Free ebooks from Guy Kawasaki

Nice books to download of author and tech guru, Guy Kawasaki:

To celebrate the New Year, you can get four of my books for free. Please spread this link as far and wide as you can. 

 http://www.yousendit.com/download/WUJZZUNndWNlaFRMYnRVag 

The books are: What the Plus!, The Macintosh Way, Database 101, and The Computer Curmudgeon.

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How to add wallpaper from images stored in external source or folders in Android?

You can set any images as Wallpaper in Android provided they're stored in the "Pictures" folder in the main settings in Android. But if you want to add images stored in a different folder such as in Dropbox, Box, Google Drive folders, then do the following (in this example, I used images for this blog article from Android Foundry):

1. Open the image you would like to have as wallpaper from any of the sources, Dropbox, Box etc.,
2. Press the image once and you will see different options such as "Favorite", "Share", "Export" etc.,
3. Select the "Export" and choose the option "Save to SD Card" (even without the SD card it refers to internal storage)
4. Go to "Pictures" folder and save the image either in any of the existing folders or in "Wallpapers" folder (if there is no Wallpapers folder, you can create one using "create new folder" option).
5. Save the image in the new folder, here in this example it is stored in "Wallpapers" folder.
6. Go the main screen, press any blank space to see the "Add to Home Screen" options such as "Widgets", "Folders", "Wallpapers". Click the Wallpapers setting.
7. Choose the "Gallery" option and go to the "Wallpapers" folder created in Step 4 and adjust the screen size of this image and click "OK".

You will see something like this screen:

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10 Things the iPhone 5 Can't do that Nexus 4 Can

"Just a little fun video to share with your friends of 10 things Apple iPhone 5 can't do that Google Nexus 4 can."

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15 Premium Android Apps are free in Amazon

Tunein Radio, Moon Phase Pro, Office Suite Professional, Splashtop Desktop, Mahjong, Unolingo, KeepTrack Pro and others are free for a limited time in Amazon.

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Download Free Episodes of favorite TV shows from Google Play

Download TV episodes of The Walking Dead, Revenge, Psych, Downtown Abbey Christmas, Deception etc for free from Google Play link for a limited time. For US users and Android users only.

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IBM creates Flashing Zebra Crossing

IBM asked kids interesting ideas and out of hundreds of new ideas, they converted this one "Flashing Zebra Crossing" into reality. The crossing lights up whenever someone walks on it and becomes more visible to the crossing vehicles and thus preventing accidents.

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Google+ mention feature added in Blogger

This is a great feature addition from Google, now we can add Google+ links in blogger. Just add a “+” or a “@” and the respective name of the person, page or blogger. Here for example I am mentioning +ZAGAT one of my favorites. 

From Google’s help page:

“Mentioning someone is an effective way to let them know that you’re referring to them in your blog post. You can mention a person, or a Google+ page, even if they don’t follow you. Depending on how they’ve configured their Google+ settings, they might receive a notification about your mention after you publish the post.”

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Free App Download: Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 12 for iPhone®/iPod touch®

Go to this link and enter your email address, they will send you a free code for the Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 12 for iPhone®/iPod touch® to that email account. They have up to 1 million codes available so hurry.

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Save Images, Links with 'Save to Google Drive' Chrome Extension

With this new "Save to Google Drive" extension, we can now save images, links directly in Google Drive. It is similar to "Pocket (formerly Read It Later)" but instead of storing in Pocket website, it saves in our Google Drive account.

This extension allow you to save web content directly to Google Drive through a browser action or context menu. You can save documents, images, and HTML5 audio and video all by right clicking and selecting 'Save to Google Drive'. You can save the currently viewed page using the 'Save to Google Drive' browser action. The format of saved HTML pages can be controlled with the options page (Choice of Entire image (default), Visible image, Raw HTML, MHTML, or Google Doc). You can automatically convert Microsoft Office files or comma separated files to Google docs format.

With "Save to Google Drive" extension we can save in two ways, with right-click you can save the image as shown above and by clicking the extension button installed in the menu bar we can save links. Go to chrome://extensions/ and open the options of this extension to choose what format you want to save the article, in image format or in HTML version as shown below). We can also save audio and video files with this extension.

