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Rockify.TV Is Like Pandora For Music Videos [Web]

Zainab — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 10:10:39 +0000

Rockify.TV is a web application that allows you to stream the best videos based on your likes and social trends. The app learns what you enjoy and gives you a personalized video watching experience, so you can sit back, and enjoy an endless stream of high definition music videos of your liking without having to browse much. Once signed in, Rockify will let you set Channels and Artists of your choice as the sorting criteria. You may create custom playlists and channels for all your favorite tracks, save them for later and share with friends. More after the jump.

To start off, simply sign in via your Facebook or Twitter account. Once done, videos will be played automatically in a neat interface, with Playlist, Channels and Artists displayed in a collapsible panel to the right. At the bottom of each video, you will find music controls, sharing, like/dislike controls, and other useful options. The track title, album, channel and number of likes are all displayed to the bottom left of the video. You may purchase songs through Amazon and watch videos in full screen. Rockify lets you replay, skip and play/pause as many videos as you want.

From the right panel, you will be able to browse an extensive list of predefined channels comprising multiple genres, such as Alternative, Country, Hip-Hop, Pop, Rock and more. In addition to that, you can also create a custom channel based on your likes.

Rockify.TV is a slick web application that changes the way we watch videos, and lets us discover new ones. If you love the way Pandora works and want something similar for watching music videos, then Rockify.TV is the perfect place for you.

Visit Rockify.TV

If you liked this app, you might also want to look through the other web applications that we’ve covered so far.

Read Rockify.TV Is Like Pandora For Music Videos [Web] by Zainab on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter

Bypass Facebook Social Reader App Install Requests To Read Articles In Peace [Chrome, Firefox]

Zainab — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 13:01:05 +0000

While browsing Facebook, we often come across articles shared by our friends from apps like Yahoo!, The Gaurdian or Washington Post. You might have noticed that when these links are clicked, you get redirected to the social reader’s app install request page, which accesses your personal information and posts on your behalf, including people you liked, articles you read and more. Not only do these apps access your private details to learn your reading habits, but can also be very annoying thanks to their wall posts. If you want to read articles from various social readers but, at the same time, don’t want to authorize a third-party application to access your basic information, then Unsocialize is just what you need. This Chrome extension and Firefox add-on adds an Unsocialize option to the right-click context menu, which allows you to open articles in a new tab without getting redirected to third-party apps and having to grant them access to your information. More after the break.

Normally, when we click social reader links, Facebook takes us to the install app request page that requires us to give permission to third-party apps. The screenshot below shows an example of what the page looks like.

The Firefox add-on adds an Unsocialize option to the right-click context menu, which, when clicked, opens the linked article in a new tab without taking you to the social reader app itself, or requiring an install of the said app.

Unsocialize can come in handy specially for people who hate getting redirected and have privacy concerns. The extension can be installed for both Firefox and Chrome browsers from the links below.

Install Unsocialize: The Link Unsocializer For Google Chrome

Install Unsocialize: The Link Unsocializer Add-on For Firefox

Liked this extension? You might also want to take a look at the other Chrome extensions we’ve reviewed so far.

Read Bypass Facebook Social Reader App Install Requests To Read Articles In Peace [Chrome, Firefox] by Zainab on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter

Highlightr Ranks RSS Items Based On Their Social Buzz In Google Reader [Chrome]

Zainab — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 10:31:11 +0000

For anyone who uses Google Reader as their primary RSS reader, finding new items in the aggregator is nothing new. The number of items, however, would depend on the number of feeds that you’ve subscribed, and if that is a lot, daily unread items might touch staggering numbers. As Google Reader, by default, does not offer an extensive set of filtering options, it might be hard to locate what really interests you. This is where Highlightr comes in useful. This is a simple Chrome extension that basically highlights popular feed items using rank calculations based on the popularity of the article across multiple social networks, like Twitter, Facebook, Google+ etc, and adds a rank at the end of each post title. The higher the rank, the more popular the article is. Details past the jump.

Once you’ve installed the extension, Highlightr will add rank values next to the title of each post, letting you quickly locate the content that gained maximum buzz across social media. To facilitate finding popular articles, the extension fades out those that haven’t been ranked, or lightens the coloring on those with a lower rank. If ranking is not automatically added when you reload Google Reader, click the H button that is added next to the Google Reader interface.

The extension is useful but buggy; we observed it to work one day but stop working the very next for no apparent reason. Although it’s just speculation at this point, but with the bugginess of the extension, it might not play very nice if you have anything else for modifying Google Reader installed.

