Mobile cloud syncing is kind of a big deal for a lot of people who are on the go more than at their desk. Pogoplug comes with 5GB of cloud storage that works with Android and iOS devices. You will get automatic syncing of your pictures, videos and music with the option to stream them from your mobile device or on your computer.

Getting started with Pogoplug

For starters, you will need an account. You just need to give them an emai-pogoplugl address and a password. This will be enough to create your account and get you to the links to download the apps you need to install.

The downloads

There are 2 downloads you will need: one to your desktop and one to your mobile device. I will be showing screen shots for Android, but here is a link to download the iOS version.

Click here or scan the QR code to download the Pogoplug from the Android market.

-pogoplug

You will also want to download the desktop application.

You will need to log into your account on both your computer and your Android device.

Syncing your files

On your Android, your pictures will be automatically uploaded to the Pogoplug server. It took a while for the thumbnails to display though. Other than the images, nothing else automatically upload from the phone. You can manually upload videos, pictures, music and other files from your mobile device to your 5GB of cloud storage.

During the uploading, the original picture, instead of a resized version, is uploaded. Having the original uploaded to the cloud means you won’t need to worry about your photos getting lost if something happens to your mobile device.

Also, if you have files on your computer you would like to access while mobile, you can drag and drop the files to the desktop application.

-pogoplug

Streaming media

A really cool thing you can do with your synced audio and video media is stream them to your devices. If you have a song stored in your account, you can play the song as if it was on your phone. The same is true with videos you have uploaded to your cloud storage.

If you have a lot of music stored and labeled well, you can even search by artist, genre, song or album title.

Pros

• Automatic picture and video uploads
• Streaming media from the cloud
• Simple desktop app

Cons

• Only pictures and videos can be uploaded from your Android

Conclusion

Pogoplug is a great work in progress. They have the right idea and have a great start. Right now it is great for those who want a spot to backup their pictures instantly and having some of their favorite mp3 files easily accessible.

If Pogoplug wants to play with the big boys like Google Music and Amazon’s cloud player and storage, they will need to add some features or at minimum allow better uploading options.

What cloud apps do you use to store and stream all of your digital media?

By doing a little reading and some planning ahead, I have come up with a few ways to use Dropbox while I am mobile. Below are a few tips to use your Dropbox for Android more efficiently while on the go.

1. Share a folder or link

This is probably the main use for me. It is really easy to share files via email or other methods. During certain times of the year, I am emailing the same set of forms to different people all the time. I keep all of the files in a folder in my Dropbox. When someone calls or emails me, I can send them the forms in a zip file.

Open Dropbox for Android and navigate to the folder you want to share.

Press and hold on the folder name. In the pop-up window, you will see Open or Share a link. In this case, select Share a link.

The share menu will appear asking how you want to share the link. Choose your method and send.

Fill in the recipient’s address or phone number. When the recipient clicks the link, they will initiate a download of the files in that folder in a .ZIP format.

2. Save or share app APKs

If you download applications from places other than the Android Market, you will likely have the APK file on your SD card or computer. Well, if you make a folder for these files in your Dropbox, you can uninstall the applications you do not use all of the time. When you need the application again, download it from your Dropbox folder.

In the same manner, if you want to share an application, you can send a link to a friend so they can download the APK file and install the application.

3. Basic text reader and picture viewer

A nice feature of Dropbox for Android is you can open certain files without downloading them to your SD card or Android phone. If you have a picture stored, you can open it within Dropbox. The same is true with a .txt file like you would use in Notepad.

4. Resume and portfolio

Another really handy thing to be able to do is share your resume at a moment’s notice. If you are looking for a job or freelance work, you need to respond to opportunities as soon as you see them. If you see a bookkeeping gig on Craigslist, you can shoot them a resume right away.

If you are a designer or photographer, you can quickly email a folder with all of the information such as a resume, sample pictures, references, links or anything else you’d like to send.

There are many other uses, what it comes down to is access and sharing. Be creative and I’m sure there are lots of ways you can find to use Dropbox for Android to make you more efficient.

Tell us your tips for being efficient while using your Android.

If you want more general tips on using Dropbox, here are a couple previous articles Part 1 and Part 2.

Previously on Make Tech Easier,  we showed you how to put a reminder note in your Android notification bar. If you are looking for more uses for your Android notification bar, Bartender lite will let you create application shortcuts in your notification bar.

Download

Start by scanning this QR code or by visiting this link from your Android phone to download Bartender Lite.

How to add an application shortcut

Once the application is installed, you will need to open it from your application drawer. When the application opens, you will see a screen with only a few choices. Adding an application or shortcut is pretty straightforward.You will need to press the + Item button.

A screen will pop up asking what kind of item you want to add. This screen is very similar to the one you see when you are adding a shortcut to one of your home screens.

For this example, I will add an application shortcut. So when Application is selected, you will see a list of all the installed applications on your device. I chose Google Maps.

If you want to add more applications to your notification bar, repeat these steps. Here is what it looks like with a few shortcuts added in the Android notification bar.

Rearranging the shortcuts

When you have everything added to your android notification bar, you may find that you use one application more than another. If you want to move the application up in the order, you can do so from the Bartender Lite screen.

Next to each of the shortcuts, there is an X along with an DOWN and UP button. If you would like to delete a notification bar shortcut, you can press the X. To move the application up on the list, press UP. To move an application down on the list, press DOWN.

Possible uses

Because you are accessing preinstalled shortcuts, you can easily personalize the shortcuts according to your needs.You could set it up for:

• Most called or messaged people
• Maps and directions for a trip
• Apps you need to toggle on and off frequently
• Media players
• Dropbox folders you access a lot
• Browser bookmarks
• Quick access to multiple Gmail labels
• Various settings for your phone functions

Conclusion

While many people may be asking why take up space with an application that isn’t much different than adding more icons to a home page, I think it is more about how you’re using your phone. I tend to use the same applications repeatedly.

I have several applications and shortcuts in my Go Launcher Ex dock. I don’t like to have too many home screens to scroll through (I use 3 home screens), so having quick access to a couple shortcuts in my notification bar is extremely useful. I do not need to add a whole page or rearrange my screens to accommodate a couple new shortcuts.

How do you keep your home screens organized?

image credit: Lee Coursey

Having your contact list be the central social hub for your Android phone is what Phonebook 2.0 is all about. You will be able to see things like social network updates, birthdays, how many times you call contacts and even recent activity with people in your contact list.

Phonebook 2.0 is a replacement for your contacts application. Your contacts and other information will automatically be imported into Phonebook 2.0. You will be able to initiate an email, SMS, see contact call history, contact groups, social network updates, birthdays and a lot more.

Social Stuff

Most applications come with some sort of connection to your social network accounts. Phonebook 2.0 is not exception. You can sign into several of the most popular social sites with more site options on the way.

Right now you can see Twitter feeds, Facebook updates, Myspace and LinkedIn. You may already have a mobile application with access to these sites. However, this application’s uniqueness is – only the feeds from your phone contacts show up. Not all of your Facebook friends. You may follow 20,000 on Twitter, but talk to 3 people in your everyday life. These 3 feeds will be displayed.

Activity

While your phone will track your incoming, outgoing and misses calls. Your phone won’t display messaging, email and social media updates all in the same window. The activity window reminds me of the Messages folder on a Blackberry.

If you are looking at the activity list, you will see a list of everyone you have communicated with. The social feeds don’t erase when you clear the activity log.

Birthdays

Some applications populate your calendar with birth dates for your contacts. Phonebook 2.0 gives you a tab dedicated to birthdays. You will see all of your contacts with birthdays coming up in order of closest birthday first.

Individual contacts

While you are viewing each individual contact, you have several options of information to view. You can see the contact information like you would be able to in the factory installed Android contact application.

When you choose a contact from you list, you will see a screen with options to contact that person. I think it is laid out much nicer than the pre-installed contacts application. You will also now have access to is any recent activity you have had with them and their most recent social media update.

Conclusion

I have been using Phonebook 2.0 for about 2 weeks now. I am really liking the all-in-one approach they took. Many applications that are add-ons to the factory applications aren’t always worth the space they take up.

It took a little bit of retraining myself to use this as a replacement for the Android contact application. Once I got in the habit, I saw how useful it was. I was not checking Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to see what my close friends are up to.

What applications do you use to manage your contacts?

I came across a solution to ease this burden. Android2Cloud is an Android application similar to Chrome to phone. Android2Cloud is in-fact the opposite of Chrome to phone. It lets you send a link to the page you are looking at on your Android device to your Google Chrome browser.

Setting up Google Chrome

There are a couple setup steps you will need to do before you can use android2Cloud. You will need to download the application and install it on your Google Chrome browser.

Download Android2for Google Chrome.

The Google Chrome side of it may cause confusion for some people. It is not complicated, but has a step that could be confusing to some people. Follow these steps and you should be fine.

Once you install the Google Chrome web app, a new tab will open walking you through the setup.

Most of the steps are easy enough. The step that may throw you is step 2. This step asks you to pick a host for your information. Leave this as the default and you will be fine.

Follow the rest of the steps, making sure to press save for each step. You will be asked to log in and grant Android2Cloud access to your Google Account.

The next step is to download Android2Chrome to your Android Phone.

Install Android2Cloud from the Market. Alternatively, you can scan the QR code displayed after you set up the Google Chrome app.

Configuring the Android phone side of the pairing is really easy. You will only need to install and sign in using your Google account information.

Using Android2Cloud

When using the browser on your Android phone, you will undoubtedly come across a page you that would be easier view on your computer. From your Android phone, you can follow the steps below to send the page you are viewing Google Chrome on your computer.

As a reminder, you will need to be signed into Google Chrome on your computer for the process to work.

To transfer this page to your desktop, you will need to access your share menu.

Just like of you wanted to post a link to the page on Facebook or email or message.

You will see Android2Cloud as an option to share.

Tap on Android2Cloud and your message will be sent to Google Chrome.

I tried sending web pages from my Android phone while Google Chrome was open and while it was closed. When Chrome is open, the page will automatically open in a new window. If Chrome is not open, it should show when you open it next.

Conclusion

I find that in more cases, I use Android2Cloud more than I use Chrome2Phone. It is more likely for me to be looking at a page on my Android and need to watch a video with a larger screen than the other way around. Android2Cloud had been an extremely useful application.

What tricks do you have to blur the line between phone and desktop browsing?

Image credit: deege@fermentarium.com

Poll results and this week’s poll after the jump.

The question for this week’s poll is: How much are you willing to pay for a mobile application?

There are many factors that can make or break a mobile application. Other than its usability, the price point is also a deciding factor. For the end users like you and me, are you willing to pay for any mobile application? If yes, what is the largest amount you are willing to spend on any application?

Take Our Poll

Viewing mobile theme in Firefox

In Firefox, I recommend the User Agent Switcher addon as it comes pre-installed with the iPhone user-agent and you can switch to it easily.

After installing the extension and restarting your Firefox, go to “Tools -> Default User Agent -> iPhone“.

Now, refresh to your site and you should see the mobile theme in action.

To add the Android agent to the list, go to “Tools -> Default User Agent -> Edit User Agents“.

Click the “New -> New User Agent” button and enter the following:

Description: Android
User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.2; en-gb; Nexus One Build/FRF50)
AppleWebKit/533.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/533.1

The remaining entries you can keep them at default value.

(For iPad, the user agent is Mozilla/5.0 (iPad; U; CPU OS 3_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/531.21.10 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.4 Mobile/7B334b Safari/531.21.10)

The next extension you going to use is Firesizer. This extension allows you to resize your browser to a specified screen resolution so you can see how your site renders in different screen size.

After the installation, you can find the resize option at the right bottom corner of the browser. Right click on it and select Customize.

You can add new screen size to the list. For your reference:

iPhone 4 has a screen resolution of 960 x 640 (H by W, so you should enter 640 x 960)
iPhone 3GS and below has a screen resolution of 480 x 320 (H by W, so you should enter 320 x 480)
Nexus One (Android) has a screen resolution of 800 x 480 (H by W, so you should enter 480 x 800)

Once you have added the screen resolution, you can now view your website in its mobile suit and in the correct screen size, right on your desktop browser.

Note: The above addons only work in Firefox 3.6.* and below. They are not compatible with Firefox 4 beta.

The above tricks can be repeated on other browsers such as Opera and Safari. Google Chrome does not allow you to change the user agent (you can check out this hack though), so you won’t be able to use the above tricks.

How do you test your mobile theme?

Note: To enable Google Instant, your iDevices must be running iOS 4 and above and Android phone must be running Froyo (2.2).

1. Load your mobile browser and go to http://google.com. It will most probably load the mobile version of Google search.

2. Scroll down all the way to the bottom and tap on the link “Go to Google.com”

If your mobile OS supports Google Instant, you should see right below the search field, a line saying “Instant (beta) on“. If it is not ON, you can tap on the link to turn it on. Similarly, you can tap on the OFF link to turn it off.

3. Now, start typing on the search field and you will be able to see the instant search-as-you-type result.

In Android phone, the instant search results might be blocked by the on-screen keyboard. Press the back button to hide the keyboard. In iPhone, tap anywhere on the screen to hide the keyboard.

How do you make use of Google Instant on your mobile phone?

Few examples of the tons of features that Edu 2.0 offers are: massive resource of community contributed teaching and learning materials, mobile access, online quizzes, group discussion, and question banks. But the best part is: everything is accessible for free.

If the thought of building a school is too grand for you, Edu 2.0 is also fit for those who only want to manage a small class, creating a short online course about a topic, or simply as a place to host a tutorial.

So let’s take a peek at this great service.

Start Building Your School

First and foremost, some of you might want to see what is using Edu 2.0 like before you register. To do this, go to the demo school and log in with the user id “demoteacher” and password “demoteacher“.

And for those who are ready to jump into the water, Edu 2.0 offers users two ways to start: “Register” your own online school, or “Join” existing registered school.

You could use the second option if you already know the school that you want to join. You could find registered schools using the search function. This option is perfect for students who were asked to join by their teacher(s) or for parents who want to monitor their children’s academic achievement.

Educators and/or school administrators should choose the first option as it will allow them to create (and later manage) their own virtual school. All they have to do is to fill in the necessary data in the registration form and click at the “Submit” button.

Tidying Up The Front End

Even though the creating part could be done virtually in one click, the administering part is another different story. Managing a school – online or offline – is definitely not a simple job. There are many things to think about with layers of problems to consider. That’s why the first thing that you will get after signing up and logging in is tips of things that you could do to set up your school.

If you plan to create one-class only school, you might be able to manage everything on your own. But if that’s not the case, you might want to get help from others. Edu 2.0 provides you with several ways to easily add teachers and administrators. The method can also be used to invite students to you school.

Another first thing that you might want to do is setting up school policies. I personally think it’s important to draw the lines at the very beginning to avoid problems in the future.

Starting A New Class

The heart of every school is education, acquired through the process of teaching and learning, and accommodated by classrooms. So, to start a school, you’d need class(es). Let’s build some.

The process of creating a class is as easy as creating the school. Fill out a form and click a button and you are good to go.

Then after your class is created, you could view (and – as administrator – edit) many aspects of the class.

This includes configuring the features of the class.

Adding materials for online study is easy. Problems arise when the students’ knowledge has to be assessed. Creating online assignments is not always as easy as it sound. Luckily, that’s not a problem within Edu 2.0 environment. Just click the “Add” button on the assignments page.

Then pick what kind of assignment that you want to create. Edu 2.0 provide teachers with several different types of assignments to choose.

And as everything else around here, creating assignment is also a form-filling easy.

There’s a set of complete tools that you can use to create online assignments. The one displayed below are tools to create quizzes. While they are similar to common tools that you can find on many modern word processors, you could always consult the help link every time you are unclear about something.

Finding Resources

Other than a great teaching tool, Edu 2.0 is also a great place to find resources for education. The materials come from the community of Edu 2.0 users. You can find many things here, but you can not find everything. Instead of making it the only resources, I prefer to look at it as additional resources to the ones that you’ve already have. Use the search function to assist you. Seek and you shall find.

Then follow where the search results lead you.

Use your school library to store teaching and learning materials, including the ones that you found from the resources search.

And allow me to close the discussion by showing you the mobile version of the experimental school that I built. It’s generated automatically without the need to tinker with anything.

I hope this short introduction is enough to get you started. It’s impossible to discuss everything about Edu 2.0 here, so your best way to find them out is by getting your hands dirty. Build your own school, play with it, and share your finding with us using the comment below. Experience is indeed the best teacher.

All the SMS or text messages inside your iPhone are handled by a database. Jailbreaking your iPhone open the possibility of manipulating your SMS database and export all the data within. The CSV file can also be accessed using Microsoft Excel and equivalent program.

This tutorial will walk you through the process to backup and export your SMS as a CSV file to your Mac.

Download the Tools Needed

These are the tools you will need for this tutorial.

1. iPhone Explorer

2. SQLite Database Browser

These tools are available for Mac and Windows platform; make sure you download the correct version.

Backup SMS Database

Connect your iPhone to your Mac through USB.

1. Launch the iPhone Explorer and navigate through “/private/var/mobile/Library/SMS.“.

2. Look for the file SMS.db and download it to your Mac.

Export iPhone SMS

1. Launch SQLite Database Browser you have downloaded a while back.

2. Click “File -> Open Database“. You will then be asked to choose a file to open. Navigate through the directory where you have download SMS.db.

This is an example of the structure of iPhone SMS database.

3. When SMS.db is open, you can export it the way you want. Click on “File -> Export” and choose “Table as CSV File“.

4. You will be prompted to “Choose table to export as CSV text“. Choose table name as “Message” and click on the “Export” button thereafter.

5. You will then be asked for the location to save the CSV file. Locate the directory you want to save it to and give it a filename.

6. Try to open the CSV file with iWork’s Numbers or Microsoft Excel to manipulate the data inside. When you open it, you will see a few columns with corresponding values. You can actually edit those values and save the file as CSV, still.

The point of this tutorial is to help you backup, export and even import all your SMS data to your other devices. Or, you can also use this method to archive your text messages for future reference, that way, you will not be able to lose messages you treasure most.

What other way do you use to backup your iPhone’s SMS?

Image credit: Frank Spin

We have previously covered Pixelpipe in our top 20 mashup sites, but apparently, Pixelpipe has added tons of improvement that it worth a mention again. This time round, we are focusing on the mobile app (particularly Android).

For those who have not heard of Pixelpipe, it is a connector that links you to the various social networking sites. For example, if you have taken a ton of photos/videos in a party and wanted to post them to various sites like Flickr, YouTube Facebook, Twitter or even your own blog, you can either manually upload them one site at a time, or use Pixelpipe to upload them all to various sites at the same time. Each social networking site is known as a pipe. You just need to add the pipes to the Pixelpipe account and you can post to them instantly.

Pixelpipe for Android

When you run the app for the first time, it will prompt you to login to your account. If you do not have an account, you can either sign up for a new account right within the app, or visit the Pixelpipe website from your desktop.

Once you are logged in, you will see 4 main tabs: Media, Post, Queue and Settings.

Settings – adding pipes to your account

Let’s start from the “Settings”. Before you can upload to various sites, you have to add pipes to your account. Go to the Settings tab and you will be able to add, edit, delete pipes.

There are 100 destinations that you can add, so I am pretty sure you can find the one you need.

Uploading your media

Once you have added your pipes, you can start to upload your content. The Media tab is where you see all your media content – photos, videos and audio – in your phone. From here, you can select the media content and upload them to your pipes.

Blogging from Pixelpipe

If you have set up a blog in your pipes, you can also post to your blog from the Post tab. You don’t get too many features here, except for a title field, message field and the tag field. It is great for sites like Posterous and Tumblr, but a little limited for WordPress blog. One more thing, you can toggle your post between a status post or a blog post.

Other than the default feature within the app, Pixelpipe also integrates itself with your mobile camera. Immediately after you have taken a photo/video, the Pixelpipe upload option will pop up instantly and ask if you want to upload your photo to your pipes.

This camera integration is turned on by default. For those who find it annoying, you can turn it off at the Settings.

Pixelpipe is available in many forms. Other than its website, you can also access Pixelpipe via email/MMS, instant messaging client (Google talk, Yahoo messenger and Jabber/XMPP), Firefox extension, Google Picasa and various mobile device like the Android, iPhone, Palm Pre and Nokia N series phone. This is definitely a must for social-media addicts.

Download Pixelpipe for Android. (market link | Appbrain link)

Eye Candy is Yummy

Maverick ships with KDE SC 4.5 installed, the most stable and attractive version of the KDE 4 series to date.

The Kubuntu developers do not modify the KDE interface at all. There is no Kubuntu theme for KDE. For those who like the default Plasma theme, this is ideal. For those who do not, they always have the option of changing it.

One tool that has improved is the Ubiquity installer. It is more aesthetically appealing and easier to use than ever, and it gives users the ability to install restricted media features (like MP3 playback support) during initial installation. This is probably as close as they will ever get to including that support within the OS itself.