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AFTER EARTH - Official Trailer (2013)

Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith act in this new Sci-Fi thriller coming soon next year.

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Snapseed Photo App now available in Android

One of the best photo editing apps in iOS, Snapseed is now available in Android. It is has good filters and can get pictures like Instagram photos with much improved quality.  Snapseed, which was a premium app before is now available free in Android after Google purchased it recently.

Snapseed is the only photo app you’ll want to use every day. It makes any photograph extraordinary with a fun, high-quality photo experience right at your fingertips.

Anyone can enhance, transform, and share their photos with ease using incredibly advanced features from the leader in digital photography software. Built-in Google+ capabilities make it even more powerful to share your images with your friends and family.

BENEFITS:
• Easily adjust your photos with a single tap using Auto Correct
• Tweak your photo to perfection with Tune Image
• Use Selective Adjust to enhance specific objects or areas in your photos
• Experiment with fun & innovative filters like Drama, Vintage, Grunge, and Tilt-Shift
• Add Image Borders for a finishing touch
• Share your creations via Google+, email, and any other service you have installed.

SUPPORTS:
• Android OS 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or later
• Phone or Tablet
• JPEG and TIFF photos
• Language support: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), and Arabic


FEATURES:
== Basic Adjustments ==
• Auto Correct - Automatically analyzes your photo and adjusts color and exposure to perfection.
• Selective Adjust - Make precise selections and enhancements to specific areas of your photos in seconds with Nik Software’s revolutionary U Point technology.
• Tune Image - Use Ambience to create depth and vibrancy that uniquely adapts to colors and textures. Adjust White Balance, Saturation, Contrast, more.
• Straighten & Rotate - Rotate 90° and/or straighten photos with simple gesture controls.
• Crop - Easily crop images to remove distracting parts of your photo with standard aspect ratios, or a free crop.

== Creative Enhancements ==
• Black & White - Get that classic Black and White look with this darkroom-inspired filter.
• Vintage Films - Make any photo look like a vintage color film photo from the 50’s, 60’s or 70’s.
• Drama - Add style with a custom effect specifically tailored to your photos, ranging from subtle textures to wildly artistic effects.
• Grunge - Give your photos a totally unique, hip, and dingy look.
• Tilt-Shift - Create a narrow in-focus area designed to simulate depth of field, common in a Miniature Scene look.
• Details - Enhance details with traditional sharpening or the unique Structure control found in the Nik Software professional products.
• Center Focus - Draw attention to the subject of your photo by blurring and adjusting the brightness of the surrounding background.
• Organic Frames - Add stylized borders to photos for the perfect finishing touch.

Google Play Download Link.

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Calculator∞ iOS app for iPhone and iPad Free today

Calculator∞ creator, Incpt.Mobis is celebrating their 1st year anniversary release and giving away this app for free for a limited time. It is a good pro calculator app has high ratings in iTunes.

You can download it from the iTunes link here.

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How to get Several Bags of Free Compost

Good video to show how we can make tons of compost for free at homes.

How to use Guerrilla Tactics to get Several Tons of Free Compost (BLACK GOLD) with very little effort. We are Taking Compost to the Next Level! Here’s to having the best soil on the planet! Go Get it!

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Speaktoit Assistant - a Virtual Assistant App for Android Phones

This is a good Android app to have to launch apps, set remainders, alarms, update statuses in Facebook, Twitter etc. Google Now should have these features but for now they don't, till then apps like Assistant and EVA are good ones to have.

Speaktoit Assistant is a virtual buddy for your Android device that uses natural language technology to answer questions, find information, launch apps and connect you with various web services, such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Evernote, and many others.

The Assistant works with your smartphone to get maps, search for news and images, look up weather reports, convert currency and measurements, send email, and much more.

No need to memorize special commands or complex interfaces - simply speak or type in everyday language and the Assistant will understand and respond with what you need.

You can also choose assistant's appearance whether it be pretty blonde or brunette girl, handsome agent or old professor.


