Established in 2007, SoundCloud is arguably the most popular online audio distribution platform for collaboration, promotion and distribution of audio content by artists and music promoters. While the web version of the platform is a no brainer for anyone who is familiar with the service, we don’t usually come across a lot of desktop applications catering to SoundCloud. For that reason, when we stumbled across Scup (short for SoundCloud Uploader), we considered it worthy of being taken for a spin. In its essence, Scup is an Adobe AIR-based, cross-platform application that lets you upload multiple tracks to your SoundCloud account and create a set on the fly. The application supports specifying all necessary parameters, such as genre, set and track types, license, record label etc, making your sets ready for publishing in every sense.

When launched for the first time, Scup will present you with an authentication box, requiring connection with your SoundCloud account. Hit the Yes please, move ahead button to launch the authentication page in your default browser. If you are not logged into SoundCloud at present, do so at this point.

The browser pane will ask you for a confirmation of the operation, after which you will be given a unique authentication code. Enter that in Scup, and your account should be linked. In our experience, copy/pasting the code didn’t work, and you’ll need to manually key it in for Scup to recognize.

With authentication out of the way, you will be greeted by Scup’s main interface. Please note that this interface is all that is to this application, as there are no options or customizations. Everything that you get in this interface should cater to all your SoundCloud uploading needs, and you can not only batch upload tracks, but also specify their parameters, such as the genre, set and track type, license version, keywords, record label, release number, release date, EAN/UPC and buying link for the set.

To begin, drap and drop audio files over Scup and define the parameters for the whole set. Some fields under More Options are text entries, while others will let you select one from the drop-down menus. As soon as you drop files, they will start uploading to your SoundCloud account.

You may also configure these parameters for individual tracks by clicking the arrow next to each file’s name in the list. This will expand the view, bringing the same fields for individual tracks. Scup will even let you add album art to your set, making it ready for publishing in almost every sense. The bottom panel of the application lets you control settings such as sharing, making originals downloadable and allowing 128 kbps streaming.

As with all Adobe AIR applications, Scup has a really pleasing outlook. The application is quite user-friendly, and since it is based on an open platform, it will work on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, provided you have Adobe AIR installed. Testing was done on Windows 7 Ultimate, 64-bit version.

Download Scup

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There are many extensions out there that let you manage tabs, but Tabs Manager is a unique tool that groups tabs in windows by topics, in a tree structure. So, whenever you forget tab titles or can’t find the right tab, click the button in the toolbar and access a tree like structure of tabs in a compact pop-up. This Chrome extension also allows you to bookmark all tabs in a window and merge two separate windows by dragging one folder into another. You can easily drag & drop tabs between windows and activate, open in new tab, bookmark and close individual tabs. All these options can be accessed by right-clicking individual tabs. The extension is great for users who work with multiple tabs at the same time, and often find it difficult to remember all open tabs.

Just click the Tabs Manager button in the toolbar to preview the open tabs in a tree like pattern. Each folder in the pop-up represents a window, and the title for the folder is created by using the tab titles in a particular window. Inside each folder, you will find all the open tabs, and you may click the (+) icon to expand the contents of a folder, and click (-) to hide them.

When a tab is right-clicked, you will be able to access multiple options, such as Activate, Open in new Window, Bookmark and Close.

The extension works perfectly and has no settings or options, whatsoever. It is a useful tool that can effectively manage all your open tabs. Visit the link below to install the extension.

Install Tabs Manager For Google Chrome

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All major browsers have a history pane that allow you to view all the webpages that have been opened on your computer, sometimes even up to a couple of months back. This allows you to locate and access a URL even if you did not/could not bookmark it. Windows also saves history for visited locations, recently opened documents, searched items, Run history, typed paths etc. The problem faced when trying to access the Windows history lies in the fact that there is no central location for  accessing it. History Viewer is an application that allows you to access the history of all your installed browsers and Windows components from a single interface. Moreover, you can create HTML reports of the items included in the history lists. Read on to find out more. When the application is started for the first time, it takes some time to populate all the history lists of browsers and Windows components. Browsers have history lists of URL History, Address Bar, Cookies, Downloads, Input History, Form History etc. The Windows history list includes history of Recent Documents, Search History, Run History, Open/Save History, List Visited History, USB Storage History, First Folder and Typed Paths. Note that the last two lists are only available for Windows 7.

Select Create Report from the Report menu to generate an HTML report of the complete or partial history list. The application allows you to select any one or all the browsers and Windows’ components for report generation. History Viewer automatically creates buttons for each component enabling easy navigation in the HTML report.

An annoyance that I came across during my testing, was the fact that if you went for any browser’s history and other relevant statistics while the browser was open, it will automatically close without warning. Other than that, the reports are pretty detailed for browsers, but the Windows flavor could use some spicing up in terms of timestamps. The developer of History Viewer advertises his creation as one for monitoring others’ activities on your machine, should the need arise to lend it to someone without you being present, but in our experience, it can serve both purposes equally well. History Viewer works on all versions of Windows, including 64-bit ones.

Download History Viewer

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Most people are really put off by the fact that there is no way to easily share files among iOS devices, like Bluetooth file transfer. Same is the case with Windows Phone 7. However, there are ways, using which, you can share files among the devices on these platforms, and even across them. AirForShare provides a free and easy solution for file sharing among iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Windows, WP7 and Android, as long as the devices are on the same network. The service even has a dedicated app for iOS. Read on to know all about this useful app, and service.

To host your files and photos on AirForShare, go to www.airforshare.com and start adding files to the directory available there. It has two main options for attachments, files and notes. You can write anything in the notes section, and it will be accessible by other users. Your friends on WP7 and Android can access the hosted content via their browsers. They just have to be on the same network as the hosting PC, and going to AirForShare will take them to the files automatically. iOS users can use the free app for the service to get a much better overall experience.

The app will display the content which is currently hosted on the network, and you can download any of it to your iPhone by tapping the download button. In the Text section, the shared text can be copied and moved to any section of your iDevice. To host a file from your iPhone, you can tap the ‘+’ button in the top bar and then choose any photo from the Camera Roll.

If AirForShare sounds too good to be true, there is a slight catch. The service only supports uploading of files up to 5MB in size. However, the service is a useful way of quickly sharing files, and it does not cost anything, so do give it a try. The iOS app can be download from the App Store link below.

