Showing posts with label Click. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Click. Show all posts

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Strikingly review: Make mobile-friendly Web sites with your Facebook profile and a click

StrikinglyStrikingly Free Strikingly makes building a slick-looking website a breeze. Its one-click feature, which takes content from your Facebook page and turns it into your personal website, is especially valuable.

Download Now Buy Now

Facebook contains plenty of your personal information, but having a Facebook page is a far cry from having a personal Web site. Unless you use Strikingly, a cool Web site building service that pulls data from your Facebook account and uses it to create a slick-looking Web site you can call your own.

Strikingly

Strikingly builds your Web site very quickly.

Strikingly is easy to use, especially if you rely on its one-click feature: Give it permission to access Facebook and it does all the work for you. It pulls relevant data from Facebook, such as your profile picture, work experience, and places of residence, and arranges that into an attractive Web page that you can customize—to an extent. Strikingly lets you add and remove sections to the site it builds using its intuitive editing menu. Freelancers and job seekers will like how easy it is to add a section highlighting work samples, while parents and photo enthusiasts will like the ability to quickly add a photo gallery.

Strikingly

If there's no quote on your Facebook page, Strikingly will add one to your site for you.

The site Strikingly built for me was close to something I’d actually build for myself—if I had the technical knowledge to do so. I liked the way it presented my basic bio and work experience, though I could have done without the screen-wide image of purple flowers sporting a quote about the joys of dancing in the rain. Strikingly says it will pull in a quote you’ve posted to Facebook; if you’ve left that section blank—like me—it supplies a quote for you.

dashboard

Strikingly’s dashboard lays out the tools you need to build your site.

Fortunately, it's not that hard to change. I was able to easily delete the flowers and replace that section with a photo gallery of my favorite Instagram shots. I really liked how this gallery looked on the published site, especially when scrolling through the photos. You can add photos from a variety of sources, including your own computer, Facebook, Flickr and Picasa—though I found it slightly odd that I had to go back in and add the Facebook photos manually. Given that Strikingly pulls so much of your info from Facebook, I’d hoped it would pull more photos than just my profile picture. The company says its one-click feature that builds sites from Facebook is still in beta, and it plans to add more photo capabilities in the future.

I also wish Strikingly had a preview feature, and didn’t push me to publish the site without previewing it first. Of course, you can see what you’re creating on your computer screen, but I always like the ability to do a final check before making anything live on the Web.

Strikingly does have nice touches that professionals will appreciate, such as the ability to edit your site’s Meta tags, and to add actions specific to the mobile version, such as dialing a number or launching a map. And it’s a bonus that the mobile version of your Strikingly site looks pretty darn slick, too.

Strikingly

You can easily add or remove sections from your personal site.

Strikingly is free if you use to create one site smaller than 5GB in size with a Strikingly domain (though you can customize it). An $8-per-month Limited plan ups the limit to 50GB and supports 2 sites, as well as the ability to connect a custom domain. The $16-per-month Pro plan supports 3 sites, unlimited bandwidth, custom domains, and more. The free version doesn’t display ads on your site, which is a really nice touch, though it does feature Strikingly’s branding. The Pro plan lets you remove that branding.

Strikingly limits you to creating a site using the building blocks it provides. It likely won’t appeal to the super techie folks who want control over every aspect of their personal Web site. But for anyone with a Facebook account and a desire for a simple way to create a pretty Web site, Strikingly is worth a look.


From PC World. Electronics product reviews and advice for best reference

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Review: Get software directly from the vendor with a single click with DDownloads

Setting up a new PC can be a daunting task. Getting it out of the box and plugged in is the easy part. The challenge comes from tracking down all those little patches, utilities, and other minor software that you accumulated through the years on your old PC. Free utility DDownloads (free) helps you out by giving you easy access to hundreds of popular applications, tools, and utilities, directly from official sources.

The Home screen gives you quick access to all the main features.

It is tempting to compare DDownloads to Ninite, an online service that streamlines the installation of nearly 100 apps. What sets DDownloads apart is that has a larger selection of software (500 vs Ninite's 94), and it gives you far more control over the installation because, by default, it does not automate app installation. This can be especially important if your PC has an SSD drive, in which case you may prefer to install applications somewhere other than the default location.

The application opens to a home screen that gives you quick access to basic features, such as the various software categories, and advanced features such as silent installation and batch installation. The Windows Starter Kit provides you with a list of links for very common apps and utilities such as Adobe Flash, Adobe Reader, Microsoft .NET and Silverlight, Oracle Java runtimes, and so on.

When browsing the application databases, clicking the name of an application will show the URL for the download page in the bottom-right corner. Some applications do not allow direct links to the download, so instead DDownloads sends the URL to your Web browser, and your browser will then download the file. If you are the suspicious type, you can right-click the application name and select "Copy Download Link to Clipboard" and manually paste it into your Web browser. If the link is dead, you can use the handy "Copy App Name to Clipboard" function to try to track the app down the old-fashioned way.

DDownloads offers several advanced features as well. While it primarily lists software from a list provided by DDownloads.net, you can also add your own favorites to the list. If an application allows silent installation, DDownloads makes it very simple to do so. Technicians will be pleased to find a list of free testing apps, such as Memtest86+ and WireShark.

The organization of the apps in DDownloads can be a little confusing, and the sparse documentation doesn't help. However, after consulting with the author, I received some clarification.

This screenshot shows a portion of the software categories available in DDownloads.

There are three major download lists: "Get Apps," "Portable Apps," and "Slim Apps." Apps in the "Get Apps" section are general-audience applications. Installers are linked when available, but some apps don't have installers so an archive file (like ZIP) is linked instead. Apps in the "Portable Apps" section are self-contained apps meant to be run directly off a USB thumb drive without needing an installer of any kind. Lastly, apps in the "Slim Apps" section are apps that are not ad-supported in any way, and do not install third-party toolbars.

Besides the sparse documentation, the only other complaint I have is that the advanced features are not very easy to use. As an example, suppose you want to perform a silent install of Exact Audio Copy, a free and easy-to-use CD ripping tool. First, you download the app, which arrives with a filename eac-1.0beta3.exe. Then you move that file to the DInstalls folder in the DDownloads directory. Next you have to rename it to "Exact Audio Copy.exe," and then you can use DDownloads to perform the silent install automatically. These instructions are found in a readme.txt file included with DDownloads, but otherwise are not provided anywhere else. In a recent update, an autodetect feature was added to the Install Manager that eliminates the need to rename the installer filename, but it still has to be done manually.

These rough edges, while potentially frustrating, are pretty common with any new software, and DDownloads is just getting started. The application list grows as more users contribute their suggestions, and the developer is very responsive when it comes to fixing issues. As the project continues to mature, I expect the documentation to improve and the advanced features to become smoother to use; but even in its current state, DDownloads is an excellent tool.

Note: The Download button on the Product Information page takes you to the vendor's site, where you can download the latest version of the software.

Nathanael Strong

Nathanael is a freelance writer who lives with his family in Caldwell, Idaho. Besides writing about software, he also specializes in eBook conversions.
More by Nathanael Strong


From PCWorld. Visit Amazon Computer and Notebook Center here

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Review: Get software directly from the vendor with a single click with DDownloads

Setting up a new PC can be a daunting task. Getting it out of the box and plugged in is the easy part. The challenge comes from tracking down all those little patches, utilities, and other minor software that you accumulated through the years on your old PC. Free utility DDownloads (free) helps you out by giving you easy access to hundreds of popular applications, tools, and utilities, directly from official sources.

The Home screen gives you quick access to all the main features.

It is tempting to compare DDownloads to Ninite, an online service that streamlines the installation of nearly 100 apps. What sets DDownloads apart is that has a larger selection of software (500 vs Ninite's 94), and it gives you far more control over the installation because, by default, it does not automate app installation. This can be especially important if your PC has an SSD drive, in which case you may prefer to install applications somewhere other than the default location.

The application opens to a home screen that gives you quick access to basic features, such as the various software categories, and advanced features such as silent installation and batch installation. The Windows Starter Kit provides you with a list of links for very common apps and utilities such as Adobe Flash, Adobe Reader, Microsoft .NET and Silverlight, Oracle Java runtimes, and so on.

When browsing the application databases, clicking the name of an application will show the URL for the download page in the bottom-right corner. Some applications do not allow direct links to the download, so instead DDownloads sends the URL to your Web browser, and your browser will then download the file. If you are the suspicious type, you can right-click the application name and select "Copy Download Link to Clipboard" and manually paste it into your Web browser. If the link is dead, you can use the handy "Copy App Name to Clipboard" function to try to track the app down the old-fashioned way.

DDownloads offers several advanced features as well. While it primarily lists software from a list provided by DDownloads.net, you can also add your own favorites to the list. If an application allows silent installation, DDownloads makes it very simple to do so. Technicians will be pleased to find a list of free testing apps, such as Memtest86+ and WireShark.

The organization of the apps in DDownloads can be a little confusing, and the sparse documentation doesn't help. However, after consulting with the author, I received some clarification.

This screenshot shows a portion of the software categories available in DDownloads.

There are three major download lists: "Get Apps," "Portable Apps," and "Slim Apps." Apps in the "Get Apps" section are general-audience applications. Installers are linked when available, but some apps don't have installers so an archive file (like ZIP) is linked instead. Apps in the "Portable Apps" section are self-contained apps meant to be run directly off a USB thumb drive without needing an installer of any kind. Lastly, apps in the "Slim Apps" section are apps that are not ad-supported in any way, and do not install third-party toolbars.

Besides the sparse documentation, the only other complaint I have is that the advanced features are not very easy to use. As an example, suppose you want to perform a silent install of Exact Audio Copy, a free and easy-to-use CD ripping tool. First, you download the app, which arrives with a filename eac-1.0beta3.exe. Then you move that file to the DInstalls folder in the DDownloads directory. Next you have to rename it to "Exact Audio Copy.exe," and then you can use DDownloads to perform the silent install automatically. These instructions are found in a readme.txt file included with DDownloads, but otherwise are not provided anywhere else. In a recent update, an autodetect feature was added to the Install Manager that eliminates the need to rename the installer filename, but it still has to be done manually.

These rough edges, while potentially frustrating, are pretty common with any new software, and DDownloads is just getting started. The application list grows as more users contribute their suggestions, and the developer is very responsive when it comes to fixing issues. As the project continues to mature, I expect the documentation to improve and the advanced features to become smoother to use; but even in its current state, DDownloads is an excellent tool.

Note: The Download button on the Product Information page takes you to the vendor's site, where you can download the latest version of the software.

Nathanael Strong

Nathanael is a freelance writer who lives with his family in Caldwell, Idaho. Besides writing about software, he also specializes in eBook conversions.
More by Nathanael Strong


From PCWorld. Visit Amazon Computer and Notebook Center here

Friday, August 24, 2012

Download YouTube Videos and Playlists in One Click With Free YouTube Download

YouTube video downloading tools come and go, and most of them are not really that good. They're slow cumbersome, and so mired in banner advertising and pop-ups that it's easy to give them up. But one free tool that stands out from the crowd in a really big way and makes downloading YouTube videos a delight is Free YouTube Download.

Free YouTube Download screenshotSimply copy-paste a YouTube video URL or playlist URL into the Free YouTube Download's main interface and downloading immediately begins.What makes FYD different from the others? Well, apart from its ease of use, it lets you download complete YouTube playlists, videos from a YouTube channel, and even video responses to videos, simply by cutting and pasting the necessary link. Downloading is fast, the quality is excellent, and during downloading, the advertising isn’t in your face(compared to what many of FYD’s rivals do), which is always a bonus in my book.

Free YouTube Download is extremely simple to use. After installing it, open it up and you will see the download window. Beneath that is where you choose your file format and your quality. Once you have made your choices, copy/paste the desired YouTube URL into the main download window and let FYD take care of the rest.

One of FYD's really neat features is its ability to auto-detect YouTube URLs in the Windows clipboard. So if you have FYD open, and you copy/paste a YouTube video link, it will immediately appear in the main FYD download window, ready to download. Some people may find this irritating and turn the feature off. It just all depends on how intuitive you want your software to be.

One big warning: During the installation process, the company attempts to persuade you to install a toolbar and other bloatware. This can be easily avoided by paying very close attention to what boxes you are checking and what you are agreeing to. Plus, everytime you close FYD, you get a nag screen giving you the sales pitch for a paid app. You can easily close this, but it does get tiresome after a while. It's these drawbacks which prevents FYD from getting 5 stars.

From time to time, YouTube changes their video files hosting which means that FYD can temporarily stop working while DVD VideoSoft works to amend their software. Therefore it is recommended that you follow their Twitter page for status updates.

—Mark O'Neill

Free YouTube Download. Download HD, HQ or normal quality video from YouTube, complete playlists, show lists, video responses or even user's channels to your computer with one mouse click. Video from YouTube will be saved as AVI, FLV or MP4. You'll be able to play it with any video player on your computer.


From PC World. Shop computer and accessories from Amazon here

How to Shut Down Windows 8 In Just One Click

How to Shut Down Windows 8 In Just One Click Laptops Tablets Smartphones Ultrabooks Software Business Reviews News Back to School Video Magazine » Advanced Search

Go SpoonFed Column Geek's Geek Columns Smartphone News Apple News Android News #toshiba_sponsor { float: left; margin-right: 5px; padding: 1px 0 2px 3px;}.sub_nav ul { float: left; margin-top: 2px;} How to Shut Down Windows 8 In Just One ClickAugust 22nd, 2012 by Avram Piltch, LAPTOP Online Editorial Director  Tweet!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

Windows 8's Buried Power Button

Where Windows 7 displays its power button in a prominent place on its Start Menu, Windows 8 makes perform four actions just to turn y our computer off. To get to the power button in the new OS, you must pull out the Charms menu, click the Settings charm, click the Power button and then select Shutdown or Restart. 

However, there’s an easy way to put the shutdown and restart functions just one click away from the desktop and Start screen. Just create shortcuts for both actions using the following steps:

Navigate to the desktop.Right click on the desktop and select New -> Shortcut. A shortcut menu appears.
 Create new ShortcutEnter shutdown /s /t 0 (that’s a zero) in the location box and hit Next. 
Enter Shutdown /s /t 0 in the location box of the create a shortcut window.Enter a name for the shortcut and click Finish. A new shortcut will appear on your desktop.
Name your shortcut and click Finish Right click on the shortcut and select Properties. A dialog box appears.Click Change Icon under the Shortcut tab then Click Ok in warning box that says shutdown.exe contains no icons.
Click Change Icon
Select an Icon from the list of available images Click Ok twice (once to close the Change Icon window and once to close Properties window). Your shortcut will now have an icon.
 Choose the Icon for Your Shortcut
Right click the shortcut and select Pin to Start. The shutdown icon will now appear on your Start screen.
 Pin to StartDrag the shutdown icon to a prominent place on your Start screen. We recommend putting it in the first column to the left so you will always see it.
Drag your button to a prominent placeRight click the icon and select Pin to Taskbar if you want the shortcut to live on your desktop’s taskbar as well.
The Shutdown icon can be pinned to taskbarRepeat the previous steps to create a Restart button. Use the command “shutdown /r /t 0? in the location field. .tmnAdsenseContainer{margin-bottom:8px} .tmnAdsByGoogleCont { width: 100%; }TmnAdsense.display(options = {'width':676,'ad_width':676,'max_ads':3,'row_margin':0,'adstyle':'twolineurltop','adsbyposition':'topleft','adFontFamily':'arial','titleFontColor':'0066cc','titleDecoration':'underline','titleFontSize':13,'descFontSize':11,'linkPaddingTop':1,'linkFontColor':'6e6e6e','linkFontSize':9,'adsbyFontFamily':'arial','adsbyvertical':1,'adsbyColor':'737070','adsbyhorizontal':6,'adsbyposition':'bottomright'});More Windows 8 TipsHow to Launch Apps from The Desktop in Windows 8How to Switch Tasks Faster in Windows 8How to Eliminate the Time-Wasting Lock Screen in Windows 8How to Read POP Mail in Windows 8How to Add a User the Right Way in Windows 8How to Make Window 8's Desktop More Touch FriendlyHow to Search the Web Faster in Windows 8Featured Sponsor Tweet!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); Comments  Tags: Microsoft Windows 8, Windows 8, tips Our Related Content8 Worst Windows 8 Annoyances and How to Fix ThemHow to Launch Apps from The Desktop in Windows 8How to Switch Tasks Faster in Windows 8 From Other SitesLenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 With Windows 8 Leaks (GottaBeMobile)Windows 8 Phone Coming in November -- Microsoft Wants to Be on Your Christmas List (Netbook News)Windows 8 Will Ship On October 26 (GottaBeMobile) Related Deals Price drop! 2012 Apple MacBook Air 11.6" Ivy Bridge Laptop $949.95 FREE SHIPPING (via LogicBUY)Price drop! 2012 Apple MacBook Air 13.3" Ivy Bridge Laptop $1,138.95 FREE SHIPPING (via LogicBUY)2012 Apple MacBook Pro 15.4" Ivy Bridge Laptop w/ Retina Display $2,184 FREE SHIPPING (via LogicBUY)Symantec Norton Antivirus 2012 (1 User) $10.99 FREE SHIPPING (via LogicBUY)ASUS K55A-BBL4 Ivy Bridge Core i5 2.5GHz 15.6" Laptop $479.99 FREE SHIPPING (via LogicBUY)   Leave a Reply

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From Laptopmagazine. Visit Amazon Computer and Notebook Center Here