You can try it here https://market.android.com/details?id=com.speaktoit.assistant

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Gmail adds Auto-save feature and Google Drive option to send file sizes upto 10GB

This is a great feature to have when we need to send large attachments more than 1GB to others. It is not showing up yet in my Gmail but Google said this will be rolled out to all the users soon in the next few days. 

Have you ever tried to attach a file to an email only to find out it's too large to send? Now with Drive, you can insert files up to 10GB -- 400 times larger than what you can send as a traditional attachment. Also, because you’re sending a file stored in the cloud, all your recipients will have access to the same, most-up-to-date version. Like a smart assistant, Gmail will also double-check that your recipients all have access to any files you’re sending. This works like Gmail’s forgotten attachment detector: whenever you send a file from Drive that isn’t shared with everyone, you’ll be prompted with the option to change the file’s sharing settings without leaving your email. It’ll even work with Drive links pasted directly into emails.

 I also saw another nice feature, "auto-save" feature, whatever we type in the Compose window is stored as a draft message, so we don't have to worry about long messages getting lost by accidental window closing nor we have to click the "save" option anymore. It is just like the auto-save feature in Google Drive there is no save button.

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Get 'The Evernote Bible' Kindle book for free in Amazon Today

If you use Evernote and want to be even more productive then read this book “The Evernote Bible - The Guide to Everything Evernote, Including: Tips, Uses, and Evernote Essentials [Kindle Edition]“ by Brandon Collins. It offers tons of tips to use Evernote effectively. One of the uses I have for Evernote is I use it as a read articles later tool like Pocket, I created a separate folder and store it there. 

What’s included in The Evernote Bible?

Amazing and creative ways to use Evernote to its fullest

Charts, and illustrations for understanding how Evernote works and how to use it

Best uses for Evernote

How to use both the web, Desktop, and Mobile version of the Evernote software

Evernote vs. OneNote, Google Docs and other systems of organization and why it crushes the competition

How to use Evernote along with other social media including Facebook, Twitter, and blogs

How to use Evernote as file storage facilitator - never use file trees again!

How to dominate the Evernote search feature to find everything in your digital library including office documents or personal pictures

How to set up an “Evernote scanner” to get rid of all the paper in your life

How to share your notes

How to set up the perfect Evernote user interface

Tagging best practices

The “Temporary Notebook System” that organizes any project and saves your Evernotes forever

BONUS: The Evernote Cheat Sheet! A quick look guide to advanced searches

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Apple Maps vs Google Maps vs Nokia Maps Test Comparison

A good comparison of map apps from Google, Apple and Nokia. While Google Maps is available in all the three operating systems (iOS, Android OS and Windows Phone OS), the other two are exclusive for their own OS (Nokia available only for Windows Phone OS and Apple maps for iOS only).

“iPhone 5 with Apple Maps, Nexus 4 with Jelly Bean and Google Maps and Nokia Lumia 920 with Windows Phone 8 Nokia Maps Test Comparison. Local search, augmented reality, turn by turn navigation and maps coverage - we go through mapping and directions features on each to see which comes out top.”

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Pocket releases Official Chrome Browser Extension

I don't know why Pocket (formerly Read It Later) took so long to release this official extension but is finally here. You can check all your stored articles by clicking the Pocket icon installed in extensions bar (shown above). It gives two options either to "add tags" or "view list".

The Pocket Chrome Extension lets you save any page with a single click, or save any link on a webpage using the right-click context menu.

The extension also adds the ability to save links directly from Twitter and Google Reader, and allows you to easily add tags as links are saved.

Previously, I used IwillriL, a Read It Later client to store and read articles in Pocket.

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Heart Hole Punch

Instead of round punched holes, this Suck UK Heart Hole Punch creates heart shaped holes. It is priced at $15 + shipping in Amazon.

Via Well Done Stuff.

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Smile Trek: A 5,000 mile journey to repair clefts

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. For Winston Fiore, the journey began with his big heart and dedication to others. Fiore set out on a 5,000 mile trek across Southeast Asia using walking directions on his Android phone to lead the way. Learn how you can contribute to Smile Trek to raise funds for cleft surgery: http://smiletrek.org

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Get Stunning Instant Map Results with Instant Google Street View

This is stunning, just like Instant Search, the Instant Google Street View works like a charm. Just start typing for example "White House" you will see a good Street View version of the White House like the above picture. It works even for the local street addresses. The site is an independent site not owned by Google.

