There are plenty of cloud printing services popping up around the web.  In the past we have used both Google Cloud Print and Printer Share.  Now we have stumbled across a relatively new service that seems to have a lot of promise.  Breezy can print to both your local printer from a remote location, a fax machine, or commercial locations such as FedEx.

Before getting started you will need to head over to Breezy and sign up for an account.  There are two parts to getting the service up and running.  The first is to install the “Connector” app to the computer to which your printer is attached.  If your printer is attached to a router then install the connector to any desktop PC in your home since those won’t be going out on the road.

Once the Connector is downloaded and installed you will need to get it set up for your account.  To do that you will need to log in with your email and password and then choose which printer you want to share and give it a name.

You can then go to the Settings page and make a few changes.  It’s recommended that you enable the app to start with Windows, making it available at all times.

You can now install the mobile app on your Blackberry, iOS, or Android device or use it via the web for use on a laptop.  For this test we are using a Windows 7 laptop that travels with me.

You can then visit the web app and drag and drop any file to the interface to send it to your home printer.  It’s compatible with any browser.

Breezy provides 25 free page prints per month.  If you need additional then you can purchase an unlimited plan for $3 per month and Professional and and Enterprise plans for additional cost and features are also available.  To get started you can head over to Breezy and check them out.  We have started using it here and so far it’s been uneventful, which means good.

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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Battlefield 3, the popular video game for the Xbox 360, PS3, and the PC, is currently available from gaming studio Origin.  While looking for a Battlefield 3 theme for the Chrome browser we discovered a bonus – the game is on sale for a big discount this weekend only.

First up, the Chrome theme is available from the Chrome Store for users with a 1440 x 900 screen resolution.  If that’s not you, then don’t fret – you can visit the maker’s blog to get versions for 1024 x 768, 1280 x 1024, 1366 x 768, 1680 x 1050, and 1920 x 1200.

As for the actual game itself, it seems that Origin is having a “this weekend only” sale that cuts the price of all versions by a good chunk – $20 off to be exact.  All versions of the game are regularly priced at $59.99, but are currently slashed to $39.99 for today and tomorrow.  To take advantage of the deal you can head over to Origin.

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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Windows Phone has been on the market for about a year and a half now and growth has been slower than Microsoft had hoped, but they may have finally turned the corner in 2012.  With RIM’s Blackberry platform steadily losing ground it seems that Windows Phone is becoming the benefactor of that crash.

Microsoft has seen market gains in the U.S., U.K., France, and Italy of around 4 percent and in Germany they have gained 6 percent.  The problem that Windows Phone now faces is that in both the U.S. and Europe Android is also gaining share at Blackberry’s expense.  In fact, RIM now has just a 3 percent market share in the U.S.

While there aren’t figures available to prove it, it seems likely that the Nokia partnership in Windows Phone, and their Lumia line which debuted early this year, is responsible for much of this growth for the Microsoft mobile OS.  The Lumia 900, especially, is popular and getting rave reviews for it’s looks, functionality, and price.

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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Today Google announced new updates to the contacts area of Gmail that will make it easier keep track of conversations and give users better Google+ integration.  Google claims a goal of bringing people to the forefront of their services like Gmail and the new features work towards that end.

Now when a user searches for an email address from within Gmail the results will show all of the contact details including profile photos and emails back and forth with that person.  Google has also introduced better circle integration with adds profile pictures when a circle is selected, contact details when you click a profile, and are now supported in search and filters.  Users can find messages from a specific circle by simply searching for “circle:” follwed by the circle name.

For more detailed information on these new features you can head over to the Gmail blog.  The new features do require you to have a Google+ account.

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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Those of you who follow Microsoft closely are probably familiar with terms like “build number”.  Microsoft assigns a number to each version of a new operating system that they produce, thereby differentiating it from the many other tests to find the most stable version for users.

The web site WinUnleaked.tk, which has provided much of the advanced Windows 8 information that we have seen, has now unveiled the latest build number for the “Release Preview” version of Windows 8, which will be coming in June.  The latest build number for the Release Preview version of Windows 8 (which is also known as the release candidate) is officially called 8376.0.winmain_win8rc.120506-0920.  Doesn’t exactly roll off of the tongues does it?  Thankfully almost nobody refers to these builds by actual complete names, but only the number, in this case 8376.

According to Microsoft the Release Preview of Windows 8 will hit the download channels in the first week of June.  The final version is expected in late 2012, although Microsoft has not yet confirmed that.  Windows 8, in it’s current “Consumer Preview” form, is almost perfectly stable and we only expect feature enhancements to be added at this point.

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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Mother’s Day is coming up this Sunday, May 13th and to get ready for the special occasion Microsoft has released a special theme for Windows 7.  Microsoft frequently releases a new theme based on holidays, but Mother’s Day seemed to be a tough one to illustrate, so how did they do it?

The new theme, called “Furry Families”, features 14 photos of animal parents and babies, many of the which are exotic species that you simply don’t see very often.

“Surprise the mother in your life with images of tender motherly moments in the animal world: Polar bears hugging, lions nuzzling, otters cuddling, and penguins standing in the freezing cold. There’s even a mother gopher teaching her pup to dance.”

You can download the theme from the Microsoft Personalization Gallery.  Remember Microsoft’s disclaimer that “Windows 7 themes can only be used in Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate editions.”

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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Editor’s Note: Every Saturday Morning we take a departure from our normal tech coverage for a little internet video fun.  We take a look at extreme sports, hot movie trailers, stop-motion animation, and pretty much whatever cool video we happen to come across on the internet.

The first of cycling’s three “grand tours”, the Giro d’Italia, is set to kick off today.  If you are a bike racing fan then you are probably anxious to see the race for the pink jersey get under way now that the spring classics are behind us.  Of course, while we don’t want to see any rider get hurt, crashes are a part of the sport and add an element of danger and excitement to racing.  Last year stage 5 of the Giro was one of those inexplicable days in racing where, despite the sunny, dry conditions, riders seem to be tumbling left and right.

With that in mind, we found a video from Universal Sports of the highlights, or lowlights, of stage 5 of the 2011 Giro.  You can check it out below.

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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With the proliferation of countless new photo and camera apps on mobile devices such as Android, more and more users are looking for simple ways to move their photos around between those devices and their computers.  Two of the most popular platforms are Android for mobile and Windows 7 for computers.  There are several wireless methods of transfer, and one of the most efficient and simple ones is called “Photo Transfer App” for Android.

Once you have downloaded and installed the app on your Android device you are ready to get started.  There are no cords involved, as the app works right over your home’s WiFi network.

Once you open the app you will be able to choose between sending and receiving photos between your Android and your PC.  In this case we will use “Send”.

This will give you the choice to choose between a Windows or Apple computer or another Android device.  In this case we will be using a Windows 7 PC.

You will now receive an IP address which you can browse to from your PC.  First, tap the “Select” button to choose what photos and videos you would like to transfer.  Now go to your PC, open a browser, and type in the URL displayed in Photo Transfer App.

There were some issues getting the syncing to work at first.  In fact, my PC could not connect to the address given by the app.  However, when I switched to “Receive”, there was no problem connecting to Android from the PC and the option to “Send” was still available.

The app is available from the Google Play Store for free, or for $1.99 if you would like the full version.

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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Editor’s Note: Every Saturday Morning we take a departure from our normal tech coverage for a little internet video fun.  We take a look at extreme sports, hot movie trailers, stop-motion animation, and pretty much whatever cool video we happen to come across on the internet.

This week we visit with our favorite Astro-Physicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and listen to his answer when he is asked, during a live panel, about UFO’s.  The answer is in-depth, humorous, and poignant all at the same time.  Tyson is perhaps the smartest and most personable scientist the world has had since Carl Sagan passed away.  He brings a down-to-earth, and often humorous, explanation to the most complicated questions that mankind can ask.  If only the world had more minds like this then perhaps we wouldn’t have our politics trying to set our science back hundreds of years with such things as global warming denialism and creationism.  Check him out in the video below and search for his other videos on YouTube.  You will be glad you did.

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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Street View, the popular video mapping service from Google, has been releasing numerous updates to bring more and more of the world to your computer or mobile device.  Today they announced their latest update, which brings the old streets of several prominent locations in Israel to your web browser.  In an announcement on their blog today, Google stated that they have released both Jerusalem and parts of Tel Aviv and Haifa in Street View.

Jerusalem is the prominent feature in this release, with all four quarters of the Old City having been filmed in-depth.  Users can visit such locations as Via Dolorosa, the Church of the Sepulchre, the Western Wall, the Biblical Zoo, the Israel Museum, and many more locations in the historic city.

In addition to the in-depth look at Jersalem, Google also released street view for the beaches of Tel Aviv and Haifa’s Baha’i Gardens.  You can read the entire announcement over at the Google Blog.  You can also watch their video teaser below.

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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