The extension shows you an aggregated average as an indication of an article’s popularity and this average includes data from Google+, Twitter and Facebook. Since Google+ does not have as many active users as Facebook, perhaps there should be an option to exclude the ‘shared’ data from Google+ users to avoid skewing the average number and rating of an article.

Highlightr might be useful for finding more popular stuff from among your RSS subscriptions, but not always, as the extension depends on an article’s online popularity, and thus, might not always be able to rank all items (there are obscure feeds, too). Grab the extension from the Chrome webstore link below, give it a try and let us know what you think.

Install Highlightr For Google Chrome

Liked this extension? You might also want to take a look at the other Chrome extensions we’ve reviewed so far.

Read Highlightr Ranks RSS Items Based On Their Social Buzz In Google Reader [Chrome] by Zainab on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter

Analyze & Improve Your Typing Skills With Typing Stats For Firefox

Zainab — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 09:23:54 +0000

Typing Stats is a Firefox add-on that generates detailed typing statistics and useful information that can help you improve your typing skills. This handy tool analyzes various aspects of your typing and displays results in various charts and graphs. For instance, you will be able to view graphs for correct keystrokes, corrected characters, a histogram for intervals between keystrokes and much more. By analysing these details, you will be able to find out what exactly it is that you’re doing wrong and how you can improve your speed. Not only does this clever tool generate stats, but also detects the mistakes you make, and displays their distribution by fingers.

After installation, when the button in the toolbar is clicked, Typing Stats opens in a new window. Note that, at first, you might not see any plotted data, as the add-on generates results based on your typing habits after its installation. So, in order to get results, you can start typing and go back after a while. Statistics are divided into two main categories, Charts and Mistakes. The Charts tab is further divided into Speed, Backspace, Intensity and Histogram, whereas the Mistakes tab allows you to view Most Corrected Chars With Backspace and a diagram for the percentage of mistakes each finger makes.

Speed basically represents the number of correct keystrokes per minutes, Backspace displays graphs for corrected characters per minute, Intensity is the total time of typing, and the last category, Histogram, generates results for intervals between keystrokes.

Next, the Mistakes area will let you view characters that you got wrong while typing, and fingers that made those mistakes. To the left, you will find corrected characters with backspace, while the right side visualizes the distribution of mistakes per your fingers. Consequently, once you’ve found out which fingers/characters cause the most mistakes, you can easily get rid of these by focusing on them.

The add-on helps you learn from the mistakes you make, letting you improve your typing skills. Typing Stats can be a useful tool for both regular typists and novices alike.

Install Typing Stats Add-On For Firefox

Liked this extension? You might also want to take a look at the other Chrome extensions we’ve reviewed so far.

Read Analyze & Improve Your Typing Skills With Typing Stats For Firefox by Zainab on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter

Get Auto, Inline Translation Of Uncommon English Words To A Desired Language [Chrome]

Zainab — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 11:30:50 +0000

If English is not your native language and you find some foreign language words as you browse the web, or if you’re in the process of learning a new language, then Auto Selective Translator could be a really handy tool for you. This Chrome extension switches uncommon words/phrases from English to a language of your choice, and automatically displays inline translations, letting you quickly learn and understand new words. Translated words appear in tiny boxes over the original ones, allowing you to read with consistency without having to navigate away from the page to look up a word. Moreover, you can choose how much of the page is translated, and the number of translated words can be customized from the extension’s settings.

After you’ve added the extension to Chrome, click the button in the toolbar, and Auto Selective Translator will automatically translate uncommon words to your desired language. Translated words will appear over the original ones, which will allow you to view both the original and the translated word.

Options allow you to choose your desired language from a list displayed in a drop-down menu and change the number of words to translate. For instance, when you move the slider towards Translate More Words, a larger number of words is translated, whereas Translate Fewer words only changes only some words in a particular sentence. This selector should be set based on your level of comprehension of the language you want to translate. As you change the language under Translate from you will see words appear under the slider. Move it either ways until you understand what each of the listed words means. This tells the extension what level of reading support you need and it translates word accordingly. You will notice that if you have an understanding of many complex words, there will be fewer translations.

The extension does not say what the source for translation is. Remember that the translations are word for word and not phrase to phrase. This may affect your comprehension of certain text since words might take a different meaning when used in a phrase. The extension will give you a reasonable hint at what has been written and while it might be a useful tool for remembering words from a different language, it might not be much help should you want to master a different language.The extension can be installed from the link below.