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How to use Photo Sphere for Panorama shots in Android Phones or Tablets

Google is releasing the new Jelly Bean update 4.2 to most of the new phones, I just received mine in Nexus 7. One of the new features is Photo Sphere, where we can take a panoramic shot by clicking the panorama icon below the main camera button.

Up, down and all around you, it’s like no camera you’ve ever seen. With Android 4.2, snap pictures in every direction that come together into incredible, immersive photo spheres that put you right inside the scene. View your photo spheres right on your phone, share them on Google+ with your friends and family, or even add them to Google Maps for the world to see.

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Jawbone UP: Designed for Everyday Life

The new Jawbone Up, for fitness enthusiasts, is on sale right now for $129.99. 

UP™ is a system that takes a holistic approach to a healthy lifestyle. The wristband tracks your movement and sleep in the background. The app displays your data, lets you add things like meals and mood, and delivers insights that keep you moving forward.

Via Cnet.com 

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Get 25GB storage in Box for free

Box.com has free storage space upto 5GB but with the below link you can get 25GB storage space for free.  The 25GB storage option normally costs $9.99 per month.

I use both Box.com and Dropbox, both are equally good, but if you are in business area check out Box.com and their apps features.

Register for a new account and get 25GB of Box.com cloud storage + Sync.

$10 value

A demo of Box.com is shown below:

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Mokiki’s Sloppy Swish - the Next ‘Gangnam Style’

Hilarious new dance style from Saturday Night Live.

Via +Elaine Barlow.

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Get Peterson Birds of North America iPhone app and iPad app for free

Get these two apps for free for a limited time, thanks to President Barack Obama winning the election.

* Congratulations to President Barack Obama on winning re-election, to celebrate, Peterson Birds is FREE for 2-days only! (reg. $14.99)

* Winner Best Outdoors App Ever Award 2011


Peterson Birds of North America (iPhone & iPad App iTunes link)

Peterson Feeder Birds of North America (iPhone & iPad App iTunes link)

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How to prevent Google Chrome from accidentally closing the browser with multiple tabs

Chrome browser has a good setting that enables restarting the browser with the same tabs that were opened the last time by going to: chrome://settings/ and enabling the setting “Continue Where I left off”. But when you close the browser accidentally, there is no way to save the content you typed say in a blog, in Google+ or Facebook or in the comments. If they’re long for instance, then you have to retype them all over again. 

However, thanks to this Google Chrome extension “Google Toolbox“, we can prevent Google Chrome from closing accidentally. After you install the extension and when you try to close the browser too soon, it gives a warning box as shown below “Do you want to close all tabs?” whether you really want to close the browser along with the tabs.

Enabling both of the above settings will help you keep the tabs open along with your typed content.

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How to Seal Bread Bags without Clips or Ties

The bread clips or twist-ties as shown below do a decent job in keeping the bread fresh, but are environmentally unfriendly. The best method to seal the bag without the clip is as shown in the video above, doesn't need a clip or a twist-tie to keep the bread fresh. In my opinion this method keeps the bread fresh for a longer time compared to other methods using clips available in stores.


Bread Clip


Twist-tie for breads

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Mophie Power Juice pack for the Samsung Galaxy S III

Previously, Mophie had special power packs for iPhones, now they seem to make them available for Android phones starting with the popular Samsung Galaxy SIII. It is priced at $99 per unit with choice of two color options, Black or White.


Introducing the mophie juice pack (2800 mAh) for the Samsung Galaxy S III. Take full advantage of everything your S III has to offer with this durable, ultra-thin battery case. Enjoy up to 32 extra hours of audio, 8 extra hours of video playback, or 9 extra hours of web browsing without compromising any of your phone’s features.

Learn more at mophie.com/GalaxyS3.

I use Seidio battery pack (3800 mAh) for Galaxy Nexus, which does a similar job priced at $69.99. If you have a different Android phone there are tons of extended battery packs in Amazon. 

