look for a backlit model and as always, read your reviews and if possible try it out before you buy – every manufacturer and model can differ.

Housing & Build Quality

As a Linux and occasionally Windows user even I’m aware that Apple have produced some wonderful laptops over the years. I’m not referring to the operating system, and I’m not referring to the hardware either – it’s the chassis that always impressed me.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/hp_envy_13.jpg" alt="buying a laptop" width="580" height="393" />

Finally, it seems, that “normal” laptop manufacturers have started to do the same. HP’s original Envy line took a well-executed metal leaf out of Apple’s (Mac)book, featuring a sleek aluminium chassis, flush screen and huge touchpad. It was the first laptop to dare try on an Apple dress in the Windows market, it looked great and it was built like a tank.

Build quality can make all the difference, especially if you’re prone to breaking things or expecting your purchase to last a while. It doesn’t have to be metal to be well-built (Toshiba’s business laptops are proof of that) but you’ll want to make sure you know what you’re in for before buying.

Solid State Storage

Traditional hard drives are electromechanical (keep strong magnets well away) and contain spinning disks to store an arm to access data. They are fairly susceptible to shock, have a tendency to die when you least expect and are on the way out in favour of solid state storage.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/ssd.jpg" alt="buying a laptop computer" width="580" height="387" />

Okay, so traditional hard drives are here to stay for a while yet (especially considering the constant reduction in price) but SSDs offer some great benefits, if you’ve got the spare cash. Not only are they faster, with no spin-up time and lower latency but also hardier (with absolutely no moving parts) and silent. We’ve recently published a guide here at MakeUseOf all about SSDs, so make sure you href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/download-hard-drive-future-guide-solid-state-drives/">give it a read if you’re interested.

Conclusion

You’re probably not going to opt for a laptop that has all of the above, and if you do be prepared to pay top dollar. Always do your research before buying a laptop computer, either by reading reviews or asking owners. Users of forums like href="http://www.notebookforums.com/">NotebookForums or href="http://forum.notebookreview.com/">NotebookReview can offer valuable insight into potential purchases such as href="http://www.makeuseof.com/service/linux/">Linux performance and heat output. Good luck in your quest for the perfect laptop!

Have you recently bought a new laptop? Are you considering one? Any killer selling points? Let us know in the comments below.

Image Credits: rel="nofollow" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&searchterm=laptop+isolated&search_group=&orient=&search_cat=&searchtermx=&photographer_name=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&commercial_ok=&color=&show_color_wheel=1#id=75193636&src=50a251b9f101f2602a459628b107178b-1-135">Shutterstock, Chiclet Keyboard: rel="nofollow" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephen_bolen/5515082415/in/photostream/">Stephen Bolen, RGB LED: rel="nofollow" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/flakepardigm/3538195638/">flakeparadigm />
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class="align-left" style="border: 0px none; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 5px; float: right;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/multi.png" border="0" alt="ios 4.2" width="300" height="261" />Now that class="vt-p" href="http://www.apple.com/ios/">iOS 4.2 is finally available to iPad users, what new features does it bring to the table? Some of them are more than welcome like folders, Find My iPad and the Mail app’s revamp. A few of the other features, including the much lauded multitasking as well as AirPrint leave a little to be desired.

We’ve put together a rundown of the most important features, to give you an idea of what you’ll get with the update, although there are already rumours flying around that OS 4.3 will be out as soon as December. Of course, 4.2 took its sweet time to arrive, so we won’t be holding our breath.

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Folders

If you have a hundred and one apps on your iPad, the appearance of folders is probably more than welcome. To create a folder, drag one app on top of the other, adding a maximum of  20 apps per folder.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Folders11.jpg" alt="ios 4.2" width="580" height="435" />

To make life easier, we would suggest organising your iPad when it’s hooked up to iTunes. It will be less time consuming as you can select multiple apps by clicking the CMD/CTRL button. When you download a new app on your computer, when syncing your iPad, you can add it to the desired folder straight away before it’s even on your iPad.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Folders2.jpg" border="0" alt="apple ios 4.2" width="580" height="435" />

Find My iPad

In the past, it required a paid MobileMe account to benefit from this feature but with 4.2, iPads and other iOS devices can be remotely located and controlled if lost.