Install Auto Select Translator For Google Chrome

Liked this extension? You might also want to take a look at the other Chrome extensions we’ve reviewed so far.

Read Get Auto, Inline Translation Of Uncommon English Words To A Desired Language [Chrome] by Zainab on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter

Search For Research Papers On Selected Text From Right-Click Context Menu [Chrome]

Zainab — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 11:01:53 +0000

Researching or writing papers can not only take a lot of time, but also requires you to browse multiple journals, databases and websites. RightClick reSearch is a handy Chrome extension that makes research easier and helps you write great papers, without having you to visit multiple websites. This nifty little tool adds a search for option to the right-click context menu, which lets you access the popular research databases of Google Scholar, IEEE Explore, Springer and PudMed databases. After installing the extension, whenever you come come across a term for which you would like to find papers, all you have to do is, highlight it and select one of the mentioned options from the right-click context menu. RightClick reSearch will then instantly display a list of related research publications in a new tab. In addition to that, you can also quickly search the same term on multiple websites, without having to manually type URLs and enter terms into search fields.

To make a search, highlight a term, select an option from the menu and the extension will instantly display a list of direct links to research publications in a new tab.

RightClick reSearch is a useful extension for both students and researchers alike. It allows you to access research papers easily, letting you save both time and effort. Visit the link below, try it and let us know what you think.

Install RightClick reSearch For Google Chrome

Liked this extension? You might also want to take a look at the other Chrome extensions we’ve reviewed so far.

Read Search For Research Papers On Selected Text From Right-Click Context Menu [Chrome] by Zainab on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter

WeekPlan.net: Create Daily To-Do Lists While Keeping Track Of Long-Term Plans [Chrome]

Zainab — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 09:15:01 +0000

There are many task management tools available online, but most of them come with a lot of features and are too complicated. If you want something simple and don’t want to get loads of reminders, emails or notifications, then WeekPlan.net might be what you’re looking for. The Chrome extension basically provides you with a weekly planner, where you can list down daily tasks that you need to accomplish for the week, and at the same time, define and keep an eye on your long-term goals.

The extension has three parts to it - Envision, Plan & Do and Reflect. The Envision section lets you set long-term goals, the Plan & Do option is your weekly planner where you can organize, drag & drop daily tasks and cross out completed ones, whereas the the Reflect option allows adding journal entries.

To start off, click the button in the toolbar and start typing in your daily tasks. WeekPlan lets you add as many tasks as you want, drag them from one day to another, click tasks to cross them out or remove them from the list completely. Moreover, you can add an exclamation mark (‘!’) at the end of each task to mark it as urgent or important; this will make it appear in a red, bold font.

Within the Envision category, you can specify a Mission Statement, Values, Long-Term Goals and Achievements for plans tied to your not-so-near future.

WeekPlan may be a little too simple or bland for some users but its ability to tie important routine tasks with your long-term goals is what makes it worth a try. The link provided below will take you to its Chrome Web Store page.

Install WeekPlan.net For Google Chrome

Liked this extension? You might also want to take a look at the other Chrome extensions we’ve reviewed so far.

Read WeekPlan.net: Create Daily To-Do Lists While Keeping Track Of Long-Term Plans [Chrome] by Zainab on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter

View Size, Dimensions, URL & Other Details Of Web Images From Right-Click Context Menu [Chrome]

Zainab — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 19:00:57 +0000

When Google revised its design for Google Images and rolled out the new results view, it also incorporated additional details about images such as the image size in the thumbnail and filters on the side for narrowing your search result. Google recognized that when looking for images, users might be looking for a particular size or type of image and that is true whether you’re browsing Flickr, Picasa or any other website. Image-Details is a Chrome extension that aims to make this task easier. The extension adds an Image-Details option to the right-click context menu, which when clicked, displays a window that lists the file name, type, MIME type, size, dimensions, source URL, and the option to download the image to local storage.

Once installed, browse to any website and right-click on an image. Select the Image Details option and a separate window will open.

The new window previews the actual image and gives you its name size, type and dimensions. If you double click File-Name field you can edit the file name. At the very end of the file name field, there is a save button. Clicking the button downloads the file and saves it with whatever name you put in the field. The extension allows you to enter a name of your choice for saving the file. Alternatively, you can click the link or right-click the image preview and select Save Image as to download it.

For ordinary websites, the extension might not be that useful since you can use the developer console to view some of these same details. In cases where images appear in frames or it is difficult to find the source URL, this extension is possibly one of the faster ways of doing it.