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Our Story In 2 Minutes

Nice montage of photos about the History of the Earth. (Watch in Big Screen).

Music by Zack Hemsey - Mind Heist.

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New Gmail Compose Window pops up

I saw the above mail compose window in Gmail, looks really nice and simple like the Sparrow client Google purchased recently. Give it a try.

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Siri-like features in updated Google Search iOS app

It is Siri-like but much better and faster with the updated Google Search app (for iPhone http://goo.gl/h8M50, for iPad http://goo.gl/D7TVH). The new Search app is more like Google Now.

Fast and accurate voice recognition technology enables Google to understand exactly what you’re saying. Getting an answer is as simple as tapping on the microphone icon and asking a question like, “Is United Airlines flight 318 on time?” Your words appear as you speak, you get your answer immediately and—if it’s short and quick, like the status and departure time of your flight—Google tells you the answer aloud.

You can get answers to an increasingly wide variety of questions thanks to Knowledge Graph, which gives our search technology an understanding of people, places and things in the real world. Here are a few of the questions that Google can answer:

• “What does Yankee Stadium look like?” Google will show you hundreds pictures instantly.
• “Play me a trailer of the upcoming James Bond movie.” The trailer starts playing immediately right within Google Search. 
• “When does daylight savings time end?” The answer will appear above the search results, so you can set your clock without having to click on a link. 
•  “Who’s in the cast of The Office?” See a complete cast list and find out who made you crack up last night. 

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Google introduces Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10

Google is introducing three Nexus versions, Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 plus new updates in the operating system Jelly Bean 4.2.



We’ve always focused on building great devices at great value.  And we think today’s devices offer the very best that money can buy. Here are more details on when and where you can pick up your next Nexus device:

Nexus 4: 8GB for $299; 16GB for $349; available unlocked and without a contract on 11/13 on the Google Play store in the U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Spain and Canada. The 16GB version will also be available through T-Mobile for $199, with a 2-year contract (check here for more details).

Nexus 7: 16GB for $199 and 32GB for $249; available in the U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Canada and Japan, and also through our retail partners Gamestop, Office Depot, Office Max, Staples and Walmart.

Nexus 7 with 32GB and mobile data: $299 and unlocked, on sale 11/13 in the Google Play store in the U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Spain and  Canada.

Nexus 10: 16GB for $399; 32GB for $499; available on 11/13 in the Google Play Store in the U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Canada and Japan.

Shop now at play.google.com/nexus

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10 Accidental Inventions

Inventions follow a strange path and accident is one of them.

Some taste good, others save lives but all 10 of these inventions came about by accident.

Music = Hokey Pokey by Bruce Maginnis and Daniel Weltlinger

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Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Android Phone Review

Excellent review, it is a long video but if you are planning to purchase watching the video will be a big help.

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Stack the Papers and Shred in One Step with Swingline Shredder

It looks like a desktop laser printer but is a shredder from Swingline. Named aptly Stack-and-Shredder, can shred upto 60 pages stacked together at one time, but if you just have one or two pages then there is the manual shredding option. It can also shred credit cards. It is available in both red and black colors. This will be for businesses and in homes.

• Rio Red shredder matches your red Swingline stapler Hands Free Shredding - just stack, shut and you're done 
• Cross-cut shredder meets moderate security needs (Level 3) 
• 60 sheet capacity on automatic operation, 5 sheet capacity on manual 
• Manual bypass also shreds credit cards; 4-gallon waste bin

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Recover Lost Passwords in Microsoft Office Files with Office Password Recovery Professional

I wanted to open one of the old Microsoft Word files but it was pass-protected and I forgot the main password. Since it was an important file, I wanted to see how I can recover the lost passwords with a software program, I found Office Password Recovery Professional. 

After I installed the software, I opened the program and opened the Microsoft Office file to recover the last password. There are two options to open the file, either through online recovery or locally as shown below. After you click the Next button it will ask whether you can remember the word partially or not, even if you can't remember that it tries to recover the password. 

It was able to find out the password within minutes but for some long and tough passwords it may take longer. Nevertheless, I was able to recover and open the file. There were no bloatware, it just did the job like the CCleaner and other freeware. 

A demo of how this works is shown in video:

If you know similar programs that does a good job of recovering passwords, please leave a comment.

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Square Payment now available in Canada

Square payment is growing big day by day, now they are expanding and is available in Canada. It's great for small and medium businesses, easy to use and much better than PayPal with less hassles to deal with. To get started visit Square's register page: https://squareup.com/register#signup

Square, the company making business easy for everyone, today Announced availability in Canada. Square Enables anyone, anywhere to accept credit cards, run and grow Their business. 

Square's free Mobile Card Reader plugs into the headphone jack of an iPhone, iPad, or Android device. Square Register is the free app That allows anyone to safe and secure credit card payments with one simple, low transaction rate of 2.75% per swipe, with no hidden fees. Funds are available the next business day, Eliminating the wait for cash flow. 

Canada is Square's first market outside the U.S.. Over 2 million Individuals and businesses businessman can accept credit cards with Already Square, and Square is processing over one billion U.S. $ 8 in Annualized payments.

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Flight Search in Google gets better

Nice update if you search for the flight status in your mobile phone. A search in mobile for Delta Flight 1262 gives the above results. It gives the scheduled time of arrival, departure and your scheduled time of your destination point. Besides that they have added the flight's progress path, how far it is from the destination point. 

Frustrated when your flight schedule is up in the air? When you're traveling on your own or waiting for family and friends to arrive at the airport, getting the most up to date flight information on your mobile device is easy when you enter the flight number on Google Search. You'll see if the flight is on-time, its departure and slated arrival times, and the terminals and gates. There's even a visualization of the plane's progress from departure to destination.

I checked Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 7, I see all the details except the flight's path, hopefully it will be updated in the mobile platform soon.

Via Google+.

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Ad: GoPro HERO3: Black Edition - Smaller, Lighter and 2X More Powerful

Nice ad from GoPro for their camera GoPro HERO3.

"Shot 100% on the new HERO3® camera from ‪http://GoPro.com.

The Wi-Fi enabled HERO3: Black Edition is the most advanced GoPro, ever. No expense was spared during its development, resulting in a GoPro that is 30% smaller, 25% lighter & 2X more powerful than previous models. New resolutions and frame-rates include 4Kp 15, 2.7kp 30, 1080p 60, 1440p 48, 960p 100, 720p 120 and 12MP burst photo capture at 30 fps. Yes, for real.

Sit back and enjoy the HERO3: Black Edition in all its glory. #GoPro"

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Video Review of the new Google Chromebook

A good review of Google's new offering "Chromebook" from Samsung. It is available on a pre-order basis for $249.99 (Wi-Fi) and $329 (3G) in Amazon. It has all the essential things necessary for a second computer, can do plenty of productive office work and personal stuff better than in a smartphone or a tablet. It will be a great complement to a PC and keep them in sync via the Cloud. Google offers a healthy 100GB free option to this Chromebook.

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Read Magazines purchased in Android devices from Google Play in the Web

Reading magazines in tiny smartphones and even in 7" Galaxy Nexus tablet is not that conducive, but in smaller screen Android has "Text View" option to read the magazines. Though it is fine but still it doesn't look like the magazine we read like before. With this new "Read" option in Google Play however, we can get the magazine feel in our laptops or PCs/Macs. 

After you purchase the magazines in Google Play, just click the read button shown in the picture above and start reading the magazines in big screen laptops or computers.

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Google introduces New Chromebook laptop for $249

The new Chromebook laptop from Google will become available next week at a great starting price of $249.

From Google Chrome blog:

The new Chromebook is a great computer at any price, but it’s an incredible computer at $249. It’s one of the lightest laptops on the market. You can easily carry it around all day—it’s 2.5 pounds, a mere 0.8 inches thick, with more than 6 hours of battery life for the typical user. And with 100 GB of free storage on Google Drive*, you can get to all of your stuff anytime, anywhere.

Even with its compact design, it’s packed with performance—it boots up in less than 10 seconds and resumes instantly. High-resolution videos (in 1080p) are beautiful to watch and when using the touchpad, you’ll notice smooth scrolling due to a hardware-accelerated user interface. And as you‘d expect from a Chromebook, it’s easy to share with others. Everyone—mom, dad, grandparents, tech lovers, tech haters—can have separate accounts where all of their stuff is kept safe. Finally, if you’re an active Google user of products like Gmail, Drive, Search, Maps, YouTube, Play or Google+ Hangouts, everything just works seamlessly.

Starting today, the new Samsung Chromebook is available for pre-order online from Amazon, Best Buy, PC World and other retailers. Next week it will be available for sale from these same online retailers as well as the Google Play store. You can also buy them at over 500 Best Buy stores across the U.S and over 30 PC World and Currys stores in the U.K.

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How to add credits in Google Play for your Apps, Music purchases

If you would rather use credits option like in iTunes, then you can do the same in Google Play store from today (available only for the US users for now). Click the "Buy Google Play Credit" at the bottom of the Google Play store page (as shown above). Once you click the Buy link, you can add different amounts as shown in the picture below.

After the purchase, the amount is added to your Google Wallet and you can access it in "Google Play Balance" to pay for your purchases in Google Play (Apps, Music, Books, Magazines, Videos and Devices). 

This will be a good option to have if you don't want to pay with credit or debit cards in Google Play, just add the amount to your Google Play credit one time accessing your card. 

If Google adds the Gift option for this it will be good. 

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Marketing Lesson: Speak Buyer's Language

Important lesson for marketers worldwide.

“If I am selling to you, I speak your language. If I am buying, dann müssen Sie Deutsch sprechen (you need to speak my language).”  

- Willy Brandt

via +Guy Kawasaki.

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Ovo Timer - Best Stop watch or timer app for Google Android

Ovo Timer works as advertised, is very simple and effective. After you install the app either drag the circle to get the timer set or set the timer via voice (uses Google Voice) to input the time. The timer starts instantaneously after that. After the time is reached, it gives an alarm and a notification. 

Timer like this is very useful to check the time of cooking or time for meditation.

It is a free app you can download it in Google Play. 

Besides Ovo Timer if you want more functions, there are a number of related Stop Watch or Timer apps in Amazon App store and in Google Play.

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Free Voucher Worth $2 Off from Amazon Instant Video

This offer is available in Amazon Local, one voucher per customer. Offer is available until October 15, 2012.

• Voucher will expire if not used towards a movie or TV rental or purchase from Amazon Instant Video by October 31, 2012 
• Voucher is valid for a $2 discount off the price of a movie or TV rental or purchase; customer will be responsible for payment to Amazon.com for final price of movie after discount, plus applicable taxes

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How to create or enable Polls in Google+?

We can create polls either manually, which is slightly cumbersome or we can do it with "Do Share" Chrome browser extension, which helps us to write and schedule posts in Google+. Besides the awesome scheduling feature, Do Share has added this poll feature option recently. 

To add polls in Google+, follow these steps:

1. Install the "Do Share" extension and connect your Google+ and Do Share settings. 

2. Click the "Do Share" icon in Google Chrome and compile the post as shown above. 

3. Click the ticked box icon to compile a poll. You will see three options, "Yes", "No" or "Maybe".

4. Either keep the polling options or edit them in the box shown above. You can also add more options by clicking the "+" button.

5. After you complete the post, you can either schedule the post or click "share now" button. 

6. Once you hit share button, it will create a poll in Google+ without comments, your circles can then "+" the poll options. 

Via +Mike Elgan.

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Impress Coffee Brewer - Coffee Maker and Coffee Mug in One

Gamila, a Raleigh, NC based company is advertising this new advanced coffee brewer in Kickstarter. Their project is fully funded and more for now. It is similar to French Press but without too many parts.

I ordered one, will post a review as soon as receive it.

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Rent Blu-ray or DVD movie or Game for free in Redbox

Redbox is celebrating their 10th anniversary and is giving away a free rental only for today. Use the code "BIRTHDAY" to get one movie or game rental today (October 10, 2012) only.



Via Redbox, Facebook page.

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Video: Japanese car enthusiasts drive Group C Porsche 962 in the street

The Japanese car enthusiasts not only love the Group C Porsche 962 riding in the racing circuits but also on the streets. They use the car like a regular car driving around the city

The Group C Porsche 962 is an iconic race car to say the least. In the 80's it won countless Le Mans races and to this day holds a very special place in car enthusiasts hearts. One particular Japanese car enthusiast loves this car so much that he can't keep this race car restricted to circuit duties only. He feels the overwhelming need to spend much more time with it, on the streets!

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How to capture screenshots in Apple Mac computers?

In Windows PC computers, there is a dedicated button "PrtScr" in the keyboard to capture the screen and save a copy in the clipboard, but in Apple Mac computers there is no dedicated button, you have to use shortcuts. 

Lockergnome.com gives the following tips to save the screenshot:

There are five keyboard shortcuts you can use to take different types of screenshots.

command + shift + 3: Captures the entire screen.
command + shift + 4: Captures an area of the screen.
command + shift + 4 followed by spacebar: Captures an entire window.
control + command + shift + 3: Captures the screen to the Clipboard.
control + command + shift + 4: Captures an area of the screen to the Clipboard.


Photo of how to capture the entire screen in Mac computers from Ancestry.com.

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Financial Times FT Press Books worth $180 free in Amazon

Financial Times releases tons of management books on a wide range of topics. Their books are usually priced high but periodically the books are available on sale for free in Amazon. I have downloaded some books in the past and currently they have the following books available for free (some of them are collections, have two or more books):

1.) Investing Essentials: What You Need to Know (Collection) (Original price $29.99 now $0.00)

2.) The Rules of Work, Expanded Edition: A Definitive Code for Personal Success (2nd Edition) (Richard Templar's Rules) ($24.99 now $0.00)

3.) Liz Weston on Personal Finance (Collection) ($33.99 now $0.00)

4.) Identity: Your Passport to Success ($22.99 now $0.00)

5.) The Truth About Getting the Best From People ($22.99 now $0.00)

6.) Entrepreneurship Lessons for Success (Collection) ($53.99 now $0.00)

You can bookmark this below link and check it regularly to see whether other FT Press books are available for free.

Financial Times FT Press Books

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Locate authors or artists of images with 'Search By Image' Google Chrome Extension

In the internet, you see the same photo across multiple sites but they never mention the source. I always try to give credit to the images posted in blogs and sites but sometimes it is hard to find out which artist produced that image or photo. Google's "Search by Image" Chrome browser extension helps narrow the search in most of the cases. 

After you install the extension, when you look at a photo in any website or even this site, you will see the blue camera icon at the bottom part of the image as shown above, just click once to see the source of the image. Google will post results in a separate page.

There is another way you can do the search also as shown below. Right click as you hover over the image, you will see the "Search Google with this image" option.

I have tried it several times, Google usually highlights the author in the first results. In some cases, Google can identify more information about the images as well. 

"Search by Image" extension is a good one to have for Google Chrome browser.

Images from Google.

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Video: Adele - Skyfall

The theme song for the new Bond movie "Skyfall" is unveiled, the music will become available in November when the movie is released.

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Security in the Web

We all love social networks but one must be doubly careful when sharing information. See how we are making it easy for others to get information from us.

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Maily: Simple E-mail iPad app for kids

Maily, looks like a nice app for kids to begin with in this networked world and be able to communicate with their grandparents, family, friends and classmates. It is more than texts, they could add pictures and handwriting like they do when they send private notes to their parents and grandparents.


Especially designed for kids from 4 years old, Maily allows your kids to send quirky, personalized emails to mom and dad, their grandparents or close friends easily, rapidly, and securely.

Your kids can now create and send their own emails, using elements like digital pencils, brushes, photos, personalized backgrounds, stickers, and their most commonly used expressions.

New emails from family or close friends arrive in your kids' personal inbox, and with their personal contact list, they can reply and send emails anytime.

Maily comes with extensive built-in parent control features, which enables you to be completely in charge of who your children communicate with, and when, including the ability to approve or reject messages before they are sent or received by their children.

It is currently available only for iPad. This should be available for Android and Windows as well, a good app to have for children.


Screenshots from Maily App:

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