Download AirForShare

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When Swype Keyboard came out, it took the Android world by storm. It is an innovation in keyboard technology that allows you to type on your phone’s virtual keyboard without lifting up your finger for tapping. Just move your finger across the keyboard, from one letter to the next, and the final word will automatically appear on the screen. Now with InScribe, Windows users can also enjoy the fluid typing experience that the Swype concept brings, swiping their fingers or mouse across an on-screen keyboard. Even though the application is basically meant for touch screen Windows devices, it can also be used with a mouse. It has different keyboard layouts available to choose from, such as the standard QWERTY, NumberPad only, Email etc. Visual options allow you to change transparency of keyboard, enable highlighting vowels, auto-space on lifting finger, etc. Read more about InScribe after the break.

If you are already familiar with Swype keyboard on Android or the iPhone Cydia tweak that clones the concept, understanding this should be pretty simple for you. This application presents you with a translucent keyboard on your Windows device, allowing you to type text by dragging your finger/mouse over the letters.

Other than the default QWERTY keyboard layout, the application provides you with some more layouts such as Email, NumberPad, QwertyLite and Special Characters. The can be accessed from the Choose layout submenu by right-clicking InSrcibe’s system tray icon.

The Options window, accessible from the right-click menu, allows you to set the Key Font, Color and Style, change Transparency of the main interface and enable/disable Highlight Words, Stagger Keys, Space on Pen Up and Show Ink.

Needless to say, InScribe is based on a great concept, but it isn’t ready to replace the stock on-screen keyboard. The keyboard doesn’t have spell correction and word suggestions as of now, making the typing process a bit difficult at times. InScribe is a portable application and works on Windows 7 and Windows 8 tablets.

Download InScribe

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The Aero Glass effect in Windows 7 and Vista makes window buttons and toolbars look transparent. If you like that eye candy, and want the same for your Firefox browser, then GlassMyFox, a Firefox add-on, can be perfect for you. To enable the effects, Aero Glass must be enabled in Windows 7 and Vista. This add-on makes menus, toolbars and windows, transparent. You can access options to easily enable different effects such as Glass effects, Glass effects with custom tabs, favicon/closeicon, White tab-text and more.

The windows, toolbars and menus all get a transparent effect once you’ve installed the add-on. You can easily change the tab title color to either black or white from the options. Also, change the color of the navigation buttons to white. The tabs can have three different effects, which can be found under the Glass options.

GlassMyFox options offer users with multiple options, which are divided in two main categories, Glass Options and Options. The Glass options allow you to enable the Glass, Glass and custom tabs and Glass and “GMF-tabs”, whereas the Options category lets you enable White tab-text, Higher tabstoolbar, Favicon+Closeicon, White nav-bar buttons and Higher bookmarks-bar.

GlassMyFox gives Firefox an Aero Glass effect, and if you really like the elegance, then you should definitely install this add-on from the link below.

Install GlassMyFox Add-On For Firefox

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Yesterday, we reviewed Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection (MRDC), a Mac app that allows you to remotely connect to any Windows PC and access it. One of our readers sounded off in the comments about CoRD, citing it was better than the aforementioned app, and we took a crack at it. CoRD is a free, open source Mac app that allows you to connect with any Windows PC, and is similar in functionality to Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection (MRDC). It allows you to control how audio is played, lets you access files on your Mac through the Windows PC you are connected to (without breaking the connection), and control just about everything on it. With both apps being so similar, and with the exact same price (read free), the deal maker for us was how fast the changes made on the other end were reflected on the Mac, and Cord definitely performed better. Granted, there was the minor glitch or two, but the only major inconvenience we faced was that the screen never froze, which was fairly common with Microsoft’s app.

Once installed, you can start adding any number of systems to access from your Mac. Both the Mac you’re using, and the PC you’re trying to access, should be on the same network, and you must know the IP address of the PC. To connect a system, click the Servers button on the top right corner of the app window. A slider will open, click the plus button on the lower left of the panel. In the window that opens, enter the system name and the system’s IP address.

Once you’ve entered the system’s name and its IP address, you can customize the screen size, audio settings, and whether the desktop background should be visible or not.

To create a connection, double click a configured connection from the Servers pane, and the app will connect with the system.

You can set these preferences separately for each system you connect to, or enter a default setting from the app’s preferences. Go to the Default tab and select default settings for display, audio and printing. To make one or more disks on your Mac available through the connection on your Windows PC, go to the Forwarding tab and add it.

While both apps are similar in functionality, the make or break in a remote access desktop app is often on how stable a connection it creates, and CoRD definitely appears to have the upper hand, as far as our tests show. Since they’re both free, you can easily try them out and pick a favorite for yourself.

Get CoRD For Mac

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Those of you who use Microsoft office on Mac are well aware of the Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection app that comes bundled with the package. Those of you who don’t use MS Office suite for Mac, but would like to remotely access a Windows PC, you’ll be happy to know that Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection is available as a free, standalone download from Microsoft. Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection (MRDC) allows you to remotely access a windows system on your network. You can access multiple systems at once, along with password protection. Once a remote connection has been established, the app automatically locks the other system down, so that it cannot be accessed. The app is meant only for one way access on the same network.

MRDC requires you to enter either the computer’s name or the IP address that you want to access. IP address is pretty much a fail safe, so it’s best to go with it. To find your IP address on Windows 7, go to Command Prompt and type in ipconfig. Your system’s IP will be listed under IPv4 Address.

Additionally, make sure that remote access is enabled for the system from Control Panel > System and Security > System > Allow remote access. Launch the app and enter the system’s IP address; if prompted, enter the user name and password used to access that system.

Once the connection is established, the app will open a window with the system’s IP address as the window’s name, and you can control the other system from your Mac. However, if you log into the Windows system while the remote connection is established, the connection will be lost. There is no way for you to restrict system sign-in from the Mac.

The responsiveness of the app is somewhat slow, and often the changes you’re making on the Windows system are not reflected for a significant period of time. By default, the app will have restricted several functions like the desktop background being visible and the sound. To change any of these, log out of he app, go to its preferences and make necessary changes. From the Display tab, enable desktop background view and increase or decrease the size of the app window displaying the remotely accessed system.

From the Sounds tab, you can enable sound to play either on your Mac, on the Windows system, or both. You can choose to have a disk on your Mac accessible on the PC from Drivers, access a printer and mange security from Printers and Security respectively. The settings have to be reconfigured each time, if you do not save the connection when you disconnect it.

Get Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection For Mac

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Want similar mouse gestures for Chrome in Windows as you use to on Mac? Scroll2Navigate, a Chrome extension, allows you to easily navigate through previously viewed pages by adding Mac OS X-like mouse & track pad gestures on Windows and other OS. Once you’ve installed the extension, simply scroll your Magic mouse wheel left or right to navigate between pages, just like what you used to do on Chrome for Mac. It adds mouse gestures for much faster navigation while surfing the internet, and if you’re a Mac user, you can also use the magic track pad with two-finger-swipe on Windows. Easily change the Sensitivity and Effective Range settings by accessing the Scroll2Navigate options. Moreover, disable the Scroll2Navigate temporarily by holding the Alt key.