The extension does not work for images that are protected from download. As per our tests, we could not bring up the Image Details option when right-clicking on a protected photo on Flickr. Even if you do find that the extension can by-pass download restrictions on certain websites, be warned that it is both unethical and illegal to use those images. Make sure you only use images that are not protected and available for free use by anyone.

Image-Details is a simple but useful extension for all those who want find the need to check specific details of web images before downloading them. The link provided below will take you to the extension’s Chrome Web Store page.

Install Image Details For Google Chrome

Liked this extension? You might also want to take a look at the other Chrome extensions we’ve reviewed so far.

Read View Size, Dimensions, URL & Other Details Of Web Images From Right-Click Context Menu [Chrome] by Zainab on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter

Voyage Displays RSS Feeds In A Scrollable 3D Space [Web]

Zainab — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 12:30:43 +0000

We’ve covered many different types of RSS readers in the past, but Voyage stands out in the way it displays the feeds. It is a free online RSS reader that displays feeds as floating items in a 3D space, arranged along a timeline. Feeds are stacked in layers, newer items are bold and bright, whereas older feeds appear faded in the background. This forms a 3D effect as you you scroll through the news. Clicking an item brings it to the front and you can. You can use your arrow keys or the mouse wheel to go back in time and navigate feeds using the timeline. The slick 3D interface makes reading so much easier and lets you read your favorite stories in a whole new way.

To start off, you can either join the service as a guest user to see what it looks like, or simply register for the service. The app adds a few feeds of its accord by default, but gives you the ability to add or remove feeds when required.

Voyage comes with a slick, dark-themed interface, which is both good to look at and easy to use. Feed items that are brighter and larger (or rather, closer to the screen) are the latest posts, and the ones that appear faded and farther in the background are the older. You can scroll through the feeds hour by hour, using either the arrow keys or the mouse wheel. When you come across something you would like to read, simply click the title to expand it or follow the link to read the full article.

Adding your own feeds is as simple as it is in any other regular RSS feed reader; simply click the Manage option and enter the required RSS Feed URL.

Unfortunately, as of this writing, the web application does not allow importing Google Reader/OPML feeds – something that a vast majority of RSS users like to see in news reader applications. Also, it would be nice if the app adds a few filter options for easier scanning of feed items.

Nevertheless, Voyage definitely deserves a try, as it stands out from the general league of RSS readers that offer a basic interface more suitable for serious reading as oppesed to Voyage’s casual, leisure-friendly UI.

Visit Voyage

If you liked this app, you might also want to look through the other web applications that we’ve covered so far

Read Voyage Displays RSS Feeds In A Scrollable 3D Space [Web] by Zainab on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter

BrightNest Provides You With Weekly Tips & To-Dos For Home Maintenance [Web]

Zainab — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 10:15:19 +0000

BrightNest is a free web application that helps you take care of your home by providing you with tips, reminders, manuals and more, related to household maintenance. The app only requires a simple signup, after which you will enter a few details about your house, such as number of rooms and types of appliances. Once done, you will be able to add to-dos, tips and more to your Dashboard. In addition to that, you will be able schedule and assign important tasks to yourself and other members of the family. The app will then deliver weekly to-dos to your dashboard and Inbox. These tips can help you save cash and maintain your home in a more organized manner. More details after the break.

After you’ve signed up for the service and entered details about your home; details include how many rooms, storeys, and bathrooms you have, whether you have kids and/or pets, if you take care of both the inside cleaning or handle the landscaping and yard work as well, additional attachments like a pool, attic, basement or garage, which appliances you have at home, and finally, if you would like to share these tips with anyone else in your household.

BrightNest then takes you to your Dashboard where you can view items to make management easier. The Good To Do tab details things you can do around the house to make living more comfortable and you can add these items to your To-Do list. Additionally, you will be able to add customized to-do’s and schedule other tasks for a later date, for which you will receive weekly reminders. You can also assign tasks to other members in your household. When you’ve completed a task, you can mark it Done, thereby increasing the percentage of your Home’s Health.

Completed tasks can be shared with friends and family on social networks like Facebook and Twitter, or can be emailed, depending on your choosing.

The Homefolio category lets you organize and store house-related information, such as paint colors, phone numbers and the like. It also lets you store manuals for your home appliances, and provides customized tips when you enter paint color, flooring, counter and other details for your bedrooms, bathrooms or kitchen.

BrightNest is a slick app that lets you keep track of essential information about your home and relevant to-do’s in one easily accessible, centralized location. If you’re finding it hard to manage or maintain your house, then you definitely need to check out this wonderful app.

