Apps is a big catch word these days and have been since Apple popularized the word with their iTunes App Store.  But apps aren’t just for mobile, there are desktop apps that you can download and install on your computer and web apps that run right on a web site, such as Delicious and Office 365.  One of the most popular types of web apps are conversion tools, for things like converting a file from one audio or video format to another.

There is a new web site, called Productive Web Apps, that aims to bring all of the many web apps available into one easy to use location.  You can search for apps by name or function or you can browse by new releases, featured, and categories.  If you know of, or have created an app, then you can submit it to them.

Productive Web Apps is free to use and doesn’t require any kind of sign-up.  Not all of the web apps listed are free to use, but most paid apps do offer free trials.

Alan

Alan is the owner and editor of Making Windows Easy. In addition to writing about technology he is also an avid distance runner and hiker. Read More

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No matter if you’re at home or on the road, having a WiFi connection is handy because almost everyone has multiple devices hungry for that connection.  If you are stuck with a wired connection to your computer, but want to use the connection for another device then you have a few options.  One is to invest in a router – a basic router will work just fine in the home, or a special travel-size router can be handy on the road.

Now there is a cheaper alternative, because Windows users can turn their PC’s in virtual WiFi routers with a free app called, no irony, Virtual WiFi Router.  You can install it on a desktop for home use or put it on your notebook and take it on the road.

To get started you will need to do a little preparation work on your computer.  Click Start => Control Panel => Programs.

On the left side of the screen click on Turn Windows features on or off.

Scroll down to Microsoft .NET Framework and enable both HTTP Activation and Non-HTTP Activation by checking the boxes next to each option.  Click OK.  This change does NOT require a restart of Windows.

Now click Start => Control Panel => Network and Internet => Network and Sharing Center.

On the left side of the window click on Change adapter settings.  Right-click on your network connection and choose Properties.  Click to enable Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s internet connection.

Finally, you are done with the preparation of your computer.  Now download and install Virtual WiFi Router (currently version 2.0.1.1).  Make sure you right-click the .EXE file and choose Run as administrator.  Almost instantly a small “R” should appear in your system tray.

Right-click the icon and choose Start WiFi Router.  Choose the connection you want to share from the drop-down list, then click Configure to enter a name and password for your network and the click Start.

Once “Start” is clicked a new WiFi network instantly become available, and your new network will even be password-protected thanks to the previous step.  To view devices connected to this network, click on the Clients Connected tab.

In my tests I had no problem connecting to the new network with Android and Windows Phone 7 devices, so it seems that everything works well with no set-up hassle.  As long as you follow the preparation steps outlined you should be up and running in five minutes.  Even better, the app is free.  You can download a copy by visiting VirtualWiFiRouter.

Alan

Alan is the owner and editor of Making Windows Easy. In addition to writing about technology he is also an avid distance runner and hiker. Read More

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If you you are looking to share or manage files online then you have  a lot of options.  Boxroom-In-The-Cloud has now joined the ranks and is taking aim at industry-leader Dropbox.  The real question is, what do they bring that Dropbox lacks?  With the standard set so high, any new service would have to aim at the stars.  Boxroom does, but can they deliver?   We took a closer look.

The service is still in beta, but it’s the public kind, so anyone can sign up for it.  Just enter an email address, a password, and agree to the terms and you’re off and running.  You will receive an email shortly inviting you to visit a URL to access your new storage space.

When you log in for the first time you will be prompted to set up an Admin account with a user name, password, and email address.  You will then be taken to a screen that allows you to set up integration with an Amazon S3 account – at the moment, it is required to have one.  If you don’t have an S3 (Simple Storage Service) account yet, visit Amazon Web Services to sign up.  S3 is worth having, not just for this, but for backing up files, although it can cost you if you are dealing with a large amount of files.

Now, under the “Folders” menu you will be able to create new folders, upload files, grant permissions, and a Clipboard that you can copy files to and from.  This is the screen you will spend most of your time on.

Besides “Folders”, there are addition menu items across the top of the screen. “Users” allows you add and changes who has access to your account.  “Groups” allows to create user groups. “Shared Files” lets you send emails to people with access to a particular file, and give an expiration date to that access.  Finally, “System Settings” allows you to change your S3 settings.

The service is free while it remains in beta.  There’s no word yet if there will be a free version once it launches for real, but we assume there will be.  It works smoothly, is fast, and user-friendly.  We like the idea of S3 integration, which Dropbox does not have.  However a look at the paid plans (which are not yet available) shows a higher price point than Dropbox.  We will see if that changes at launch.  The beta allows only a small amount of use, so it’s hard to get a real feeling for it yet.  For now, it’s a wait-and-see deal.