Scroll2Navigate allows you to navigate between your current page and the previously-viewed pages. As you move from one page to another, a large arrow moves across the page.

You can change the settings for four different categories from the Scroll2Navigate options, namely TrackPad, TrackPoint, Regular Mouse and Custom. Change the settings for Sensitivity & Effective Range by simply moving the sliders, and test your new settings on the same page.

This extension is quite handy, and can be used for quick navigation in Chrome. If you like using the Magic mouse or Trackpad on Windows, then Scroll2Navigate is just what you need to make your browsing experience more interactive. Visit the link below and try it out.

Install MagicCube Scroll2Naviagte For Windows Or Other OS For Chrome

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Clicking each link one by one to open them can become quite frustrating, not to mention time consuming. URL Opener is a handy web app that lets you open multiple website links by simply using the copy-paste function. With one click, all links will open in new windows or tabs, decided by your choice. There is no restriction on the number of links that you can open, making it even more convenient. Once you’ve selected your links, just paste them in the box and hit the Open URLs button.

URL opener has a user-friendly interface that allows you to copy-paste your links in its interface. Your links will be opened in new tabs or windows, depending on your browser settings (the app itself suggests setting your browser to open links in new tabs). It also features a Google Custom Search bar placed to the bottom-right of the page. At the top-left, you will find a search bar for Blogger.com, from where you can search and share blogs on Facebook, Twitter or Google Reader.

The developer of this web app claims it to be an SEO tool. Personally, we were unable to see how this might serve in SEO, but nevertheless, that’s how the official description goes. URL Opener is somewhat similar to our previously-reviewed LinkClump (Chrome) and Selection Links (Firefox) extensions, but it takes the edge in being browser independent. Give it a shot – it’s free.

Visit URL Opener

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Ever got tired of reading long articles and need to give your eyes some rest while feeling the need to stay up-to-date at the same time? Chrome Speak can help. This Google Chrome extension has the ability to convert written text to speech. You can hear your lengthy articles read out loud when you don’t feel like exercising your eyes. Select any text on webpages and the extension will read it out for you. You can change the rate, pitch and volume of the voice. Chrome Speak supports multiple languages and can be used offline as well.

Chrome Speak options have a text field where you can copy-paste or write your text and click the Speak button to hear it. It also has a stop button which you can use to stop the reading whenever you want. A separate panel with Voice Options is present where the voice can be set to native. By default, the only digital voice included in Windows 7 is a female voice called Microsoft Anna that speaks in an American accent. However, you can add other voices and choose any by selecting one from the drop-down menu in the speech properties. The text can be read in any language that the extension supports. It does not, however, translate the text.

The queuing mode has two options, Interrupt and Enqueue, but this option is not functional in Chrome Speak. You can conveniently change the Rate, Pitch and Volume of the voice using the sliders. From More Options, you can restore default settings or access help content.

You can also right-click on any selected text and use the Read Selected Text option in the context menu to start listening immediately. Select Stop Reading from context menu to stop.

Chrome speak provides support for speech on Windows, Mac OS X, and Chrome OS, using native Text-to-Speech capabilities provided by these operating system.

Install Chrome Speak

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Although browsers, like Firefox and Google Chrome, ask users to set the browser as default to open and direct all http, ftp, and other external web links, sometimes they either don’t show the prompt to set the respective browser as default or fail to make required changes to default browser registry key. Change Default Browser is an application for Windows which eliminates all the known and unknown problems related to default browser switching.

The best usability scenario of Change Default Browser would be a situation where you’re using portable versions of Firefox, Google Chrome, and Opera and you want to set them as default, one at a time. Since the Set your Default Programs option in Windows Control Panel doesn’t allow setting portable browsers as default, Set Default Browser will not only enable you to set portable browsers as default but allow switching between them quickly as well.

It’s also useful for website designers who have to manually open their websites in different browsers to check compatibility and page rendering issues. For instance, if your website has some text and image related rendering problems in Opera, you can set Opera as default browser to instantly open your website links in Opera for addressing the compatibility issues.

Usage couldn’t be any simpler. You launch the application with administrative privileges, and it will automatically find and set the path of your installed browsers. If you have portable browsers, you will have to manually set the path. When done, select the one that you want to make default and click Set Default Browser.

It doesn’t end here. Change Default Browser can also fix ‘Set Browser As Default’ related problems, such as,  HTML, HTM, XHT, XHTML, SHTML file associations and FTP, HTTP, and HTTPS protocol open modes. Change Default Browser works on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.

Download Change Default Browser

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A good mind map is a good way to get started on any project, it serves as a great way for always staying on track but mind maps too go through changes as a project progresses and requirements change. What gets frustrating is when you’ve already started a project based on a mind map, specified tasks and have to go back, change the map and reallocate tasks. The problem arises mainly because mind mapping and tasking are jobs kept in isolation from each other. Mind On Track is a desktop application for Windows and Linux that combines both these jobs in to one. As you create a mind map, different ideas are automatically turned in to tasks that can be tagged and given due dates.

The desktop application follows a somewhat excel like flow, you can create workbooks and sheets within workbooks. A workbook is created when you add a new mind map and is saved with the central idea of the mind map. The application lets you create brainstorming charts, meetings, Organization charts, Reading Journals and personal management maps. A single project, i.e., a chart can have several worksheets in it. To rename a worksheet or delete it, click the worksheet tab in the bottom left of the application window. The chart name is displayed on top while sheet names at the bottom.

To get started, click New from the menu bar and choose what kind of map you want to create. Based on what kind of map you choose, you will be presented with a template for the map. You can edit any of the elements in the map template.

To start modifying your map, right-click the central element and from the Insert sub-menu, add a topic or a sub topic. Topics can be added before or after an element from the right-click menu. Images and attachments can be added, different topics can be linked together from Relationships.

In addition to adding topics to your mind map, you can add tags that will help you identify the nature of the task. To add tags, go to View > Tags. From the side window, click the arrow next to Others and drag & drop an icon on a topic. Each topic you add automatically becomes a task, the mind map becomes a project.The icons you drag & drop on to a topic appear as text next to a task in the task view.