Visit BrightNest

If you liked this app, you might also want to look through the other web applications that we’ve covered so far.

[via Lifehacker]

Read BrightNest Provides You With Weekly Tips & To-Dos For Home Maintenance [Web] by Zainab on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter

Firefox 13 Now Available For Download, Brings A New Tab Page & SPDY Support

Zainab — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 08:13:12 +0000

With Mozilla’s release schedule, most Firefox updates we’ve seen in the past have been quite slow, but this time around, things are a bit different. Firefox 13, which is now available for download, actually introduces some major improvements, including a redesigned Homepage and a New Tab page. When you first start up the browser, the Firefox new Start Page gives you easy access to Settings, along with Downloads, Bookmarks, History, Add-ons, Sync, and Restore Previous Session options. That’s not all; the new version finally offers the long-promised New Tab page, which comes with thumbnails of often-viewed sites. This page automatically loads thumbnails for your pinned tabs/frequently visited websites, but you can always remove unwanted pages and drag bookmarks for your favorite websites on to the page. Additionally, Firefox now supports the SPDY protocol, which will improve performance and load times.

After you’ve installed Firefox 13, the default home page will give you quicker access to Settings, Bookmarks, History, Downloads, add-ons and more. You will also be able to restore your previous browsing session with only a simple click.

When you hit the (+) button to open a new tab in Firefox 13, you will be presented with a Chrome-like thumbnail view of your most visited sites. Note that your frequently visited websites are automatically loaded, but you can always pin tabs and drag bookmarks into it for speedier access.

These changes, when compared to Chrome, may not seem very exciting for a lot of people, but the release has definitely upgraded Firefox in a major way. The complete list of changes can be found here. You can download Firefox 13 for Mac and Windows from the links below, or if you want, you can wait for the official release through Firefox update channel.

Install Firefox 13 For Windows

Install Firefox 13 For Mac

Read Firefox 13 Now Available For Download, Brings A New Tab Page & SPDY Support by Zainab on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter

Slide.ly: Create Slideshows With Photos & Music From Popular Social Networks [Web]

Zainab — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 13:15:04 +0000

Creating slideshows for your favorite photos not only requires a lot of effort, but can also be a time consuming task, especially when half of your photos are on Facebook, others on Instagram or Flickr, and the rest saved on your computer. So, with all your pictures scattered, how do you create a slideshow? Slide.ly is a free web application that grabs all your photos/albums from multiple popular social networks, such as Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, Picasa and Google Images, letting you create gorgeous slideshows with a mix of your favorite music tracks and effects. The app is easy-to-use and comes with a slick interface. Once you’ve connected all your accounts, the service will let you pick and arrange images from different sources. For instance, you can select five photos from Facebook, two from Instagram, a few from the local disk and so on. When the images have been added, you will be able to arrange or shuffle them, add your favorite music from YouTube or SoundCloud, and add bright dots, spots, dust or glow effects to your slideshow. Moreover, with Slide.ly, you can share slideshows on social networks, email, embed or copy the URL.

To start off, you can log in via your Facebook account. You will also be able you browse Popular and Recent slideshows created by other users, and navigate through them by different categories, such as Birthdays, Art & design, Family, Music, Sport etc.

After you’ve signed in, connect all your accounts and start choosing your photos from different albums. You may also add images from your friends’ albums other than your own.

Once you’ve added all your photos, scroll down the page to shuffle and arrange them according to your needs. In addition to that, you can add captions, set a particular image as the cover photo and drag pictures around to arrange them in the order you want.

Next, add music for your slideshow by selecting the YouTube or SoundCloud option and then enter a track or artist name to search one of the services. You will also be able to browse a number of categories for music found on the left hand-side of the page, such as Movies & TV, Classical Music, Beautiful and more.

A pop-up window will allow you to add various effects, like Spots, Dots, Dust etc, and you will be able to change the speed of the slideshow by moving the slider.

When you’ve created the perfect slideshow, you can share it with your buddies on Facebook or other social networks, copy its link, email or embed it on your website or blog. Clicking the embed button allows users to select a player size and copy the code for it from a pop-up.

Note that your Slideshows can always be accessed or edited by clicking My Slidelys option under your Profile. Slide.ly only requires a simple Facebook login, after which it connects all your social media accounts so you can create beautiful social videos using your favorite images and tracks. The service is free, so do give it a shot.

Visit Slide.ly

If you liked this app, you might also want to look through the other web applications that we’ve covered so far.

Read Slide.ly: Create Slideshows With Photos & Music From Popular Social Networks [Web] by Zainab on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter