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How to read EPUB books on your Windows laptop

May 11, 2012 Documents, Free Tools, PDF

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The rise of ebooks and mobile technologies has led to the appearance of couple of new book formats. PDF is still the king, but there are other formats that are very good as well. One of the more popular mobile ebook formats is EPUB. EPUB books are designed to be read on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. However, if you have an ebooks which is in the EPUB format and you want to read it on your PC, you might have difficulties from Windows not being able to recognize the format. One of the options might be converting the book to PDF, but that is not always recommended because of the formatting that will get lost in the process. Here are three excellent options for reading your EPUB format ebooks on a laptop running Windows.

1. Adobe Digital Editions

This software is similar to Adobe PDF reader, because it can also be used for reading PDFs. However, it can be used for EPUB books as well. It is handy because you don’t depend on a browser. It can help you create a local library with all of the books on your computer. Create and sort them out by author, size, title, date and status with this program. The layout is very clean and the interface is easy-to-use and customizable, enabling you to change the size of the text to the way you like it. All in all, a great tool for reading EPUB documents.

2. MagicScroll for Chrome

If you are a fan of Google Chrome, then the MagicScroll Ebook Reader is the perfect tool for you. Install the app on your Chrome browser and create an account to start reading right away. This tool also stores your books online, and makes it possible for you to access them from any other platform. The interface is pretty minimalistic, and there is a great auto-scroll option available as well. This app has a direct link to the collection of Gutenberg books, where you can find lot of great free ebooks. It also gives you the ability to read while offline as well.

3. EPUBReader for Firefox

EPUBReader is a tool designed for Mozilla Firefox users. Install the extension and upload your books to start reading immediately. Every opened file is stored in a catalog which makes it very easy to access it later. The interface is simple and effective, yet highly customizable. It is pretty much the equivalent of reading a PDF in your browser.

7 Free Antivirus and Antispyware Solutions for Windows 7

May 9, 2012 Free Tools, Tips

Since Windows is the most popular platform and is used by millions of computer owners around the world, it is naturally the most targeted platform by viruses and spammers. When looking for a good antivirus or spyware for Windows, you are generally looking for ones that are not only effective, but also ones that are not too bulky and don’t burden your system resources.

Here are seven of the best antivirus and antispyware solutions for the latest version of the Windows platform, Windows 7.

Microsoft Security Essentials

Security Essentials is great because it is very easy to maintain. Of course, since it is made by the same company that makes Windows, there are never any compatibility problems and everything runs very smoothly. Not only does it do a great job of protecting your computer, but it also does so very quietly in the background, without popping up very often to remind you that it is working.

Spyware Blaster

This spyware solution takes care of your problems before they get out of hand. Its purpose is not to scan and clean spyware off your computer, but to stop the spyware from even installing itself in the first place. It works well with all browsers and it is also a great solution for undoing changes that spyware or browser hijackers might have made to your system.
Avira AntiVir Personal – Free Antivirus

This is one of the most highly rated free antivirus software solutions for a reason. It gives you real-time protection against viruses and spywares and is fully compatible with Windows 7. You’ll notice that it is one of the most highly rated antivirus applications by users on almost all free download sites.

Spybot – Search & Destroy

Spybot checks your system against a huge and ever-growing database of adware and other system invaders it is also very efficient with destroying malicious files once they are uncovered.

Ad-Aware

Ad-Aware have revamped the look and feel of their popular spyware program and have made it faster and less of a burden on your system resources. It also comes with a free antivirus all in one with this new version that is compatible with Windows 7.

4Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a nice and fast malware remover that scans your computer quickly but thoroughly and gets rid of malware in a heartbeat. It supports multiple drive scanning and the interface is very simple to use and looks great.

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0

AVG has a very easy-to-use interface and it really gives you a lot of power and protection for a free service, which is why it is one of the most popular ones available free of charge. However, make sure you download version 9.0, because older ones will not work with Windows 7.

6 Great Tools for Taking Notes

April 27, 2012 Documents, Free Tools, Online Tools

As technology continues to advance, the pen and paper have all but disappeared from classrooms. More and more students are taking their laptops or their smartphones to school with them and taking notes on these gadgets instead of in their notebooks. This not only goes for students, but for businesspeople as well.

Here are some of the best available tools for taking notes and jotting down ideas.