Although topics will automatically become tasks, you cannot add due dates to them in the mind mapping mode. To add a start and due date, go to the Today view (from the left hand panel) and double click the calendar icon next to a task. A side window called Properties will open. Use the Task dropdown to set a date for the task, use the Recurrence dropdown to the set the frequency of the task, i.e. how frequently it must be done.

All mind maps that you create are automatically added to the Waiting For, Someday and Reference view. These tags can’t be removed from a project, however, you can add or remove them from single tasks/topics by selecting and deleting them in the mind mapping view. If you’re either faint hearted or easily frustrated, then this might not be the best task management or mind mapping application for you for the simple reason that it’s a bit difficult to figure out even if the concept in itself is very good.

Download Mind On Track

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After years of offering only the bare minimum dual monitor support with its operating systems, Microsoft has finally decided to change things for the better. The recently released Developer’s Preview of Windows 8 has added better dual-monitor support natively to the OS, letting you extend your wallpaper across multiple monitors as well as extending your taskbar across them automatically, without the need for any third-party apps. For more information and how to get it going, continue reading after the jump.

In the previous versions of Windows like Vista and 7, dual-monitor support was there but at the very barebones level. Windows extended neither the wallpaper nor the taskbar to the secondary monitor, so users were left with duplicate wallpapers and no operating system control on one of the screens. Many users installed third-party apps to add this functionality and while it worked for some, it didn’t standardize things in any way. With Windows 8, all that has changed.

Extended Taskbar

The taskbar is extended in Windows 8 natively across both monitors. All the pinned and running tasks on the taskbar are displayed on both the monitors and the start button is there on the primary monitor but that’s not it. The secondary monitor features a switcher button in place of the start button, clicking which will swap it with the start button, bringing it to the secondary monitor and taking the switcher to the primary one.

This can come really handy when you want to be able to control Windows from both monitors, especially in scenarios when you don’t have both displays side by side or even visible at the same angle, like projector displays during presentations.

Extended Wallpaper

For extending the wallpaper, across both your monitors, you will need an image with the right dimensions that can span across both your screens, or it will appear pixelated or stretched. Once you have the image you want as your extended wallpaper, right-click the Desktop and click ‘Customize’. From the themes, select ‘Windows Extended’ under Aero Themes, as shown in the following screenshot.

Once you have the theme selected, you can then select your extended wallpaper. Click ‘Desktop Background’ to bring up the wallpaper customization interface. From there, browse to the location where you saved your extended wallpaper if it isn’t already being displayed there. Right-click the wallpaper of your choice and from the menu, select ‘Set for all monitors’ as shown in the screenshot below.

Windows 8 also lets you set different wallpapers for each monitor. Simply follow the above procedure but instead of selecting ‘Set for all monitors’, select the particular monitor you want to apply it on.

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Its easy enough to update apps installed on your Android  device. But what if you want a collection of updated APKs for all your favorite apps saved on your computer? And what if your phone is on a limited data plan and/or your home’s WiFi network on the fritz? Here is a Windows-based solution from XDA-Developers member egzthunder1. LocalAPK for Windows alerts you of available updates for all the APK files that are sitting in your local hard drive or in your device. All the information and update is retrieved directly from the Android Market so that you can stay up-to-date with your Android applications without  checking them frequently on your device. Remember, LocalAPK is not meant to update APK files. Instead, it only checks whether these APK files are up to date or not.

Download LocalAPK from the link provided below, extract all the files from the downloaded compressed package and run LocalAPK.exe. To make the program work, Launch LocalAPK > Click Options > Settings > Add and select a directory containing APK files. You can add and remove as many directories from your PC as you like. Similarly, if your device is attached to the PC, you can add all the directories that contain APK file of any sort and find out if their updates are available or not. The provided file directory is automatically scanned for all APK files and their respective updates (if any) from the Market every time the client is launched. Up-to-date APK files are highlighted in green whereas applications with available updates in the Market are highlighted in red. Any unrecognized applications contain a question mark ‘?’ before their title. The client was tested successfully with quite a prolonged list of APK files on Windows 7.

This solution is best for users that have limited mobile data plans that restrict them from checking out latest updates of their favorite apps from the Market. You can head over to the relevant XDA-Developer’s Forum to download and get additional info on the application.

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With the LG Optimus 2X rooted, it is now time for the LG’s T-Mobile variant of the Optimus 2X, named the T-Mobile G2X to gain root. The T-Mobile G2X is pretty much the same as the Optimus 2X and can now be rooted with the SuperOneClick tool on Windows. To root your T-Mobile G2X, read on!

Those familiar with the SuperOneClick tool would be familiar with how convenient the tool actually is, not to mention the simplicity involved. Even the most novice Android users would know what to do with it, of course provided they knows what root actually is. If not, you should see our top 10 reasons to root your Android device.

Now let’s get on with rooting the G2X!

Disclaimer: Please follow this guide at your own risk. AddictiveTips will not be liable if your device gets damaged or bricked during the process.

Requirements:

• ADB installed and running on your system. See our guide on how to install ADB on your computer.
• LG USB drivers
• SuperOneClick

Instructions:

1. To begin, install the USB drivers downloaded from the link above and restart your PC.
2. Once done, connect your phone to the PC via the USB cable and make sure USB debugging mode is on.
3. That done, now run the SuperOneClick tool and hit the Root button.

Once the process finishes, you will have a rooted G2X! For updates and queries visit the forum thread at XDA-Developers.

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Inkscape Vector Graphics Editor is a graphics editing tool with dynamic and intensive scalability options. It has many features similar to famous vector graphic editing software such as CorelDraw and Xara X, but is less CPU intensive than both. This freeware can be used with Windows, Mac and Linux based operating systems. It supports advanced SVG features including markers, clones, alpha blending, node editing, SVG to PNG export, and many other rich features. Version 0.48  of this application now includes, multipath node editing, new spray tool (Airbrush) , improved text tool (subscript, superscript, numerical inputs for text kerning), LaTeX export with PDF/PS/EPS, JessyInk extension for creating presentations which can be viewable in browsers and much more.

When installing the Inkscape Vector Graphics Editor, additional add-ons can also be selected for installation. Some of these extensions include a diagram editor, an interpreter for object oriented scripting, post script and PDF files to editable vector graphics editor, etc. Options for downloading addons will differ according to your operating system. For example, you can download the additional features in Ububtu via the Ubuntu Software center, whereas you will have to separately install them for Windows 7.

It has many features similar to CorelDraw, which includes, advanced image editing options, scalability tools, image effects, image layers, markers, clones, alpha blending, and node editing, among many others. However, despite such rich features, it is less CPU intensive than similar software of its kind. During testing, Inkscape worked seamlessly on both Ubuntu 10.10 and Windows 7 without causing any system hangs or unnecessary image loading delays.

