Computer Realm

Facebook Mobile Sucks

Luqmaan — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:14:27 +0000

Apparently Facebook Mobile’s growth is on a steady appreciating curve. Currently 25% of the total users of Facebook access the social network via mobile and this number is predicted to increase in the near future. You can view their entire strategy with mobile networking in this post.

While all this is very impressive, the fact that their standard m.facebook.com mobile version (that is used by 50% of smartphone users counting Nokia devices only that is) sucks doesn’t help their cause. Apparently they have abandoned the development of their standard mobile product.

For starters, any friend that writes a wall post to a mutual friend appears on a friend’s timeline as a status update (i.e. without the recipient) of the aforementioned friend. This obviously can make things a little confusing. Also, Facebook probably handles hordes of bandwidth every second on their standard web product and mobile products but somehow they are looking to cut corners with their light bandwidth standard mobile product. The Recent and News Feed displays around 20-40 of the latest updates which is a tad cheeseparing in my opinion.

While the above two points are the main factors behind my rant, they are major inconveniences that should have been addressed several weeks (or perhaps months?) ago, however I’m baffled that out of 50% of Facebook Mobile users that use the standard m.facebook.com version of the site, I am yet to find anyone complaining on the blogosphere or anywhere for that matter. Maybe it’s just me?

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5 Alternatives to Adobe Reader

Luqmaan — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 10:10:31 +0000

PDF’s are heavily used as the document reader of choice for several purposes today whether it’s for personal use like CV’s or commercially, like in the case of eBooks. Adobe Reader has long been the PDF reader of choice as it is developed by the creators of the PDF format itself however Adobe Reader has its downside. It sucks in the memory department consuming a lot of CPU resources and it also takes quite a bit of disk space.

In recent times, several better alternatives have showed up, here are 5 of them:

Foxit Reader (Windows/Linux)

Foxit is pretty much the most popular alternative to Adobe Reader and the reason i quite obvious. It fixes the memory issue, it consumes very little memory and it is only 5MB in size. Also, the application is highly portable and can be easily accessed via a USB drive.

Sumatra PDF Viewer (Windows)

Sumatra is also quickly gaining popularity, it is open source and very light on memory, it is also a single standalone file so it is portable as well. Sumatra is great if your main purpose for PDF’s is read only. For more features, the former is a better alternative as it is more feature filled, however since it is only around 1MB having it around somewhere in your portable or main storage will be hardly noticeable.

PDF-Xchange Viewer (Windows)

PDF-Xchange Viewer is also another great alternative to Adobe. While it’s a heavier application (much like Adobe Reader) than the aforementioned software it has a multiude of features in comparison and consumes less memory than Adobe.

Cool PDF Reader (Windows)

Cool PDF Reader is less than 1MB in size and it is meant to just read PDF’s and that’s about it, it allows basic functionality like zooming in and out.

Perfect PDF Reader (Windows)

Perfect PDF Reader will probably be very tasteful to the Office 2007 user, the interface is strikingly similar and the reader offers all functions for reading PDF’s, it addition it allows exporting pages as images among a few other features.

There are quite a few other alternatives available online that perform pretty much the same functions as the applications included above, there are some situations where you might need to use the pioneer Adobe Reader but in most cases one of the above alternatives should do the trick.

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Can’t Uninstall an Application?

Luqmaan — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:58:04 +0000

With the number of applications floating around, you would have probably come across an app that is flawed at some point. The application can be flawed on so many different levels, i.e. interface, user-friendliness, memory consumption or it could plain suck at all levels, you know like Internet Explorer. Sometimes, you might come across the occasional software that refuses to leave, you try uninstalling but it gives you an error, or the uninstall process runs smoothly only for you to find files from the software and broken registry entries originating from the software still lingering on the computer.

This is mainly due to poor programming with the uninstall program or the programming behind the software itself and it usually occurs in software that integrate heavily into the OS and in custom written install programs. (unlike using popular install programs like NSIS or Inno Setup) There are tons of uninstall programs that is just a sorry attempt by a newbie programmer that lists all the install programs and uses the default uninstaller in the application to get rid of the software, however Revo Uninstaller does more than that.

Revo Uninstaller (Windows) is a free (and paid) application that makes an extra effort to make sure you have a clean uninstall of a program. It scans your computer for remaining bits and pieces of the uninstalled software after the standard uninstaller does its job and makes sure the program has been completely removed. In addition it includes a few other tools meant to clean your hard disk of unwanted files from previous installations and otherwise.

