Apps For All

Hi All,

New year, new apps...here's a list of interesting, new apps for various operating systems...click on the next three links to go to the traditional app stores at Google, Apple and Microsoft.


Here's a very, very partial list...3 links for each category...

Android Apps
F-Droid
PC Mag - 100 Best Android Apps of 2017
Tech Radar - Best Free Android Apps of 2016
Android Authority - 15 Best Free Android Apps of 2017

iOS Apps
Tom's Guide - 40 Best Free Apps for iPhone
Macworld - 77 Best Free iPhone Apps - Fantastic iOS Apps That Don't Cost a Thing
Popular Mechanics - 23 Best iPhone Apps to Download Now

Microsoft Apps
Top30 Best Windows Phone Apps 
20 Must-Have Apps For Windows Phone
20+ Must-Have Apps For Your New Windows Phone 

Blackberry
Blackberry 10 Apps
Digital Trends - Best Blackberry 10 Apps
102 Best Blackberry Apps

Enjoy the links and the apps!

Regards,
stu

Gizmo's Freeware

Hi All,

If users want to review and rate the best free software a good site to visit would be Gizmo's Freeware. 

Click on this 'About' link to learn more about Gizmo's Freeware....note that the site is composed of a non-commercial community of users and the site is staffed by volunteers.

The site has links for freeware on a multitude of topics including Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, Online Apps, eBooks and Resources.

For example, when a user chooses the Windows option listed above another page of options appears.  All Windows desktop freeware is listed by category.  Some of the more relevant categories include Audio & Video, Cleanup & Tuning, Disk & File, Games, Photos & Graphics and Security & Privacy.

Another click on the topic that is needed brings the user to another page.  This page has a narrative about the specific freeware in question.  Note that a time stamp is included in the article.  In addition, the author of the article is listed. The site gives users the ability to track particular author's articles - and view them.

The site is much different than PCWorld or Cnet since its focuses completely on freeware.  The other sites deal with news, video, How-To and have software downloads...

Enjoy the links!

Regards,
Stu

Password Managers For All Your Devices

Hi All,

A quick summary of an article entitled 'Review: The Best Password Managers for PCs, Macs, and Mobile Devices' from InfoWorld back in June of 2015.  '10 local and cloud-based contenders make passwords stronger and online life easier for Windows, OS X, iOS, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone users.'

Password managers are good ways to securing your online identity.  They also help you increase the strength of your passwords that protect your online accounts by remembering the passwords for you.

Seriously - what are the odds of you remembering a random string of numbers, digits and characters for one account - let alone multiple accounts?  You won't - its that simple.

But wait, there's more...read this article titled, '10 Surprising Cyber Security Facts That May Affect Your Online Safety'.

Read on for the 6 best password managers to help protect you against id theft, online account security and privacy.

You might also want to read this article from NetIQ title, '84 Fascinating & Scary IT Security Statistics'.

In any event, the password managers that are covered in the initial article from InfoWorld include: 
1Password - Agile Bits
Dashlane
KeePass
LastPass
PasswordBox
SplashID Safe

The above links go to each vendors' website - in many cases there are free versions which don't offer the same level of security as the pay version....

Good luck protecting your passwords and staying secure online!

Regards,
Stu

Things You Can Do With Your Smartphone...

Hi All,

You've come a long way Mr. Smartphone.  No longer is the smartphone just capable of searching the web or getting email or texting.  Nope...its a whole new world out there of tools, scans, resources, fitness tools, note taking, voice operating tools and much, much more - as you'll see in this post. 

You probably know all this already...but if readers pick up even just one tip...well, then I can consider this post a success.  (But I am shooting for a bit more than just one tip being picked up by a reader!)

Mashable has a link  titled, 'Apps: 10 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do With Your Smartphone'.  Check out #3 and #7...

Techrader.com has its own version of '10 Things You Didn't Know Your Smartphone Could Do' - article is current and interesting - check #6...you'll never need to look outside again for the weather - although that might be easier...

As if you didn't know already, there are a ton of fun things you can do with your smartphone - now this list has been organized for you in this article from Sooperarticles.com. Title of the article is 'Fun Things To Do With Your Smartphone'.