One good feature is that it allows configuration of default settings via the “Edit Global Inkspace Preferences” button located on the the top right corner of the main interface (wrench image button). From this section users can set default settings for anything from nodes, tweaks,  clip paths, masks to the spray tool.

Inkscape Vector Graphics Editor is a wonderful tool for graphic designers who require making still graphics for print and electronic media. The best part is that despite providing functionality options similar to the best vector editing tools in the market, it is open source. It was tested on Ubuntu 10.10 and works with Windows Vista, Windows 7, Mac OSX 10.4-10.6 and Linux based OS.

Download Inkscape Vector Graphics Editor

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Buying a new laptop or desktop PC can be quite confusing. Many people find it difficult to compare prices, features, processor types,etc to find the right choice in accordance with their requirements. In this post we will tell you the top 10 things to consider before buying a PC.

10.  Usability

It is important that you first consider the tasks that you will be performing on your PC. If you wish to buy a computer for simply browsing the internet and using some online services than it might be better to buy a single core computer which satisfies your minimum requirements. On the contrary if you require using it for heavy video editing and professional work, then it might be better to buy a system that has enhanced multimedia options.

9. Price

This brings us to our next consideration of price. There might be some very fancy features that you want in your new PC. However, if you don’t have the cash to pay for lets say a graphic card with 1GB memory, than you might be better off choosing suitable alternatives.

8. Operating System Type.

Users with minimum requirements may be better off buying a Windows Starter or Home Premium version e.g. of Windows 7. For users who wish to take advantage of more enhanced features and require more effective tools such as connecting their PC to a domain are naturally better off buying a Professional or Ultimate Edition. Having said that the cost of a Windows 7 Ultimate Edition can be as much as 219$.

7. Size

Some people prefer buying larger laptops for a better display screen, whereas other prefer smaller and more portable sizes. If you are setting up a server which will be placed in a server room then size considerations will not mater much as large servers with multiple SCSI drives are normally quite big. Whereas, for people with weak eye sights a laptop with a larger display screen might be worth the price.

6. Peripherals

Peripheral devices such as printers,scanners,etc can significantly increase or reduce your price for buying a new PC. It might be better off buying a system with a DVD combo drive if you do not require writing data to DVDs.

5. Brand

Some brands offer better warrantees, whereas others offer software packages that come with the system. For example, a Dell laptop with the same specifications may be cheaper than a Sony Vio. The reason is that Sony provides many of its own softwares with their laptops which saves the users cost for buying software, e.g. a DVD burning. However, if you already have many such licensed or freeware software available, then it might be better to go for a cheaper brands. Acer for instance is known for its low cost laptops that provide more enhanced spcs like hard disk space and RAM as compared to its competitors.

4. Hard Disk

Hard Disk considerations might not mean much to a lay user, nonetheless, having the right amount of disk space and disk type might be the necessary for the efficient management of regular tasks for a professional. A common user may merely have to decide between buying a 120GB or 320 GB hard disk system. An IT professional on the contrary might have to decide between a SCSI or a Sata drive. As a scuzzy or SCSI(Small Computer System Interface) drive might be required for Raid configurations.

3. RAM

It is obvious that for more professional tasks and to run a Xeon Server there will be more RAM required than for merely using a PC for browsing the internet. Moreover, the RAM type may matter more than many people might consider. For example, there are not many applications currently available that can take advantage of DDR3 RAM types, one may be better of saving some dimes by buying a system with a DDR2 RAM.

2. Processor

The Processor is one of the most important parts of a system and can mean the difference between a system that frequently hangs and the one that runs smoothly. Some people might think that going for the low cost single core or Dual Core processors is a good idea but I would not recommend either of them for anyone who requires using a system for more than basic usage. Moreover, one might be better off buying a Corei3 system instead of a Core2Duo as the later might be more expensive and less efficient than the former. A Corei3 can cost up to 113$ whereas, a Core2Duo can cost 130$. For more demanding professionals, it might be better idea to buy a corei5 (if not a Core i7), as the core i5 uses Turbo Boost technology other than Hyper Threading.

1. Warranty

Warranty makes up the most important consideration for people when buying a system. Having one covered with the right kind of hardware warrantee is essential and should be unconditional. I still remember when Sony had to recall several Laptops due to a battery fault because of which their Laptops caught fire. I’m sure none of us would like to have a Laptop that we can fry omelets on without the guarantee of replacement.

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There is a plethora of free software out there that can download streaming videos not only from YouTube but a host of other sites as well, for example, FreeMake Video Downloader. Then there are download managers like Orbit Downloader that can do the same for you. However, what if you don’t want to use a dedicated downloader, and are not that much into fancy download managers either. For this kind of scenario, Media Sniffer is the right choice.

This tiny portable open source program sniffs through your network traffic and finds the download link of any media streaming online, be it in your browser or a media player like iTunes. All you need to do is have Media Sniffer running before the media starts playing, and the program will ‘sniff’ out the download information for you.

It supports almost all kinds of media file extensions, and can grab both audio and video. Under the program’s preferences, you can choose which network adapter to sniff, the sniffing port, extensions to look for and update check on startup.

There is a little perk to getting Media Sniffer to work, however. If on Linux, you need to have libpcap installed. On Windows, you need WinPcap. Also, once you have extracted the downloaded zip package for Media Sniffer, you’ll have two folders, Release and Release_DLL. If Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable is not installed on your machine, use the executable file in the Release folder. Otherwise, use the one from Release_DLL as it is smaller.

Media Sniffer was tested on Windows 7 32-bit OS.

Download Media Sniffer

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Project Rome is one of the latest offerings from Adobe. It is an all-in-one content creation and editing platform devised with both novice and experienced users in mind, and offers an interface that lets one inject the dynamism of multimedia and animations in every day projects, be it a brochure, greeting card, or something as diverse as a website.

Available as either a web-based application or an Adobe Air-based desktop application, Project Rome lets users create dynamic content easily with a helpful interface. With built-in integration of one’s Adobe.com account, you can choose to save files either on your local machine or on your Adobe account for access no matter where you are.

When the application is launched, you are presented with a multitude of options including creation of a new project from pre-defined templates, open an existing one, view your account and even share templates with other Adobe.com members. Pre-defined templates are present in various categories, some of which can be very helpful in creating certain content of your own choosing.

The content types on Project Rome have been designed with printable content in mind, so unless you’re working on something specifically digital and online, you can print with ease almost anything that you create with this application.

The main interface consists of well-defined, self-explanatory menus with contextual tooltips. The editor offers almost everything needed from a basic task like image rotation and watermarking to advanced features like setting up animations and interactive controls.

Project Rome brings diverse publishing options, and users have the freedom of exporting their content either as reports, presentations, animations, or as interactive documents and websites. Social sharing on networks like Facebook, Twitter, Google Buzz and via email is also supported, and the Adobe user community is obviously there.

Project Rome is a dynamic new offering from Adobe, something to look out for. Sadly, it is free only for now for preview, and once the final features and pricing have been decided upon, a paid subscription will be required to use Project Rome.

The screenshots in this review are of the web-application. Project Rome is platform independent, and requires only Adobe Air for the desktop version of the product.

Visit Adobe Project Rome

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There is hardly any other browser extension/add-on that can make internet browsing experience as convenient as Lastpass. As the developers of this utility say, the last password you’ll ever need to remember, and for months LastPass has been doing that for me.

However, there is a tiny nuisance, LastPass has made it a habit in me to not remember any passwords, since I give them to trusty-old LastPass and move on. So if I am using some other computer, it really becomes frustrating trying to guess the password to my not-so-much-used accounts. For times like these, consider using LastPass Pocket.

This portable application can gather all your login information from either your Lastpass.com account or an encrypted file on your hard-drive, and display that information in a simple interface.

It is as simple as you can manage it to be. On the initial level, you are asked to either input your LastPass credentials, or supply the path to the encrypted data file on your local file system. You can also choose to remember the file path or email and password for login. The main interface itself offers stored passwords categorized in All, Favorites, Secure Notes etc, to name a few. You can choose to copy almost any field from the View menu, and finally you can reveal all passwords if you need something out of them (master password input is again required for this).

LastPass Pocket is a free, portable application from LastPass’ developers that can serve both an offline storage vault and backup for your passwords. It works with both 32- and 64-bit operating systems, and is available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

Download LassPass Pocket (Windows) (Go to Windows tab and you will find the tool in the bottom of the page)

[via gHacks and Caschy]

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A few months back we covered an article on what ADB is and how to install it. The Android Debug Bridge (ADB) is an excellent interface for communication between an Android device and a PC, but unfortunately it is command line, hence only usable for users with an above-average knowledge of Linux systems and commands. Android PC managers aren’t very abundant either, and hence a novice user is often left helpless when it comes to handling bridging between their Android handset (or device) and computers.

QtADB is a cross-platform application that offers a graphical user interface for handling most common ADB functions. This tool, developed in Qt, uses the ADB for communicating with the device and lets a user perform common tasks with easy to understand menus and simplistic graphical windows. It offers a file manager, application handler, backups/restores, screenshots, ADB shell interface and more.

Upon running the application for the first time, you will be needed to define the path for your ADB installation (Hence ADB needs to be installed on your PC for this to work). Your device must also be rooted and busybox installed on it. The first window offered with application launch is the file manager. QtADB also automatically detects the connected phone/device.

The file manager lets you copy files and directories between your device and computer. You can also use it to install any APK files.

Next on the list you get the application manager. It offers three views, comprising user apps, backed-up apps and system applications. Install/uninstall and backup/restore options are also available here. Please exercise caution when attempting to modify something here, as this may cause damage to your device if you don’t know what you are doing. If you have selected a package, you also get the option to view it in Android Market or AppBrain.

The next view offers phone information, including battery level, carrier, bootloader version, ROM, radio-module information, storage space etc. Helpful bar graphs are included with the numeric information for better understanding. It also breaks down storage info into system partition, data partition, internal and external SD cards etc.

One of the most common uses of ADB is for taking screenshots of the phone. If done with the ADB’s own interface, this opens multiple non-comprehendible windows on the user’s desktop. With QtADB’s Screenshot view, the current screen is automatically loaded up, and if you’re on a new screen on your device, a simple click on the Refresh button loads the new screen. Resolution remains the same as that of ADB (since the module being used in background is the same as that of ADB).

The next two views offer Settings for QtADB itself, and the command shell mode, respectively. The settings view lets you control items like default paths, remembering paths on exit, default backup behaviors, animation control, fonts etc. These settings do not effect your Android device directly, and pertain to QtADB only. You can also choose to associate all .apk files with QtADB in your computer.

In terms of prerequisites for running QtADB, we’ve already mentioned that you need root and busybox installed. Android SDK must be installed on the computer, and your device needs to be connected in USB Debugging mode. QtADB is cross-platform, so it works with Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. If running on the latter two, please ensure that you have Qt libraries installed (libqtgui4 and libqt4-network 4.7).

Our testing with QtADB was done using Windows 7 32-bit OS, running Android SDK r-07 for Windows. The device we used for testing was Samsung Galaxy S (GT-I9000) running Froyo and busybox 1.7.1

Download QtADB

For more, also check out Android Manager WiFi.

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Are you in an environment where you need to be constantly on the guard regarding your browsing activities? Perhaps an office or university where you want to be in control of who sees what you’re seeing over the internet, or maybe you’re browsing some private data that you want to keep away from prying eyes without losing your browsing session? Look no further then, because we bring you the underBrowser!

This simplistic and minimalist browser has no fancy features like tabbed browsing, saving passwords etc. In fact, in even lacks the most basic ones like bookmarks or favorites. But what it does have is the ability to instantaneously and completely hide your browsing sessions.

Usage is plainly simple. With the browser window active, hit the F1 key and underBrowser will vanish into thin air, leaving no trace behind in the taskbar or system tray. To bring it back, use Alt+Tab to cycle through active programs and select underBrowser. Still nothing? Don’t worry, that’s expected. Just hit the F2 key and your browser will return in all glory, ready for you to resume browsing where you left.

Since underBrowser does not have any history record, it can be termed as an anonymous browser as well. Furthermore, it uses Internet Explorer’s engine to render websites, so full flash content is supported and videos play back just fine.

Our recommendation to the developer would be to ditch IE engine for Mozilla Firefox. We tested underBrowser on Windows 7 32-bit OS system.

Download underBrowser

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Regardless of what type of disk drive(s) you are using, there is always a chance of getting infected with either malicious viruses, malwares or Trojans roaming around the web and in portable drives. Apart from lethal implications in terms of application crash, program halt, etc, it could also be devastating to your hard drive, resulting in changing the partition into unused space, or simply deleting the partition, etc. Other unidentifiable reasons have also been reported, which yields partition lost, or damaged. Either the situation you’re stuck with, MiniTool Partition Recovery stands a chance to revert the lost/damaged partition back.

Its usage is pretty simple & straight forward, on launching the application, you will be prompted for choosing the disk you need to recover. It let you select either full scan of disk or specified range.

Recovery wizard is self-explanatory, it will provide you with all the relevant information regarding the step in question. Once selection is made and settings are configured, it will start scanning your drive for any unallocated or lost/damaged partition.

Once the scanning process is completed, it will show you the Lost/Deleted partition to recover.

It has a capability of recovering partition from numerous types of disk drives (SATA, SCSI, IDE, other Removable Disk) and supports almost every allocation table file system including; FAT12, FAT16, FAT 32, NTFS, VFAT, and NTFS5.

It runs on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 (both 32-bit & 64 bit OS are supported).

Download MiniTool Partition Recovery

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For any movie lover, subtitles play a significant role, not because they help understand the movie better, but because they bring an entirely new dimension to a movie viewing experience. Those who are involved in creation of subtitles will find Kijio Subtitle Editor (formally named SubMaster) really helpful. This free subtitle editing tool allows you to not only create your own subtitles, but also edit existing ones. You can remove de-synchronization of subtitles, change the text, translate, and much more.

Unlike conventional software, instead of relying on text boxes, Kijio uses full visual control of subtitles on a timeline, in which the you can play the movie while editing/adding the subtitle track, ensuring that no frame would be out of place. Just a few clicks and you’re good to go.

Kijio also lets you change the FPS of subtitles visually, with no need to know the frame-rate of the movie itself. You may also edit the offset for the entire subtitle track by selecting the titles and moving them on the timeline. The timeline view in turn works with milliseconds, allowing the finest level of control over subtitle/movie sync.

The software also comes with a built-in translator, allowing translation of tracks in over 56 languages. This process is however time consuming, since the translation occurs over a network and requires internet connectivity.

Kijio uses VLC libraries to play video files, hence eliminating the need for any external codecs. Also, you may right-click any subtitle to bring up the context menu, which will let you change the font color, delete the subtitle block, revert to original colors and lock the subtitle in its place.

We tested Kijio on Windows 7 32-bit OS. It will work with almost all versions of Windows; however, it would need .NET Framework 2.0 to be installed for versions older than Windows XP SP3. This tool is also portable, hence requiring no installation.

Download Kijio

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Browser toolbars can become a real nuisance. Not only do they add clutter but also hijack your search engine, browser homepage, etc, and some are persistent enough not to let it get changed again. Then there are those who do not bring any useful functionality at all, except reducing the browser’s own speed as well as consuming internet bandwidth. When these toolbars are removed, they often leave behind traces, not getting entirely uninstalled from your system.

Multi-Toolbar Remover is a portable tool that gets rid of multiple toolbars completely and instantly. It support removal of many popular toolbars, such as, Google Toolbar and Quick Search Box, Yahoo! Toolbar, AOL Toolbars, Comcast Toolbar, and Ask Toolbar.

It is as easy as selecting the toolbars present in your system and clicking remove. The tool will perform the removal and notify you once it’s done.

This software is Windows only, and works fine on Windows 7 x86 system.

Download Multi-Toolbar Remover

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Do you want to display the DirectSound output of an audio file with live spectrum? Sometimes, we want to analyze the synthesis and output pattern of sound. For instance, microphone recorded sounds or an audio input.WinDirectAudio (WDA) is a tiny tool that will allow you to play audio files with DirectSound and accurately display its spectrum in real-time. It works as simply as it looks! Unlike Windows Media or other similar player where you only see a fancy display, it gets you 100% accurate wave spectrum. It is particularly handy for people in sound recording business as they can analyze sound spectrum with an accurate wavelength display. It can also be used for digital signal processing.

Developed using Visual C++,  WDA uses Win32 GDI API for spectrum drawing and multi-threading to manage sound play and audio data for sample analysis. This is a very useful portable tool from a strict usage point of view and if you fancy checking out the real-time DirectSound & Spectrum, get your hands on this app.

It supports MP3, WMA, WAV, and OGG Vorbis file types & requires Windows Media Player 9 or higher.

Download WinDirectAudio

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Windows Media Player is Microsoft’s flagship media player that comes pre-installed with Windows OS. It not only supports wide variety of audio/video formats but gives a user choice of configuring the supporting plug-ins, skins and visualizations. It has gone through many overhauls over the period of time and though the latest version boast of many advance features, one still wishes to see more.

Windows Media Player Plus! is a plug-in for Windows Media Player that lets you add various user interface and playback enhancements.

Advanced Tag Editor was a very popular feature prior to the launch of WMP 11. After Microsoft ditched it in newer versions, many users felt it wasn’t the smartest decision. Amongst other alternatives, Windows Media Player Plus get the brownie points for providing a tag editor that not only replaces the Advanced Tag Editor but also works fine on all the newer WMP versions.

It supports real-time “find as  you type” library search means you can start typing your search without having to click the provided search fields.

With it you access the standard Explorer menu of a media file from within the Windows Media Player (see first screenshot above). Likewise, you can access the settings of a WMP plug-in from the tools properties without having to go through Options menu. You can restore the last running media item or playlist on startup.

It also allows one to send information of the currently playing song to Windows Live Messenger.

This tool only works with Windows Media Player 11 or higher. We tested it on Windows 7 32-bit.

Download Windows Media Player Plus

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Do you get distracted by other items on your browser window when you’re watching a video clip on YouTube? How about you’re making an important assignment using Word and hate it when a new message window pop ups from the task bar? You’re not alone. Everyone gets to do something that requires focus but distraction becomes the biggest enemy.

CinemaDrape is a small but useful tool that lets you focus on any one area you want on your computer screen. Start the program, the background will automatically get dimmed, and you’ll get a drape like frame which you can move, resize, and place anywhere on the screen. By right-clicking anywhere on the frame, you’ll get a context  menu where you can tweak settings for optimized use. For instance, you can change the color of drape, increase/decrease opacity, and select up to nice selection areas on your screen.

The best thing about CinemaDrape is you no longer have to manually clean up your work screen or close other opened windows. You just get rid of distracting visual elements like unnecessary windows, applications, cluttered desktop, and much more so you can fully focus on the work at hand.

It is a portable tool that starts directly from the EXE file. After you are done using it, just press Esc and you’ll be out.

This application runs on Windows XP, Windows Vista & Windows 7. If you’re using XP, .Net 2.0 Runtime is required for it to function properly.

Download CinemaDrape

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When it comes to Android modding, most novice users are confused or left wondering by reference over reference to a certain “adb”. This is specially true when you are looking up something on modding your device, or root it in particular. ADB is the wonder toy of Android and everyone seems to love it, so lets have a look at understanding what it is and why you need it, and how you can get it.

What is ADB

ADB stands for Android Debug Bridge. It comes as a part of the standard Android SDK, which you can grab here. Basically, it provides a terminal-based interface for interacting with your phone’s file system. Since Android platform is based on Linux, command-line is the only way to obtain and manipulate root access often required to perform certain advanced operations on your device using root access.

While these things can be done directly on the device itself using some terminal emulator, it will be rather difficult to execute complex commands on such a small screen. ADB provides the bridge between your machine and your computer.

How To Install ADB

Step 1: Installing the Android SDK

Note: At the time of updating this guide, the latest version of the Android SDK available is r8 and we shall be using it throughout the rest of the guide. The tools will work the same way however, even if you get a later version. In case of earlier versions though, the location of some of the tools was different and it is recommended that you get the latest available version.

The first step is to download the SDK. Use the link given at the end of this post and download the latest version of the Android SDK from there. There are versions available for Microsoft Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. In case of Windows, both an installer and a zip file are available but there isn’t any need to use the installer as a formal installation is not required.

Once you have downloaded the SDK, simply extract the compressed file to a location on your computer. In our case, we have extracted it to the root of our C drive and that makes C:\android-sdk-windows the installation location of the SDK. From here onwards, we shall be referring to this location as the ‘SDK folder’.

Step 2: Downloading the SDK Platform Tools

Previously, ADB used to be included in the SDK by default in the ‘tools’ sub-folder but now, it has been relocated to the ‘platform-tools’ sub-folder which needs to be downloaded as an SDK package. Fortunately, this is quite easy:

Just browse to the SDK folder and launch SDK Manager. When launching it for the first time, it will present you with a window to choose packages to install. The first option begins with ‘Android SDK Platform-tools’. Make sure it is checked, and uncheck all the other packages for now. You can check/uncheck a package by clicking on its name and then selecting the Accept/Reject radio button. Your window should look like this:

Now simply click ‘Install’ and wait till the platform tools are installed. Once the process is done, you will have a ‘platform-tools’ folder inside your SDK folder. That folder will include ADB and all its dependencies.

Step 3: Setting the Path variable

Now you have ADB installed but using it this way will require you to either use the complete path of the ADB command (C:\android-sdk-windows\platform-tools\adb) or to first change directory to the platform-tools subfolder of the SDK folder each time, and this can become quite a hassle. To make ADB along with other Android SDK tools and platform tools easily accessible from anywhere at the command line, we shall add their paths to the PATH environment variable. This method will apply to Windows users only. If you are a Linux or Mac user, add the ‘tools’ and ‘platform-tools’ sub-folders of the Android SDK to your system’s PATH variable using the standard method for your operating system.

• If you have no experience with editing system environment variables, make a System Restore point now so that you can revert back to it in case something goes wrong.
• If you are using Windows 7, right-click the ‘Computer’ icon and click ‘Properties’. Now click ‘Advanced System Settings’ from the options in the left pane to bring up the ‘System Properties’ window. Windows XP users will directly get this window when they right-click ‘My Computer’ and click ‘Properties’.
• In the ‘System Properties’ window, click the ‘Environment Variables’ button on the ‘Advanced’ tab.
  
• Find ‘Path’ in the ‘System variables’ section and double-click it to edit it.
• Make sure NOT to delete the existing entry in ‘Variable value’ or it will mess up things on your computer. Just add the following string to the end of it, including both the semi-colons:

  ;c:\android-sdk-windows\tools;c:\android-sdk-windows\platform-tools

  If you have extracted the SDK’s contents to another directory, make sure to use that one for your PATH variable.

After adding the string, this is what my Path variable looks like:

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Windows Live;C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Windows Live;%SystemRoot%\system32;%SystemRoot%;%SystemRoot%\System32\Wbem;%SYSTEMROOT%\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\;C:\Program Files (x86)\ATI Technologies\ATI.ACE\Core-Static;C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Live\Shared;C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.6.0_23\bin;C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jdk1.6.0_23\bin;C:\android-sdk-windows\tools;C:\android-sdk-windows\platform-tools

Don’t worry if yours does not include some of the other text – what is important is the way the new entry should be added to the existign one, and the way the previous entries MUST be left unchanged. Notice that the semi-colons are necessary to separate each path variable entry from the next and previous ones. Once you have added the path, your machine may require a reboot.

In case you messed up while editing the Path variable and ended up deleting the previously existing entries, just restore the System Restore point you made and retry, being more careful this time.

Step 4: Installing the USB drivers

Finally, you need to install the USB drivers. You may or may not need to perform this step, depending on your device. If you are using a device that ships with stock Android operating system such as the Nexus One, this will be necessary. In case of other devices that ship with their custom version of Android and some tools to sync the device with the PC, such as devices from HTC that ship with HTC Sync or devices by Samsung that ship with Samsung’s own software, the suitable driver for your device will be automatically installed with that software package.

• The first step will be to download the USB drivers. To do this, launch SDK Manager from the SDK folder and click on ‘Available packages’ in the left pane.
• Expand ‘Third party Add-ons’ followed by ‘Google Inc. add-ons’ and check ‘Google Usb Driver package’, as shown in this image:
  



• Click ‘Install Selected’ and in the window that pops up, click the ‘Accept all’ radio button followed by the ‘Install’ button. Wait patiently while the USB drivers are downloaded and installed in the Android SDK.
• The drivers for both 32 bit and 64 bit systems will now be present in the SDK folder under ‘usb_driver\x86′ and ‘usb_driver\x64′ sub-folders respectively.

Now that the USB drivers have been downloaded, you can install them to your computer as follows:

• On the device, go to home screen, press Menu, select Applications > Development, and enable USB Debugging.
• Now connect your phone to the PC via USB. New hardware installation should kick in, and it will start looking for the drivers.
• Manually point the drivers to the folder suitable for your operating system and let them install.
• Once drivers have installed, you can verify successful installation by going to Device Manager. Your phone should be showing under ‘ADB Interface’, like in this example:

How to Use ADB

At this point, the setting is done. Here on you can simply use adb to manipulate your phone in whatever way you like. On Windows, the best way to do so is using command prompt. To ensure that adb has been set up properly, run command prompt and type ‘adb devices’ and hit enter. Your connected device should show up with a serial number.

This is it for this guide. We would like to emphasize that playing with your phone at this level can be dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing, and can even render the phone completely useless. Please do it at your own risk.

For a complete list of adb commands, check out the official adb guide here.

Download Android SDK

Editor’s Note: ADB is for advanced users only. If you need ADB with a Graphical User Interface, check out QtADB.

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