The free version of the software provides the former features mentioned, the pro version (around $40 for 1 computer) provides a few more features, according to their website, it provides more ‘advanced’ algorithms for scanning for remains of previous installations (something tells me that ‘feature’ is a marketing stunt for the most part) as well as more visual customization and tracking of system changes during installation of software. View the complete feature comparison here.

Checkout Revo Uninstaller.

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Get WinX HD Video Converter Deluxe for Free

Luqmaan — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:23:40 +0000

There are tons of video and audio converters are available and while programming these tools take considerable amount of time, prices are plummeting as competition increases. Digiarty software, the developers of WinX DVD Ripper are giving away their latest converter product for free. ($49.95 value) This offer is good to go till the 15th of this month, (if you usually freeload paid software and use cracks/serials/keygens here is your chance to get it legally for once) so you might want to head over to their website and try it out.

This converter is tailor made for converting HD video formats (quite obvious, but still) like MKV and HDTV and also converting HD video in media devices such as the iPad and PS3. If you are looking for more of a general, multi-purpose converter you can take a look at the WinX DVD Ripper (above) or Format Factory (freeware).

Website

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6 Tips For Effective Blogging

Gabrielle — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:07:57 +0000

One of the fastest growing industries on the web is blogging. In fact, Google loves blogs more than most of the websites which are not updated more often. Thus, there is a great possibility that when a person blogs, he will be an overnight success; it is possible when hard work, determination and skills are supplemented by methods which have been proven effective in the same field.

Image Credit

It is undeniably true that blogging revolves around great content. Forget about SEO and other promotion methods, what you need is great content to attract readers which will soon be your followers and subscribers.

In line with this, here are some basic elements of blogging which you cannot live without:

1. Write Attractive Headlines/Titles

People looking for information do not have time or do not want to spend much time browsing through all the words in your articles. The truth is, they will go for the title and decide whether they will read the content or not depending on how they like it delivered. Making your headlines/titles appealing will ensure that those who can read them will most likely read the rest of the article.

2. Make your First Paragraph Factual

People who are searching for information want to be sure that what they are reading are facts and not just the result of human imagination. And fact is, they will read the first paragraph as if they can find all the information they are looking for. You may think it is impossible to congest a 500-word idea into one paragraph, but anyone can do it; simply present the very core of the information you want to convey in the first paragraph as a sort of introduction. If you can do that, end the introduction abruptly to raise curiosity.

3. Always Make Your Content Physically Beautiful but Informative

Did you know that most of the people do not want to read plain texts? In this case, the physical structure of your article should be:

Readable – always use easy-to-understand words and present your ideas in the simplest way possible.

Scannable – most of the readers love to browse the whole article before reading it. Thus, if you have to present multiple ideas, use the following:

Bullet Points – best used in presenting 3 or more ideas in a row
Numbered List – best used in conveying step-by-step instructions
Bold Text – obviously used for emphasizing points within paragraphs
Good and Clean Spacing – there should be enough spaces between lines and words

4. Use Photos and Videos if Necessary

If a picture is worth a thousand words then what’s the use of writing when the picture you are presenting says it all? The thing is, do not overdo the use of these as it will make your post messy for your readers.

5. Keep It Simple and Brief

If you can present all your ideas in a 400-word article then there is no need to write a 700-word article which says of the same thing. Expressing your ideas in a “Simple Way” will always lead to brief content. It is important to note that readers always look for concise yet straightforward content.

6. Conclusion

You must end your article in a way that you started it. If you use a question in the opening, present an answer to your readers at the end of your article, if you present an argument then conclude it.

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How to Send a Large Attachment

Luqmaan — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 12:39:54 +0000

Disk space, connectivity and file sharing are some of the things we tend to take advantage of, today communication is easier than ever, memory prices have plummeted over the years, internet speeds are through the roof. File sharing has taught as that there is room for everyone in this world, even cheap freeloaders, it has also given desperate companies like the RIAA an additional revenue stream (but that’s a whole different topic).

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Surprisingly, with all the above advancements, one of the things that reminds us that there are indeed limits are email attachments. IMO, it still makes me wonder why there’s a such a limited cap on attachments. Gmail allows only attachments of size 25MB or less (other popular services like Yahoo and Live are similar), by today’s standards that’s hardly enough. With the abundance of memory, virtually all file types are more detailed and occupy more memory so it is possible to find yourself struggling to deal with the 25MB attachment limit every once in a while.

That’s where transferbigfiles.com comes in. Transfer Big Files (self explanatory but still…) is a simple service that lets you upload files of up to 1GB in size and mail it to a recipient. The file will be uploaded to one of their servers and a direct link to download the file will be emailed to the recipient, while the idea is quite ordinary, it is a very handy one indeed and deserves a bookmark somewhere on your browser just in case. There are a number of similar services but transferbigfiles.com is sufficient and gets the job done.

Of course, if there any alternatives you swear by feel free to leave a comment.

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How to Convert MOD Files

Luqmaan — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:30:09 +0000

To most of us file extensions exist to make using our computer a challenge, finding the relevant converter or application that would open the file, in reality file extensions are a lot more complicated so lets just stick with the former. MOD files are relavitely unpopular as they are usually the format used in JVC branded devices. So on behalf of JVC users, here’s a simple method to convert your MOD files to any popular video format like mp4 or avi.

I reviewed Format Factory (Windows) on Computer Realm a while back, which I can confidently say is the perfect media converter. Fortunately, it is also packaged with MOD decoders that lets you convert MOD files into virtually any video format.

Select your preferred video (or audio) conversion format:

Click ‘Add File’ and select the MOD file:

Configure more options by clicking ‘Output Setting’ if needed:

Click ok and then click ‘Start’ to convert your file:

and voila! Your MOD file is now converted to a better recognized, universal file format. There are a few dedicated MOD converters around which is shareware (what were they thinking?), but Format Factory is as good as it gets.

Format Factory Website

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How to Remove the Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications

Luqmaan — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:26:20 +0000

It’s been a while since Microsoft has begun promoting the use of ‘Genuine’ windows to its customers with a load of benefits over using pirated versions, much of their points being a load of BS to trick users of pirated versions who have no clue into spending $1xx for ‘genuine’ Windows. While there are a few benefits over using genuine Windows other than the fact that it’s the legal option, it can get annoying when you happen to be unknowingly using a pirated version of Windows only to have your desktop sabotaged and your patience tested at startup as you wait 5 seconds while Windows tells you, you have unresolved issues.

This usually happens if you enable automatic updates in your Windows system, which validates your license and continually notifies you in every way possible if your copy of Windows installed happen to be pirated. These notifications can be easily removed using a simple, tiny utility.

RemoveWGA (or remove Windows Genuine Advantage notifications) gives you a 1-click solution to getting rid of your WGA notification woes. All you have to do is download the software and double click the EXE. A notification then states if it has been fixed, once you restart your system you should be free from the annoying windows genuine notifications.

[Download RemoveWGA from Softpedia]

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Remove Your PDF Password for Free

Luqmaan — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:36:38 +0000

Admit it, most of us have created accounts for online services and had that ‘holy crap’ moment when you need to login and can’t remember the password. Thankfully, web browsers allow us to conveniently remember passwords when we login to a website, which has become a disaster of its own, evidently people are dumb, so they tend to save passwords on shared computers only to complain a few days later that their accounts have been ‘hacked’.

Unfortunately, this feature doesn’t apply in all situations, documents and spreadsheets can also be password protected and this applies to PDF documents as well. You might protect a PDF file you create and realize to your dismay, a couple of weeks later that you’ve forgotten the password.

PDF Password Remover (Windows) is a nifty tool that lets you unprotect your PDF document easily. It lets you decrypt the file and you will then be allowed full modification (copy, edit, print) to the file once again. It does not require Adobe reader to run.

PDF Password Remover is usually priced at $19.95 but they are currently running a promotion where it can be downloaded free until February 24th 2010 (hear that freeloaders? No crack, serial or keygen required for a paid software!).

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How to Make Your Facebook Profile Picture Private

Luqmaan — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:14:02 +0000

If you found this post via Google, you’re probably a smoking hot chick, if you are a dude, no offense. Recent privacy changes in Facebook has caused a stir in the blogosphere and on Facebook as hotties continue to reeive dozens of Facebook requests a day from random perverts. Digging further, you probably discovered that your profile picture was no longer private and available for anyone who searched for you.

Apparently this was one of the few subtle changes to Facebook’s privacy settings made recently, Facebook is looking to make more information public, privacy settings are now highly customizable allowing virtually any information in your profile to be set to be visible to the public. For now, based on the Facebook Help Centre:

A basic set of information is publicly available, meaning it’s visible to anyone that’s able to navigate to your profile, applications you use on Facebook, and websites you connect with via Facebook. This information includes your name, profile picture, gender, current city, networks, friend list, and Pages. Any additional information (eg., photos or videos) will only be exposed if your privacy settings allow it.

Apart from the above information, which you have no control over customizing anymore, note that any comment or status update made is considered in the search results, so you need to proceed with caution when you have something to say.

If you can’t live with the fact that your profile picture can now be accessed by 350 million people, your best bet would be to remove it.

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