Maverick Features

There are not a ton of new features with this latest version of Kubuntu, but there are a few significant ones worth mentioning.

1. New Message Indicator – The system tray message indicator now engulfs messaging icons like Kopete’s within its envelope. When new messages are received, the new indicator handles them and changes color to inform the user. The two problems I have experienced with it are that I can no longer exit Kopete with a quick right click and quit, and sometimes the Kopete window will not restore from the tray at all.

2. Rekonq – As was expected, Rekonq is now the default web browser for KDE. Rekonq adds many features that Konqueror users have long requested, and it mimics many Google Chrome design aspects. However, I have found their navigation/search bar to be a little slow compared to Konqueror. Otherwise, its features are very appealing.

3. New KPackagekit - I have never been much of a fan of KPackagekit, but this new version does have some nice additions. The biggest addition is the ability to browse through installable applications.

4. Introducing Pulseaudio – The word Pulseaudio all by itself makes some Ubuntu users cringe, while others would never part from it. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, it is now the default sound server for Kubuntu. For the most part, I like it. With it, I was able to get the microphone working on my laptop that I could not get working with plain Alsa.

Unfortunately, the positive features of pulseaudio are overshadowed by its apparent incompatibility with KMix. Sometimes changing the volume with function keys causes it to spike all the way up or down, and muting does not seem to work with function keys at all. Kubuntu developers have been delaying adding Pulseaudio to KDE until the compatibility was there, but it still appears to be lacking in KMix.

5. Netbook Edition - Kubuntu’s netbook interface comes installed with the regular desktop system, and it is easier than ever to switch from one to the other using System Settings. If you like it, the KDE netbook workspace is easy to use and versatile. I, however, do not like it and found its effects to be slow, even on my dual core Atom netbook with an Nvidia Ion processor. Still, it does look nice and functions reasonably well, especially with the addition of the new global menu.

6. Ubuntu font - The Ubuntu font is fun and cute, and it now comes installed by default.

7. Kubuntu Mobile Tech Preview – Another new variation to the workspace, at this time, it is not clear if there are actual intentions to package this interface and use it. Ubuntu Mobile, after all, died quietly. Therefore, this may just be a proof of concept, but it is an interesting one.

Kubuntu 10.10 appears to be more stable and ready for production than 10.04. The upgrade process was one of the smoothest I have experienced. But the few features that it added were not very compelling, and some may even turn off a few loyal users. Nevertheless, any upgrade has its technical benefits: a newer kernel, latest hardware support, and newer packages and updates. For those who waited until Maverick to upgrade to KDE 4.5, it will be a pleasant surprise. For others, it will just be a routine software upgrade.

Amit Agarwal at Digital Inspiration has written a simple VBS script that allows files uploaded to Dropbox to automatically print.

To set-up the remote printing function you must do the following

1. Install Dropbox

2. Download the zip file

3. Double-click the eprint.vbs file. A sub-folder (PrintQueue) will be created inside your main Dropbox folder.

Now any file that is placed inside the PrintQueue folder will automatically be printed. There is no need to run any additional commands or navigate any dialog boxes.

I have tested this with a variety of files, including txt, doc, xls, and jpg and they all print without any problems. Of course if you require any specific formatting you will have to manually do this before uploading the file into the PrintQueue folder.

The PrintQueue folder can be used with other computers (that have Dropbox) or with smartphones that have the Dropbox application installed. For example, I installed the Android Dropbox application and uploaded a txt file from my phone into the PrintQueue folder. This file immediately printed out.

* the vbs script is for Windows only.

via: Digital Inspiration

Image credit: MShades

Here’s what you can find in the new Firefox beta for Android.

Sync

Firefox users who have been using the Firefox Sync feature to synchronize your bookmarks, settings and profile across multiple computers, you can now sync it to your Android phone too. Simply go to the Preferences, fill in your sync credential and tap on the Connect button.

Add-ons

Just like what makes the desktop browser great, the mobile version also comes with addons. You can either browse the addon gallery or just do a search to locate your addons.

Yes, you still need to restart your mobile browser every time you install an addon.

Personalized Start Page

The start page is a good place for you to… well, get started. It shows your previous browsing session, the tabs that you opened and also tabs from other computers. Cool!

Left and Right sidebar

Firefox for Android makes clever use of the sidebar which have been largely ignored by most applications. By flicking the page to the right, the left sidebar will appear to reveal the tabs. Similarly, on the right side (flicking the screen to the left) shows the quick bookmark icon and the forward/back button.

Awesome Bar and Awesome Screen

The Awesome bar in desktop Firefox (the same as the URL bar) continue to be awesome in the mobile version. A tap on the URL bar will bring you to a awesome screen where you can access to your bookmarks, history and other desktop tabs all in one place. Similarly, you can type the URL to load the site you want.

Pinch to zoom

The pinch to zoom is becoming the norm in multi-touch device, so it is not surprising to know that Firefox beta supports pinch to zoom as well. In a quick experiment, the pinch to zoom feature is not as sensitive as the native Google browser, but still, it is a good inclusion.

Increased Responsiveness

Yes, this is the one that we all been waiting for. Firefox beta for Android is definitely more responsive than the alpha build. It is even on par with the native browser.

Can’t wait to try it? Hit the link below to download and give it a test drive. Don’t forget to let us know what you think in the comments.

Download Firefox beta for Android

Dropbox has recently updated its Android app and I thought it was a good time to review the app.

1. Set-Up

After installing and launching the app you will land on the start page. Here you can choose to login or set-up a new account.

2. Basic Usage

Once you have logged in you will be presented with the list of folders that are in your Dropbox account.

Browsing these folders is just like browsing the folders in the Dropbox folder in your home computer or through the web browser. You can click on any folder to browse the files inside.

For example, I clicked on the “Photos” folder to browse the pictures I had uploaded onto Dropbox.

The name and size of the files are prominently displayed. However, considering this was the “Photos” folder I expected there to be a gallery view to easily browse the image thumbnails, such as the one that is accessible on the web interface of Dropbox.

Nevertheless, browsing and downloading the files is very easy. To download a file, long click on a file until the context menu appears and from there select “Download”.

Additionally, you can “Open” the file which basically launches an app to try and read the file (this does not work with most files, such as .docx files), you can share the file (see below) or you can delete the file.

A short click on the file gives you similar options.

3. Upload a file

Dropbox’s real power is its ability to easily sync different files across different devices. The Dropbox Android app makes this easy with the ability to “Upload” any file you want. Simply hold down the menu button until the options menu appears.

Here, simply select the “Upload” button. This will give you a list of file-types you would like to upload.

Select a file-type and you can browse your phone’s memory to find the appropriate file and have it upload to your Dropbox account.

4. Create a File

If you don’t already have a file to upload, you can create your own. Simply click on menu and “New”. From the create menu you can create various media files (pictures, video and audio), a basic text file or a folder.

The media options automatically launch your camera or camcorder app, while the “Text file” option gives you the option to launch a native text creation application or the Dropbox specific one.

The “DB Text Editor” is a fairly basic text creation tool, with only the ability to create and edit a text file.

Once you are happy with the text file you can save it, by clicking on menu and “Save file”.

You will then be given the option to create a name for your file.

The file will immediately sync with your Dropbox account and appear on your computer and the Dropbox web interface.

5. Sharing Options

Lastly, it is possible to share a link of your files and folders by long clicking a file or folder and selecting “Share a link”.

There are a number of sharing options available here.

6. Settings

The settings menu has a few limited options.

The main option is the ability to enable file-status icons, which can show whether a file in your Dropbox folder has been downloaded onto your phone.

Pros:

• Ability to access all your files on Dropbox
• Can easily create and share public links of any folders
• Can delete any file from your Dropbox account
• Ability to create media and text files

Cons:

• No way to sync files to your mobile device (can only download individual files)
• No gallery for images in the “Photos” folder
• Inability to download folders

Bottom Line

The Dropbox app for the Android mobile platform is a solid start for an app that prides itself on its ability to do seamless syncing. However, the addition of a few more essential features would make this the ultimate app to have.

Creating the network

Apple makes it surprisingly easy to create a quick wireless network. The first thing you’ll need to do is make sure you’ve got Wifi enabled. Even if you’re used to connecting to the internet over ethernet, or hard-wired, you’ll need Wifi enabled in order to create the network. To enable Wifi, or check if it is enabled, just click the Wifi icon in the top right corner of your screen (pictured below, left,) and make sure it says “Airport: On“. If it’s already on, perfect! If not, click it to turn it on. Then, click that same icon, and near the bottom of the menu, choose “Create Network…”  like pictured below, right.

You’ll be greeted with the following window:

Leaving the channel as automatic will generally work fine, but depending on how long you plan on leaving the network active, you may want to set a password. If you do click “Require Password“, the dialog box will expand, and all you need to to is enter the password of your choice for the network, along with the type of security. Both are WEP, and so for the most part the default is fine.  (If only setting up most Wifi networks were this easy!) Security enabled or not, this is pretty standard, and when you’re finished, just clicking “OK” will set up everything up for you.

Connecting to the network

To be sure your network is now active, you can visually check where your Wifi icon used to be in the Menu bar, as it should now be replaced with the Ad-Hoc network icon, which looks like this:

Seeing this icon means you’ve successfully created your network. You can click on it, and you should see under Devices, the name you assigned to the network when you created it.

Now this may be the best part of this whole process. To connect your wireless device, be it an iDevice, Android smartphone, blackberry, or netbook, you don’t need to do anything different than you would with a normal Wifi network, be it heading over to your iPhone/iPad/iPod’s settings screen, hitting Wifi, and selecting your network, or just going to your Windows taskbar and selecting your Wifi network through the contextual menu. All you need to do is sign on to the network, and you’ll be on the internet, by way of your computer!

Additional Uses

Now that you’re on a network with your computer, you can use it in ways aside from browsing the internet as well. On iDevices, you can use your device as an iTunes remote with the Remote app. You can also sync apps with the cloud that you normally couldn’t.

Have another creative use for this, or want to know if it can be used for something specific? Hit up the comments!

Earlier today, Facebook has released the Facebook Places that allows you to check in your location from your mobile device.

Ever gone to a show, only to find out afterward that your friends were there too? With Places, you can discover moments when you and your friends are at the same place at the same time.

You have the option to share your location by “checking in” to that place and letting friends know where you are. You can easily see if any of your friends have also chosen to check in nearby.

The Facebook Places is only available for iPhone users at the moment. Android and other mobile device users can also access the check-in feature via the mobile FB site: touch.facebook.com. There is one criteria though: your mobile browser must support HTML 5 and geolocation.

With the Facebook Places, you can tag your friends (just like how you tag your friends in a photo). When you are together with a bunch of friends, you can tag all of them in your check-in. You can also post update on your checkin to inform others what you are doing.

When it comes to Privacy issue, your check-in status will only be shown to your friends, unless you explicitly change the setting to “Everyone”. You also have the choice to turn off the ability for friends to check you in at Places.

The check-in service is currently available in USA. Other countries will have to wait as Facebook “expects to make it available to more countries and on additional mobile platforms soon“. We will see.

I do not have the luck to try it in my country yet. If you are one of the lucky few who are situated in USA, own an iPhone and pro location app, check out the Facebook Places and let us know your experience in the comments.

via Facebook blog: Who, What, When, and Now…Where

But modern technology also brings changes to the book world. Aside from the words printed on dead tree, now we also have digital version of books or better known as ebooks which can (and supposed to) be read on any digital devices with ebook reader applications installed.

If you are constantly on the move, love reading and want to bring a “library” inside your pocket, here are several free ebook readers that you can install in your mobile devices.

1. Adobe PDF Reader

One of the oldest and most popular format of ebook is PDF. So going with PDF is a sure way to get almost unlimited supply of books for the road.

The advantage of this format is that you can “print” any document to PDF and the documents will look the same wherever you open them. But you’ll need to continuously re-sizing the page on small screen. If your device is based on Pocket PC, Palm, or Symbian; you are good to go. Just grab the free reader from Adobe site. There’s also an Android version in the market and the unofficial iPhone version that you can grab from iTunes Store.

2. Ibis Reader

Another format that has been increasing in its popularty is ePub – thanks to the adaptation of the format by Apple for its iBooks publications. And one of the most popular ePub reader out there is Ibis Reader.

One of the advantages of this format is the ebook will adjust the page layout according to the screen size while keeping the content intact. So one same ebook file will have different page number on different screen size. This will keep the book readable even on small screen.

3. MobiPocket

Aside from common ebook formats, this one reader is able to open other readable document formats such as: office documents and RSS eNews.

This application is available for most digital devices including Windows Mobile and Blackberry.

4. Kindle

The first popular consumer ebook reader in the world is called Kindle. It’s produced and distributed by the biggest bookstore in the world: Amazon. Being the biggest bookstore, Amazon provide Kindle users with tons of Kindle-friendly ebooks supply.

But you can also read those ebooks using your own mobile gadgets because there are Kindle softwares available for iPhone, iPad, Blackberry and Android devices – aside from the Mac and PC versions.

5. Kobo

Another worthy alternatives for ebook readers for mobile devices is Kobo. The free software is available for iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Android and Palm. Kobo also has its own bookstore where you can get your ebooks. They have thousands of free classic books along with tons of new titles.

So if you are an avid reader and you’d love to fill in those idle times with good reading – wherever you are; you could pick one of these free mobile ebook readers and start flipping those ePages.

Which one is your favorite ebook reader?

Image credit: Ed Yourdon

The two leading smartphone operating systems, Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android, both have some backup functions built-in. In the case of Apple, it is possible to backup to the cloud through MobileMe. However, this is a relatively expensive solution and reviews suggest that it has some serious limitations. Google’s offering is also limited, but it is completely free. In both cases there are restrictions as to the type of media that can be backed up. Android only syncs your contacts, calendar and email and neither syncs bookmarks, messages or calls.

With such poor offerings, I was pleasantly surprised when I came across m:IQ. This app is a simple tool to ensure all the data (including photos, videos, calls, messages and bookmarks) on the phone is backed up.

Note: This app heavily consumes data (as uploading photos and videos takes up a lot of bandwidth). Hence, it is advisable that you have an unlimited data plan on your phone.

1. Setup

Although it is possible to register this app directly from your phone, I prefer to start with the web. First, navigate to the m:IQ and sign-up for an account.

M:IQ supports a large catalogue of devices including phones running Android, Symbian, Windows and Blackberry.

Once you have signed-up on the web, navigate to http://m.miqlive.com/ on your phone. On my Android phone this opened up the marketplace and displayed the m:IQ application (other systems may produce different different results).

2. First Use

Once installed, launch the application and login.

That’s it! Providing your phone has a stable connection, your data will immediately start backing up to the m:IQ dashboard. You can also click on the big green button to start/stop the sync.

There are a few (limited) settings that allow you to select the type of data that you would like to backup (contacts, calendar, messages, calls, bookmarks, photos and videos).

Further, you can set whether you want your data to be private or made public. M:IQ integrates a number of social features (discussed below), but these can be universally blocked by switching on the Privacy Mode.

3. Dashboard

The m:IQ dashboard is the control centre for all your backed up data.

The Home page displays a summary of all your data. Along the top, you can select the type of data you want to view. You can also upload photos and videos and add contacts directly from the dashboard.

Each of the dedicated pages also offer a number of useful features, including the ability to search your data.

Contacts

Your contacts names along with their contact details (email, phone, address, etc) are displayed.

Messages

The contacts who you have received message from or sent to you are displayed alongside the text of the messages. You can also send messages directly from this page.

Calls

The names of the persons who called and who you called are displayed alongside their telephone numbers.

Calendar

The Calendar page displays all the events in your default Google calendar. In my case it has also backed up my “Phone Calls” calendar (added through CallTrack), but has not backed up any of my other custom calendars.

Photos and Videos

The photo and video pages allow you to share and download the photos that have been uploaded to m:IQ. If you have set up your sharing to public, you will be able to select which photos you want to share with the public.

Only photos and videos from the following folders are uploaded (so ensure you move your data to these folders):

• BlackBerry: Pictures, Videos
• Android: Gallery
• Symbian S60: Images, Videos
• Windows Mobile: My Pictures, My Videos, DCIM

There is also a 1GB storage limit for all your photos and videos and your photos and videos remain on m:IQ even after you delete them from your phone, so ensure you keep an eye on your data limit.

4. Social Features

What really set m:IQ apart is the social features that come with this app.

Firstly, all m:IQ users get a dedicated “social” page at http://miqlive.com/your-username. Here your shared photos and videos are displayed.

Next, it is possible to have the photos and videos synced with m:IQ to be automatically uploaded to your social media sites. You can do this automatically, or on a piecemeal basis.

To automatically share your photos, first click on “Social Settings” from the Home page of the dashboard.

Here you can allow Facebook and Twitter to automatically share your status and photos, and have Flickr and FriendFeed automatically share your photos. Unfortunately, the number of social networks is limited and there does not appear to be any method of automatically sharing videos.

Now, whenever a photo or video is synced to m:IQ it will automatically be uploaded to your social networks.

To share individual photos navigate to the Home page and look for the “I WANT TO…” section.

Click on “SHARE A PHOTO” and a small box displaying the four social media networks will pop-up. You can then drag your photos to the social networks to have them upload.

Remember, if you have enabled privacy mode on your phone, no matter what you select on the dashboard, your data will not be shared.

5. Conclusion

M:IQ is not only a powerful backup tool, but has also managed to develop robust social features.

Backup is not something we want to have to think about on a regular basis. In that respect m:IQ exceeds my expectations: once the app is turned on I don’t ever have to worry about my data. In addition, the integration of social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, allow you to easily share your photos with your friends.

Finally, if you change phones syncing all your data to the new phone will be a breeze (I have not tried this feature).

Can m:IQ be your solution to mobile backup? Can us know in the comments.

You hear a lot of people talking about how if they did not have Evernote, they would be lost. They use it from their mobile device and computer. Evernote is a great information catch-all, but what happens if you are not a very creative or organized person to begin with?

Starting to use Evernote is a lot like starting to use Twitter. You learn as you use it and see example of how really creative people use it. Sure this is kind of the way a lot of applications can be, but doesn’t it defeat the purpose of a productivity app if you need to spend a ton of time trying to figure out how to use it?

This is the area where Springpad excels.

Springpad apps

Springpad offers a large selection of what they call apps. These are simply add-ons of different kinds to help streamline your usage. For example, if you are a fan of Gary Vaynerchuk and his show on Wine Library Tv, you can get a Garyvee wine notebook Springpad app. (You need to sign in to check out the app).

You will also find task, budget planners, receipt managers, reusable grocery lists, blog post planners, to-do lists and many more.

Making you more productive

By offering access from virtually anywhere you have an internet connection – both mobile and from your computer – you don’t need to keep track of several different versions of the same to-do list on different machines.

Pre-notebooks

One of the hardest parts of productivity applications is figuring out how to make it work for you. Most applications are either too specific in how they intend you to use it or too generic. Springpad has a pre-designed notebooks to help you spend less time making the notebook do what you want, and more time getting things completed.

When you create a notebook, you have a tab bar at the top with many of the commonly used features. You have the choice of adding one or more items to your notebook. For example, if you are making a notebook for home, you could add a to-do list, coupons, shopping list, recipes, alarms and calendar events. For work, you can add a packing list, notes, up to a 5mb file, alarms for events you need to attend while on your trip, search for restaurants in the area and much more.

Reminders

I don’t know about you, but with everything going on, I have been known to forget a task or two. If you are in a similar situation. you can use the event or alarm feature to send yourself reminders. All you need to do is verify the email address or phone number you would like the reminders or alerts sent to.

Tags

If you are accustomed to using tags for everything, Springpad lets you tag each item, file and notebook. You can later use these tags to search for similar items later.

Bookmarklet

Use the bookmarklet to bookmark pages while you are surfing the web. You can tag and file them into the appropriate notebooks. You are also given the choice to add notes and media from the page you are bookmarking.

Accessing Springpad

As I mentioned earlier. you can access your Springpad account from anywhere you have an internet connection. Unlike other apps, there is NOT a desktop client for Springpad. This makes it great for netbooks and people who do not like a bunch of space resources taken up by applications on their primary computer.

If you are mobile, you have a few options. You can use the iPhone or Android application from your device. If you do not have a device that runs on either of those operating systems, you can access your Springpad account via their mobile site.

Another nice access feature is being able to log in with your credentials from other accounts you currently use. If you have a Gmail, Yahoo, Facebook or Twitter account, you can use any of these log in username and passwords to initially sign in.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a way to get your life in some sort of order, this should fit that need. In trying out the mobile version on my Blackberry and using the web app, I felt more at ease starting out. The add-on apps, layout, search and the other simplicities make it a better choice for the person who wants to get started quickly.

Do you think this would be easier to start using than other similar productivity apps?