Alan

Alan is the owner and editor of Making Windows Easy. In addition to writing about technology he is also an avid distance runner and hiker. Read More

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We have come to expect censorship and general bad behavior from totalitarian regimes like those in Iran, China, and Burma.  Last year we Iran attempt to block access during the protests against their crooked election.  Burma blocked access in 2007.  It came as somewhat of a shock this past week as we saw Egypt attempt to do the same.  Unlike previous examples, Egypt is a US ally and I imagine this will put quite a strain on those relations.

In the past few days we saw Egypt first shut off access to Twitter and Facebook and then the broader internet.  And when they did it they did quickly, almost instantly.  If you want to read a full, in-depth explanation of it was carried out then check out Bobbie Johnson’s post on GigaOm.  Here’s an excerpt.

“It looks like they’re taking action at two levels,” Rik Ferguson of Trend Micro told me. “First at the DNS level, so any attempt to resolve any address in .eg will fail — but also, in case you’re trying to get directly to an address, they are also using the Border Gateway Protocol, the system through which ISPs advertise their Internet protocol addresses to the network. Many ISPs have basically stopped advertising any internet addresses at all.”

So how are people getting around this restrictive behavior from their government?  The only easy way is the old fashioned dial-up modem.  No, there’s not many of them laying around these days, but some people do still have them.  Some still even use them.  Once you have the modem then you need access to an internet service provider (ISP) in another country.  That’s the hard part – there has to be a way for a person inside of Egypt to receive a phone number and sign-on information for an outside ISP.  Most are probably getting this from a phone call with friend or family member outside of the country.

Connection information is being spread across the internet, especially on Twitter, that can then be passed on to those in need.

There’s plenty of information to be found online about what is happening and what those outside of Egypt can do to help those inside.  A surprising amount of information is getting out of the country.  Or maybe it’s not entirely surprising – we have seen over and over again that information is almost impossible to suppress in the digital age.  And Americans love to help an underdog.

Alan

Alan is the owner and editor of Making Windows Easy. In addition to writing about technology he is also an avid distance runner and hiker. Read More

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On August 1st NetMarketShare released their figures for July and, for the second straight month, Internet Explorer’s numbers rose.  After reaching a 6 month low of 59.75% in May, IE rose to 60.74 in July.  And the gain has come at the expense of both Firefox and Chrome.

Firefox dropped for the third straight month and is now down to 22.91%.  Chrome, meanwhile, suffered it’s first setback, dropping from 7.24% in June to 7.16% in July.

While the browser wars are wide open again, it does seem that Microsoft’s hard work since the disaster that was IE6 is paying off.  The incompatibility, security holes and lack of standards in IE6 bit Microsoft pretty hard and allowed Firefox to jump into the mainstream and grow by leaps and bounds.

With IE9 now taking shape on the horizon this bodes well for Microsoft.

Alan

Alan is the owner and editor of Making Windows Easy. In addition to writing about technology he is also an avid distance runner and hiker. Read More

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One of the things Xmarks has going for it is its ability to handle multiple profiles.  One of the things Xmarks has going against it is the WAY it handles multiple profiles.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s not horrible.  But, it’s far from good also.  You can save different bookmarks on different PC’s to the same account under different profiles, which is great.  I have two profiles – one (the “Regular”) handles bookmarks on my desktop and laptop which I want to be the same.  The other (the “MCPC”) handles bookmarks for my media center PC, which only requires certain sites, such as TV networks web sites.  This seemed great when I set it up.  Then things went down hill.  I noticed it when I bookmarked a new site on my desktop and, later, saw that bookmark was then on my media center.  Huh?  Logic would dictate the bookmark only save to the profile of the PC it was created on.  But, no, new bookmarks (those created after the profile was created) propagate to ALL profiles.  Deletes do this as well.  Fixing it is less than intuitive.  Here’s how to do it.

1. Log into your Xmarks account.

2. Click My Bookmarks and then click Sync Profiles.

3. Choose the profile where you want to remove (or add) bookmarks.

4. You will now get a list of ALL of your bookmarks with check-boxes next to each site or folder.  You can add or remove checks next to each in each of your profiles.

Alan

Alan is the owner and editor of Making Windows Easy. In addition to writing about technology he is also an avid distance runner and hiker. Read More

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