The service, available when you download the free app, class="vt-p" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/find-my-iphone/id376101648?mt=8">Find My iPhone, will allow you to locate your iPad on a map, display a message of your choice on the screen, set a passcode lock and even wipe all of your personal data from the device.   Bakari recently looked further into this really useful service class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/locate-missing-stolen-iphone-ipad-ipod-touch-find-iphone-mac">here.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/FindMyiPad.png" border="0" alt="apple ios 4.2" width="580" height="435" />

Multitasking

Multitasking has been a thorn in the side of Apple fanboys, and while it’s now available on OS 4.2 it isn’t exactly perfect. First, not all apps support multitasking so don’t expect to listen to music using just any radio or music app and leave it running in the background.

For those apps that do support multitasking, click the home button twice in succession to bring up a menu of currently open apps. Closing an app uses a similar process as deleting an app from your screen, hold the icon down until the delete icon appears on each app, and close the apps that you don’t need. Don’t forget to do this on a regular basis otherwise you’ll be leaving apps open in the background left and right.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/MultiTasking.jpg" border="0" alt="apple ios 4.2" width="580" height="435" />

It seems Apple can’t find a middle ground. Either no multitasking at all, or leave all of your apps open unless they are manually closed. For example, if you’re listening to a music app that supports multitasking, be sure to use the mulitasking menu to close it as hitting the home button alone will not stop the music.

Mail Revamp

The native Mail app has had a small but significant makeover. You can now view all of your email in a unified inbox, as well as read threaded conversations a la Gmail, making for a much more streamlined email experience.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Mail1b.png" border="0" alt="ipad ios 4.2" width="580" height="435" />

AirPrint

Apple might want to make a big deal over the ability to print wirelessly from your iPad, but the truth of the matter is that it only works with specific HP printers.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Print.jpg" border="0" alt="ipad ios 4.2" width="580" height="435" />

It’s not clear whether the service will be available to use with other printers, but in the meantime other iPad users can give these class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/print-iphone-free-easy-steps/">options a try. If you’re on the go, check out class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/print-anything-wherever-you-are-printeron/">Ryan’s tips on how to print no matter where you are, a few of which should work with the iPad.

Parental Controls

With newly added parental controls, you can stop your kids from buying half of the iTunes app store, whether inadvertently or on purpose. You can also disable access to YouTube, iTunes and even Safari as well as disabling in-app purchases.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Parental.png" border="0" alt="ipad ios 4.2" width="580" height="435" />

Search Current Page

This feature is actually a little hard to find, but with 4.2 you can now search for specific text on any webpage. Using the Google search bar at the top of the browser, enter the text you want to search for, and it will tell you how many times the word appears on the page.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Search1.jpg" border="0" alt="Search1.jpg" width="580" height="435" />

Other changes to the iOS include the ability to reply to calendar invitations, iTunes TV show rentals and access to the gaming platform already available on other iOS devices, Game Center. You can also now benefit from AirPlay, which allows you to stream digital media to your Apple TV or AirPlay enabled speakers from your iPad.

Another iOS native app to get a facelift is Notes. Apple are finally gives you a choice of 3 fonts, Chalkboard, Helvetica and Marker Felt, and it’s about time, because let’s face it, the original Marker Felt font was pretty juvenile.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Notes.png" border="0" alt="ios 4.2" width="580" height="435" />

What feature are you happy to finally have on your iPad? Let us know in the comments. />
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class="align-left" style="border: 0px none; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 5px; float: right;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Wordpress-300.png" alt="how to make your blog look professional" />Are you a blogger trying to work out what sort of blog is right for you? Are you not yet in a position to throw a lot of money at a blog, but still want something that looks professional? Have you tried self-hosting and decided that it’s more trouble than it’s worth?

There are ways to make a hosted blog look professional and even to use your own domain name with your hosted blog. We’ll take a look at a few of these tricks to get your blog looking just as good as a self-hosted WordPress blog.

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Why Use A Hosted Blog?

A hosted blog is one that is run by a blogging provider such as Blogger, WordPress or Tumblr on their own site.   A self-hosted blog is where you run it yourself on your own site. There are many reasons why someone would choose a hosted blog over a self-hosted blog. It could be that you lack the technical skills or time to make much-needed changes. It might be that you don’t trust any of the web hosts you can afford on a small budget. What happens if you get hacked? What if a post gets suddenly popular?

Why WordPress?

Deciding between the available blog hosts is another question entirely. The big names are class="vt-p" href="http://blogger.com/">Blogger and class="vt-p" href="http://wordpress.com/">WordPress, the differences between them largely comes down to a few main points.

Why Would You Choose Blogger?

- If you’re technically-minded you can make CSS adjustments on a Blogger blog without paying a cent. /> – Blogger allows you to use your own domain without paying extra. /> – Blogger allows any sort of embedded objects and Javascript, meaning you can use all sorts of widgets. /> – If you want to earn money with your blog, Blogger lets you add Adsense adverts easily and allows other forms of advertising. /> – Google FriendConnect will easily let your fans follow you.

Why Would You Choose WordPress?

- Even a basic WordPress setup looks quite professional. /> – The WordPress.com “related posts” or “freshly pressed” features could bring you new readers. /> – By not allowing Javascript, WordPress is making it safer for everyone. /> – When viewers see your site on a mobile, WordPress.com automatically optimises it for them. /> – If you want to move to a self-hosted option in the future, migrating from WordPress.com to a self-hosted WordPress is as easy as it gets.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Freshly-Pressed.jpg" alt="how to make your blog look professional" />

WordPress.com is certainly the more difficult and expensive option (if you want to do certain things), but as you can see there are compelling reasons to choose it. Since it’s the more difficult option, we’ll look at how to go about making your WordPress.com blog look even more professional.

Use Your Own Domain

This step costs a little bit. You need to pay for the domain (either through WordPress.com or your own registrar), plus you need to pay WordPress yearly for the ability to use your own domain. All this will put you out around US$20, but it’s an essential step towards making your hosted blog look more professional.

From your WordPress.com dashboard, head to the upgrades section. If you get your domain through them too it’s painless and easy to set up.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Add-A-Domain.png" alt="make your blog look like website" />

What’s also great about this step is you can easily skip it for now and do it later when you’re ready.

Use A Great Theme

Most of the free WordPress.com themes are quite professional-looking, but it’s worth spending a bit of time browsing to find one just right for your blog. Design a professional header for the theme you’ve chosen and personalise it somewhat.

If you’re not satisfied with the available themes or you are desperate to customise your CSS, it’s possible to upgrade to be allowed to do so. However, I think most bloggers can find what they need by using a great theme and some handy widgets.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Themes.jpg" alt="make your blog look like website" />

Embedding Interesting Media

For a long time, WordPress.com users couldn’t embed any media in posts because WordPress didn’t want to leave users open to exploits. Nowadays, there’s a growing list of websites which WordPress.com supports using their own embedding code. However, if you’re not a regular reader of the WordPress.com forums, you might not even know just how much is supported by class="vt-p" href="http://en.support.wordpress.com/tag/shortcode/">shortcode.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Embed-Video.png" alt="make your blog look like website" />

With most services, you can use a really simple code snippet to add media, eg. class="vt-p" href="http://en.support.wordpress.com/videos/vimeo/">Vimeo: />

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/240975]

You can even specify height and width if you like: />

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/240975 w=500&h=400]

Try also class="vt-p" href="http://en.support.wordpress.com/videos/youtube/">YouTube, class="vt-p" href="http://en.support.wordpress.com/videos/google-video/">Google Video, class="vt-p" href="http://en.support.wordpress.com/videos/flickr-video/">Flickr Video, class="vt-p" href="http://en.support.wordpress.com/videos/ted-talks/">TED, class="vt-p" href="http://en.support.wordpress.com/slideshows/slideshare/">Slideshare, class="vt-p" href="http://en.support.wordpress.com/videos/bliptv/">Blip.tv, class="vt-p" href="http://en.support.wordpress.com/audio/soundcloud-audio-player/">Soundcloud, class="vt-p" href="http://en.support.wordpress.com/polls/">PollDaddy Polls and class="vt-p" href="http://en.support.wordpress.com/tag/shortcode/">more.

If your favourite video format isn’t one of the many supported, go to class="vt-p" href="http://www.vodpod.com">VodPod and add the videos (either by RSS import or manually), then use a class="vt-p" href="http://en.support.wordpress.com/videos/vodpod/">VodPod shortcode to add it to WordPress.

Use Great Widgets

WordPress.com users have a pre-made set of widgets available for them to use, including RSS links, Twitter, Facebook Badges, Meebo Chat, Delicious, category cloud, top posts, blank HTML, VodPod videos and more.

With a quick set-up on Vodpod to import your YouTube videos (or other videos), you can automatically display your latest videos in your sidebar. With a bit of thought put into using the RSS and blank HTML widgets and animated GIFs, you can achieve most effects you might be looking for.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/VodPod-Widget.png" alt="how to make your blog look professional" width="170" height="462" />

So, Give It A Go!

Signing up with WordPress.com is free and quick to do. You can easily get started with your blog and try out these these embedding and widget tricks to see if you can do all you need to. Once you’ve mapped your own domain, the only giveaway that you’re using WordPress.com is a small link at the bottom of the page — and even that would be gone if you upgraded to edit your own CSS. Neat!

Need More To Read?

If you need more reading material, try these: /> class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/six-essential-websites-to-help-you-get-your-blog-noticed/">

class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/six-essential-websites-to-help-you-get-your-blog-noticed/">6 Essential Websites To Help You Get Your Blog Noticed /> class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-build-a-self-hosted-wordpress-blog-for-free/">How To Set Up A Self-Hosted WordPress Blog For Free

Let us know your best WordPress.com tricks in the comments! />
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class="align-left" style="border: 0px none; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 5px; float: right;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/texeditlogo1.png" border="0" alt="word processing software" width="190" height="186" />Though Microsoft Word and Apple’s Page ’09 are both feature-rich word processing software, they may be more than what most Mac users need, especially when Apple‘s TextEdit program comes installed for free in every version of Mac OS X. TextEdit opens twice as fast as Word and Pages, and it provides basic tools for most writing projects.

Here are some suggestions for getting the most out of TextEdit, which of course can be found in the Applications folder of your Mac.

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Preferences: New Document

Let’s start with TextEdit‘s Preferences. Among other things, you can set the default font and font size settings in Preferences. I believe the default setting is Helvetica 12.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/newdocument.png" border="0" alt="word processing software" width="425" height="580" />

As you can see, there are also other Preference settings you can make, including options for checking grammar and spelling and applying smart quotes and dashes as you type. You can also have your author and copyright information automatically appended to each document by adding that information in Preferences.

Where it says Rich text and Plain text, it‘s best to leave the Rich text option checked so that you can use basic formatting styles, such as bold, italics and underlining.

Preferences: Open & Save Settings

In the Open and Save Settings, you have options for Autosaving and various HTML settings.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/opensave.png" border="0" alt="free word processing programs" width="442" height="486" />

HTML Editor

You can paste HTML code into a TextEdit document, edit it, and save it as a webpage document (File>Save As>Web Page). When you use TextEdit as a HTML editor, you will want to format text in Plain text.

Formatting Styles

TextEdit includes many of the basic and advance text formatting styles found in Word and Pages. One feature that you might overlook in TextEdit is that you can save individual formatting styles to be used in future documents.