Not to be beat, Techlicious.com has come out with an article on '8 Things You Didn't Know You Can Do With Your Smartphone'.  (I had no idea about detecting leaky windows or that you can check your check engine light, or the fish finder!)

And, not to be outdone, USA Today - a mainstream newspaper - chimed in with an article as well.  They titled the article '5 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do With Your Smartphone'. Clever, eh?

Finally, we have a bevy of books in the library on how to use your smartphone! Click on this link which will link you to the Farmingdale library card catalog and books on the subject of smartphones!

Enjoy the links and the books and your smartphone!

Regards,
Stu

Smart Phone Security

Hi All,

Many of us know that smartphone usage is increasing exponentially.  Seriously, they are everywhere - and they are awesome in that users can text, email, search the web, play music, watch movies and much, much more.

But there can be a downside to smartphone use...(sorry).  eWeek.com came out with an article back in February 2014 entitled, '10 Mobile Security Issues That Should Worry You'.  Its a slideshow so it won't take long to take a peak - its worth your time and effort.  

Click on this next link from Verizon.com for an entry called '9 Tips to Keep Your Smartphone Security'.  Some of the highlights in the article include locking your smartphone with a pin and installing an Android security app. 

Alternatively, you can click on this link titled '7 Best Practices For Smartphone Security (from Cnet.com)'. (Enabling 'Do Not Track' and Avoid answering spam calls are my faves!)

And, finally, click on these two links for more info on how to keep your smartphone safe and secure!
'How to Keep Your Smartphone (and its data) Secure' - ComputerWorld.com
'Smartphone Security Tips' - Kaspersky.com
'10 Best Ways to Secure Your Smartphone' - Androidcentral.com

Enjoy the links - hope your phone and data are more secure after you read this blog post!

Regards,
Stu


  

AppSmart and Other App Sites

Hi All,

Just found an interesting link on the New York Time website.  Its called App Smart and can be found at this link. App Smart enables users to find the best mobile apps for your needs (tracking fitness, creativity or falling in love...).  Note that App Smart is video based so users get to watch on their device.  A very random sampling of videos includes: Avoiding Sunburns, Writing Poetry, Going Green and History 101.

Below I've listed a major site that reviews various apps for various Android and Apple devices. 
148Apps - includes reviews, new apps, price drops, top 148, how to, feeds and more.  Links also to All iPhone Reviews, iPhone Games, All iPad Reviews, iPad Games, Hardware and more. 

Finally, click on this link from PCMag.com for their section on Apps.  PCMag also has hands-on reviews of iPad Apps, iPhone Apps, BlackBerry Apps, Android Apps, Palm Apps, Windows Mobile Apps,  Mobile Utilities and Mobile Games...click here for a few of PCMag's 100 Best articles: 100 Best Android Apps, 100 Best iPhone Apps, and the 100 Best iPad Apps.

Enjoy the download and the apps!

Regards,
Stu

Photo Sharing Websites

Hi All,

Looking to share a photo or picture with a friend or family member?

Good - glad you came by for today's post.  Click on this link - from Wikipedia - that lists photo sharing websites.  By no means is this list exhaustive.  There are others that exist on the web!

Note that users can sort the list - which is exactly what I did. I sorted by the Registered Users. I sorted from largest to smallest.  The result was that Instagram, Snapfish, Flickr, Photobucket and DeviantART and Lockerz are the top 6 most used photo sharing websites on the web.  Click on any of the links to go to that particular site.  

The chart on the Wikipedia is very extensive and useful.  Columns include 'Name', Location/Owner/Hoster, Description/Focus/Registration Requirements, platform used (iOS, Android, Windows), Number of Registered Users, Storge Space Allowed Per Person (standard usage), and the Global Alexa Page Ranking of the photo sharing site. 

Further down on the Wikipedia page is another table that covers file formats, upload information, folder/album structure, limitations, tags/keywords, comments, rating and downloading originals for all of the photo sharing websites.

So, if you are looking for a way to share photos with friends and family, you might want to consult this Wikipedia link - its extensive, comprehensive and current!

Enjoy the sharing.

Regards,
Stu