Evernote

Evernote is probably the most popular application for taking notes. Its main advantage is the fact that it supports multiple platforms. It works on Android mobile phones, iPhones and on Windows as well. Its cloud synchronization also ensures you that you will have your notes stores and accessible at all times.

Evernote is also notable for ability to help you to better organize your notes. They can add descriptive tags , geo-locations, indicate the author, and much more. It is also possible to group your notes by date, by topic and by a variety of other categories. Furthermore, it is very simple to share the notes thanks to its web synchronization abilities.

It is also known for its extensibility and compatibility with third-party apps. It also integrates with browsers, mail clients, and more, so you can send notes easily from these types of applications to Evernote.

OneNote

OneNote is made by Microsoft and is included in all editions of MS Office.

The way that you take notes in this program is pretty characteristic. Instead of writing in it like in a word processor, you can click anywhere on the screen to display a floating text box that can be moved anywhere, and you will be able to write, draw, make lists, and perform various other types of note-taking procedures. It also records audio and video, and can be synchronized with the cloud as well through Office Web Apps .

OneNote is an ideal tool for students and professionals. One advantage that it has over Evernote is that many of the functions which need a plug-in for Evernote are already integrated into OneNote with no adding plug-ins to download. For example, it has an integrated scanner function which allows you to take screenshots and have them appear immediately in the note..

The two strikes against it are that it is not free and that it is available on fewer platforms Android phone or iPhone cannot use it in its full capacity.

Windows Sticky Notes

For those who just need something basic, Windows Sticky Notes is the way to go.

This tool is very basic, but it gets the job done when you just need to jot down some information or some ideas quickly. You can organize different types of notes by color, and an interesting detail is that Sticky Notes is integrated with Instant Search in Windows, which enables you to find what you are looking for very quickly.

Simplenote + ResophNotes

Another simple option, but with more organizational options is Simplenote. It is a web application with a Mac-style interface, which has basic options for organizing and sharing notes. You can search through your notes, tag them, or share and post the notes with a unique URL. In addition, Simplenote has a good API, so there are dozens of applications on all platforms that integrate with it. One such application is ResophNotes.

It works on Windows and has the same functions that Simplenote has on the web, but with the advantage that you can access the notes while offline as well. This is the recommended choice for those looking for something simple for taking notes and the ability to synchronize with the cloud and share the notes easily.

Gumnotes

This is a hybrid of notes and reminders. You can use Gumnotes to write notes and attach them to web pages, documents, emails . When accessing the file or website, the written note and attachment emerge as a pop-up, which acts as a sort of reminder.

It is pretty much an attempt to create a virtual post-it note.

Springpad

This is a powerful web app for taking notes in style. Springpad has a panel-based interface, which shows the different types of saved notes: text notes, check lists, important notes, etc.

With Springpad it is easy to share notes with others, and every note leaves room for you to attach other items such as files or comments. It even includes a panel called “board” in which you can drag and drop post-it type notes, or other items. The search for notes is excellent, including the Instant Search with advanced filtering options.

It has no application for Windows, although it is hardly necessary since it has offline mode options as a Google Chrome web app. Despite being full of features, it is actually a much better brainstorming and collaboration tool than it is a note-taking application.

How to Unlock Secure PDFs

April 20, 2012 Free Tools, PDF

If you have been using online services to convert your PDFs into other file formats, then you have probably received emails telling you that the conversion has failed – it happens all of the time. But what is the reason behind the fact that your PDF was not able to be converted? One of the most common reasons is that your PDF is protected.

PDF protection can come in different forms. For example, a PDF might be protected from being copied, you might have assigned protection from printing text, page extraction, merging documents, commenting, filling out form fields, signing or many other restrictions. If you have secured anything in your PDF, then the PDF probably has an Owner Password. This is the simplest way of protecting files, but it is enough to significantly decrease the chances that your document will be converted successfully. Other forms of protections, like User Password, are more restrictive. For example, they might prohibit users from even opening file or making any changes to it.

If you want to free your PDFs of security features and passwords before trying to convert them, here are three excellent sites that can help you do it. However, it is important to remember that while these sites can remove securities and passwords found within the PDF, they cannot unlock PDF files that cannot be opened or viewed without a password.

Free My PDF

This site is an excellent one for removing passwords and restrictions set for your PDF. Just chose the PDF you want unlocked, click “Do It!” and you will get the new, unlocked PDF saved directly to your computer once the process is completed.

PDF Unlock

Here is another great site for getting rid of passwords and restrictions from your PDF. Just select the PDF from the computer that you want to have unlocked, and click the “Unlock” button.

Crack My PDF

This site works just as well as the other two. Just select your file and remove all of the passwords and restrictions that are limiting your work with the PDF in question.

How to Listen to and Record Online Radio Programs

April 12, 2012 Free Tools, Online Tools, Tips

Even though many have predicted the demise of radio with the rise in popularity of first television and then the Internet, it didn’t happen. Actually, thanks to the Internet, radio was reborn, and there are many online radio stations that are thriving. What the Internet offers is the possibility to choose among hundreds of radio stations and explore many different genres of not only music and talk programs as well. And just like when you used to record radio shows on a cassette as a kid, you can now record songs and discussions onto your computer when listening to online radio programs.

Though there are quite a few options of desktop software which can help you to record and listen to online radio programs, these two are by far the best and most popular.

StreamWriter

StreamWriter is extremely easy to use and operate. You can search radio stations by genre or name using this software. When you are listening to a radio station, the song title, the quality of the audio, and a lot of other information is displayed automatically. What is most useful about this tool is that you can skip ads and commercials which can be very annoying, and avoid recording the same song twice. It also allows you to record audio from multiple online radio stations at once. All in all, it is an extremely fast and simple to use tool. Songs are downloaded in the mp3 format and can be cut and edited directly in the program.

RarmaRadio

Rarma radio is less popular than StreamWriter, but it has very good features that can rival it. There are multiple radio stations sorted by genre from which you can choose when looking for something to listen to and possibly record. Songs are recorded in three formats mp3, wma and ogg, so it gives you more options in that regard than StreamWriter does. With this tool, you can record multiple radio stations at once as well, but also schedule automatic recording times in the future like using a VCR (remember those?). You can also import lyrics for the songs that you listen to and download with the help of this great software.

Academic Research Toolbox

April 9, 2012 Documents, PDF

Academic research is never easy. One has to spend a lot of time in front of a computer reading, analyzing and researching. Going over multiple sources and documents can take days. Multiple documents have to be properly organized, so that one can easily find what he or she needs and make sure that all information can be easily retrieved. Citations can be especially daunting, because sometimes students have to spend numerous hours in retrieving and organizing them, leaving less time for the actual research.

We have rounded up a collection of tools that will undoubtedly help you save time in your research and increase the quality of your work. Good planning is essential for good research and that is why you need to arm yourself with the best tools possible.

1. BibMe

BibMe is a free, automatic citation generator. It was developed at the Carnegie Mellon University in 2007 and has gained a lot of popularity since. With this tool you can organize your citations and references using MLA, APA, Chicago, and Turabian formatting. It has a large external database which allows it to generate citations pretty quickly.

2. EasyBib

EasyBib is also an excellent citation tool. What makes it amazing is that it offers web apps, and Android and iOS apps which can allow you to generate citations from your smartphone. For example, you can scan the ISBN barcodes of books and get an MLS citation format for free. Other formats are for premium users.

3. Zotero

Zotero is an excellent research assistant. It can be used as a Firefox extension or standalone computer application. It is available for Linux, Windows and Mac users. With Zotero you can create your own personal and customized library. In it you can add PDFs, images, audio and video files, snapshots of web pages, and much more. The library is highly searchable, so you won’t have any trouble finding what you need, no matter how much you put into it. Also, you can work on a project together in a group if need be.

4. Academia

This is an academic research network community. It is something like a professional social network. Academics can create their online profiles and link them to their publications. Actually, the system does that automatically as soon as you create your academic profile. Users can create and share their research with others and also get involved in discussions and interactions with fellow academics. All in all, it is a great way to build your professional academic profile and meet other researchers with similar interests and share your ideas with them.

5. Google Scholar

It is impossible to talk about academic research without mentioning Google scholar. Google Scholar is Google’s search engine that searches only academic publications, working papers and books. If you want to search for a specific publication, work, or topic, you can use Google Scholar and avoid all non-academic sources in search results.

6. EndNote Web

EndNote Web is a web-based reference organizer with collaboration possibilities. Users can collect and store their references online, create bibliographies and access them anytime, anywhere. Interacting with other users is also a possibility

7. Qiqqa

Qiqqa is an award-winning research management software. What is most important is that it is free. It allows you to keep a collection of your PDF documents and publications and it has a built-in PDF reader with amazing search, annotation and OCR capabilities. It has a smart way of analyzing connections between papers, which significantly reduces the amount of time needed in reading. All information can be stored in a cloud as well. This tool also allows citation and integrates directly with MS Word to make it easier.

8. RefWorks

RefWorks is another amazing tool which helps you organize all kinds of information much more easily. It is the perfect tool for writing and researching since it enables you to work smarter and be more productive on the whole by keeping organized and focused.

9. Memonic

Memonic is an online notebook in which users can collaborate. Users can clip web content or add notes directly from emails. The can also add MS Word and PDF files to the collaborative notebook as well.

10. KnightCite

KnightCite is an online tool that enables you to create citations very easily and effectively. It is fast and you can create several references at once, making it very convenient if you have a lot of repeated references in your research paper.

11. Mendeley

We already talked about Mendeley, a great PDF and paper organizer with multiple other functions like reference management, annotation, note taking and much, much more, but it won’t hurt to mention this great tool again.

12. Evernote

This is a very well-known and highly used note taking tools available for all platforms. You can use it to take note of your ideas, write down things you hear, save noted websites, links, and all type of information in one place and have access to it from both desktop computer and mobile smartphone. Data is always synchronized and organized in a manner which helps you to never forget anything or leave any important information out.

13. Citelighter

Citelighter is a new tool that allows you to take notes and information from web sources. It helps you to take notes, create bibliographies and then share and promote your research after you have completed it.

14. Session Managers

Most research these days is done on the Internet and through by browsers. That is why it is always handy to have the possibility of saving active browser sessions for later. For example, if you are investigating one topic and have 5 tabs on that topic opened, you can save those tabs for later viewing. Session managers for Chrome and Firefox are available.

15. Flux

Flux is a small tool which is not used for research, but it can help us keep our vision and sanity when spending hours glaring at a computer screen while putting a research project together.

Organizing PDFs for online academic research

March 30, 2012 Documents, Free Tools, Online Tools, PDF

Academic and scientific research requires dealing with lots of working papers, books, publications, and research and data documents. All those documents can be kept in PDF file format. Research is however, more than just reading. It requires keeping documents in order and organized for reference and citation purposes. That is why each academic research project has the special challenge of keeping all publications sorted out and accounted for at all times.

Mendeley is a great tool that you can use for organizing and managing a research project. It is a desktop software which can be downloaded to your computer. The software gives you access to an open catalog of millions of publications, thus making it incredibly easy to track and export references. Every researcher knows how time consuming it can be to manually enter all of your references, and that is where Mendeley can be of great help. The service covers a large number of citation styles, but you can always create your own as well. You can even search for references online on Mendeley’s website.

When dealing with PDF files, Mendeley allows annotations, which enables readers to keep track of ideas, citations, plans and proposals.

All PDFs can be organized in folders and sub-groups, but this tool also offers integration with MS Office, OpenOffice and BibTex.

One of the most important features of this tool is its collaboration capabilities. One can create and search for groups of like-minded researchers, and share opinions and ideas with them as well. It is also possible to create private groups and collaborate on the same project with others. Not only that, but you can also build your research profiles and get in contact with academics all around the world as well through Mendeley.

Useful Android apps for AutoCAD users

March 22, 2012 Autocad

AutoCAD is the leading 2D and 3D professional design software product on the market. It is used every day by millions of architects, CAD technicians, designers, engineers, project managers, and CAD/IT managers around the world. However, many of these industries require that you work outside and on the field, which makes it necessary to be able to take this software on the road with you in these situations. Smart phones have enabled professionals to do just that, and now instead of fumbling about with paper plans and projects, you can simply view the project on your phone.

Of course, there are no AutoCAD smartphones apps that can replace the real software, but there are some excellent apps available for Android-based phones that can be very useful for AutoCAD users working outside of the office.

1. AutoCAD WS

This is probably the best, and certainly the most popular Android app for AutoCAD users. This app allows you a great deal of independence and versatility. It allows you to bring your own DWG documents with you and directly edit them from the field or site. It also supports the viewing of 3D drawings on your smartphone as well.

2. Droid 2 CAD

This app allows you to capture geographic co-ordinates directly while at the site and it is integrated with Google Maps, which gives you excellent access to pictures of the terrain and the geographical location you are working with.

3. Frame design 2D

This is a handy app for 2D drawings and design. It allows you to analyze many important factors, including force distribution, deflections and tension within your 2D drawings.

4. Inard

This app allows you to create CAD drawings very simply and effectively while you are on the go. You can then export them, share them or save them for later viewing.

5 Things You Need To Know About Pinterest

March 20, 2012 Free Tools, Online Tools

What is it?

Pinterest is the latest social networking site that has picked up steam over the last couple of weeks, even though a closed beta version of the network was launched over two years ago. Its concept is very visual and doesn’t rely on words as much as the two social networking giants, Facebook and Twitter, do – it’s all about pictures. The site’s membership is currently growing at an exceptional rate.

How does it work?

When you become a member of Pinterest, you are given your own virtual pinboard. You then collect images from all over the Internet and pin these images onto your virtual pinboard. Essentially, the images that you put up on your personal pinboard reflect your interests – things you like, things you are interested in, things you would like to explore more, and so forth. For example, you can post an image of a movie you are looking forward to seeing or an image of some new shoes that you are interested in purchasing.

Once you have pinned something to your pinboard, it can then be re-pinned, which is the way in which things are shared through this social network and how things are spread or, eventually, made to go viral.

Who is using it?

According to the latest stats presented by various sources on who is using the site, it should come as no surprise that a vast majority of Pinterest devotees are females. This visual aspect of the site seems to be more appealing to females. If you take a quick gander at activity on the site, you’ll see a lot of women using it to share opinions and wish lists for the upcoming fashion season, trading tips and ideas for redecorating homes, and many other things such as that, which are of a more visual nature.

People who have blogs that tackle very visual topics, such as fashion and décor, are looking to get on board with Pinterest and capitalize on the growing popularity of the site.

How Can You Join?

Unfortunately, Pinterest is still an invite only social network, which means that you will not be able to join the community unless you know someone who is already on it and is willing to send you an invitation. If you do not know anyone who can provide you with an invite, then you can get on the Pinterest waiting list to join. We can send invitations for joining Pinterest to some of our loyal users, so if you would be interested in something like that, send an email to our support address.

What Can it Do for You?

The practical uses of the site are still very much up in the air, but such a platform does present many possible ways to make money. People are already looking into ways to promote their blogs, sites and products through the site and Pinterest is already making money by turning the pinned pictures into affiliate links for retailers and ecommerce sites at which you could buy these pinned products.

One thing is certain – Pinterest is already recognized as a great way to generate traffic for your own blog. The best part about it is that the surface of Pinterest has yet to be scratched and if the site continues to gain popularity over the course of this year, as it has recently, you can expect that many more personal and business uses will begin to crop up as people begin to investigate all of Pinterest’s money-making and promotional options.

The Best PDF readers for Android OS

March 14, 2012 PDF

With the rise of mobile technologies, the popularity of the PDF format has in no way fallen off. Even though there are plenty of mobile book reading formats, PDF is still widely used on all types of mobile devices. Here we have selected for you the best four, free Android PDF readers to use on your smartphone.

1. Adobe PDF reader

As expected, Adobe was one of the first to offer up a PDF reader for the Android market. The quality of this application is great, though it does suffer from some of the same shortcomings as its Windows counterpart suffers from – namely, it’s bulky and pretty slow.

2. Mantano reader

This is a good alternative to the Adobe reader if you are looking for something lighter and more stripped-down in style. It is not void of features, however. Mantano reader offers some exception features, among which is the ability to select text and share quotes and annotations with your friends.

3. Aldiko PDF reader

This is a great application which works with both PDF and .epub formats. It is pretty fast and the quality of the displayed images makes it very easy on the eyes when you have to read a lot on the go.

4. APV PDF viewer

APV PDF viewer is an open source application. It is pretty solid and offers everything needed to read PDFs, but doesn’t feature many exciting features and is fairly stripped-down. However, if all you need to do is open PDFs quickly and easily on your mobile phone, APV gets the job done.