So for instance, say you want to quickly apply a particular color to selected text; you can do so by first selecting some text, style="color: #fa2a3c;"> style="color: #291d18;">opening up color picker (Format>Font>Show Colors) and selecting the color you want to use.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/savefavortestyle.png" border="0" alt="free word processing programs" width="450" height="225" />

While you still have your formatted text selected, go to Format>Font>Styles… and in the drop-down menu, select Add To Favorites. Give a title for your saved style.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/titleforstyle.png" border="0" alt="free word processing programs" width="251" height="144" />

Now when you want to apply that style again, you click on the Styles button in the toolbar of your TextEdit document. If the toolbar is not present in the document, go to Format>Make Rich Text.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/sytles.png" border="0" alt="free word processing software" width="219" height="347" />

Also, don’t forget that you can manually copy and paste styles from one piece of selected text to another. After your style is copied, go to Edit>Paste and Match Style, or use the keyboard shortcuts, Option+Command+C (copy style) and Option+Command+V (paste style).

TextEdit Toolbar

Notice also in the toolbar of a TextEdit document that you have some formatting options. They include the standard word processing features for aligning texts and paragraphs, and spacing between lines.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/formatlists.png" border="0" alt="free word processing software" width="212" height="257" />

Pages and Word have a robust table creation feature, but if you don’t feel like hauling out one of those hefty applications, you can create a basic table in TextEdit. Granted, there are limitations but the feature includes the tabbing and basic formatting options found in the larger word processing programs.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/tablesettings-1.png" border="0" alt="free word processing software" width="222" height="308" />

To create a table, go to Format>Table… and set the numbers for rows and columns in the Table palette. You can also apply text alignments, and the thickness and color of cell borders and backgrounds.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/tables.png" border="0" alt="tables.png" width="569" height="420" />

Other Goodies

TextEdit includes a few other powerful features that you want to keep in mind. For instance, under Edit>Transformation, you can select text and change its case or capitalize the first letter of each word of that selected text.

If you’re struggling to figure out the spelling of a word, you can put your insertion point at the end of a partially entered word and press Option+Esc, which will deliver up a set of words that might contain the one you’re looking for.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/wordcompletion.png" border="0" alt="word processing software" width="202" height="361" />

TextEdit doesn’t have the revision tracking, comments, and footnote features of Word and Pages, nor does it have their robust desktop layout design tools (although images can be added to TextEdit documents), but it is still a handy word processing software app that you will find on any Mac computer.

Let us know if and how you use TextEdit. Are there features you use that I did not touch on this article? Let us know about them. />
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There is a very solution that will easily allow you to fix errors with Registry Fix even in the case you have a poor grasp of your computer’s inner workings. Leading to even more frustration, the lion’s share of computer users have no clue what to do about these and other troublesome windows glitches. Should you find yourself looking for solutions, i’d like to tell you how simple it is to handle such problems.

Click here to fix errors with Registry Fix now!

Don’t get discouraged – i can say with confidence that this is common, and most people have come across error troubles just like yours. If you’re wondering what the source of most pc errors is, it’s often a faulty windows registry- this is one of the most critical and complex areas of your windows. Windows’ registry is charged with the performance of both software programs and devices; if you have a faulty registry, the windows os can lose its ability to run properly. Which way should you turn to find a solution? Lots of solutions to choose from, but it seems that a lot of people enlist the help of a registry fixing tool to handle these problems. Generally, all that’s required is to install some very user-friendly registry fixing software and in a matter of a few short minutes, you’ll be on your way!

It’s just a matter of time before your computer stockpiles tons of registry info necessary to run all your programs – often this concentration of data leads to windows faults and other pc troubles. Take advantage of self-repair tools, and you won’t have to call in an expensive professional and say good-bye to an arm and a leg on trouble that you’re able to fix all alone. Always keep in mind that your windows system simply cannot operate as it should without a functional and unharmed registry system.

As you can see, anytime you have to fix errors with Registry Fix the very first job to be done is to examine your registry for any possible problems. Professional error “cleaning” utilities such as these give you the ability to keep your computer performing at high performance and without those time-wasting problems. In addition to getting your registry in order, to make sure that your pc keeps running as you want it to, be sure to keep lots of disk space free by clearing off programs you don’t need or use. You have to realize that your computer is just like your private car in that it requires “tlc” from time to time to keep it in the best shape possible. You’ve likely learned a few things from this article; i trust that it introduced you to the means to eliminate your computer of those annoying windows errors.

If you demands to have an grand mp3 player, it is not important to expend large amount of cash as at last the motivation of buying the Mp3 player is simply to hear the prime audio music. So if you in reality realize your requisites, you can perpetually go for numerous cheap mp3 players. Althoughyou wish to search online, you can find a tremendous diversity of mp3 gadgets at really cheap values.
There was a moment when numerous individuals were not able able to bargain the mp3 players due to their extraordinary pricing. So numerous big brands have made the low-priced mp3 players that can be yielded by entirely almost each personal of the country. Dwindling the rates of the players has also benefited the makers equally because their sale has also been enhanced due to low-cost rates. Such gadgets have really invoked to stripling and grownups because  the cost effectiveness as well as rich portability.
The mp3 players with store capability of 28MB that can store about 35 songs can be got direct from China for about $20. It offers the secure of a year also. The bulk of each the mp3 players that are accessible at the little prices are of model type that is called as Flash players which means that they consist of the cheap moving parts. This could present numerous extra dangers like breaks which can hurt the player easy. The previous painful hazard could be that the Flash music players Mp3 may be inclined to jump or jump the trackswhile playing. So no matter you have got the warrant of 12 calendar months but it will useless when you will confront the trouble everyday. So purchasing so cheap player is worthless and so someone should neglect buying these super inexpensive mp3 players.
No doubt you can find the cheap mp3 players butin terms to have good music quality, you need to drop at minimum $200. In That Location are umpteen players that are available at coarse rates and also own great lineaments similar FM radio, high storage saving, reading capability, incremental storage slots, favorable, portability and numerous more So rather of going for the low-priced mp3 gadgets that only offer the low price but hopeless audio quality, people should buy the trademarked inexpensive music players seeing the possesses as well.�
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The wholesale MP3 player has accord with a need have in the world of technology recently. Have an MP3 player you could enjoy  singing through a discrete device that could aid whole types of different songs. If you are going to comprehend one of these MP3 players there are many significant components to be conscious of.

The size of the hard drive on the MP3 player is basic. Today’s MP3 players come in a multifariousness of different capacities. Many of them are discrete one gigabyte players while others are ones that could fit additional than a hundred gigabytes of data on them.

The mean how memory is applied on the player is vital as well. In almost all cases a wholesae MP3 player would possess its hold integrated retention system. This wealth that in rank to obtain things to be played on your MP3 player you would possess to connect your player to a computer system and obtain harmony mistaken of your computer drunk onto the player. Numerous players will be capable to knob different forms of mass communication storage. A lot of players might work with SD cards for retention storage.

Excepthaving music playback it helps to check out other features in an MP3 player. A lot of wholesale MP3 players possess FM radio capabilities. Formers provide calendars that may be used for personal data storage and planning. There are even discrete audio recording materials on numerous players that might be applied for recording messages or even podcasts.

Next there is the size of the television screen that the MP3 player uses. While you may not utilize your player for TV purposes characteristic different people must you must still be capable to hold a player that has a television screen that grants you to navigate through the harmonious and features you have with ease. An MP3 -layer have to hold a screen that is painless to read and would job alongside letting you comprehend access to your music. Almost all players possess screens of less than two edges in size but some would go over this by screens of up to four creeps in size.

Finally there are the controls that are traced on the player. In addition to the television screen an MP3 player would hold controls that might grant you to navigate through the carts and different sections of the player. The controls have to be ones that are easy to knob whether they are through push buttons or a practical disk that you can spin alongside your pointer.

There are total kinds of different types of MP3 players to choose away on the demand. Not every MP3 player is made similarly even though. It helps to take a look in the parts listed hereabouts when beholding for one of these players.