TechChasse

Calculator Safe For WP7: Disguise/ Password Protect Photos & Notes

2012-02-25T09:06:00.000+05:30

The most-used way of protecting your personal data on your Windows Phone 7 is setting up the universal password, but that might not always be the thing you need. Sometimes, it becomes necessary to have an extra layer of protection for your privacy, specially for sensitive data like photos and notes. There are many apps which let you do that, like Private Video, but what if you don’t want to make it too obvious that you are trying to hide something? Luckily, there’s an app for that, named Calculator Safe. Using this app, you can protect your photos and notes, and anyone who launches the app will see nothing but a simple calculator.

Calculator Safe provides triple layers of security. First of all you have to choose a new pass key upon the app’s launch. You are only allowed to pick a numeric combination, as the app’s password input area is a fully functioning calculator. The passcode you select can be entered in the calculator straight away, and tapping the = key will take you to the protected area, while another way of opening it is to perform a calculation which amounts to the set password. The app adds an extra layer of security, titled Secure Password, and you have to enter it again even if the app goes into lock screen. This password can be different from the first one, and allows alphanumeric values.

Calculator Safe lets you store photos and notes within the app. Notes cannot be imported to it, and you can just write or copy/ paste text in the app’s own text editor. However, for photos, you can hit the import button, and then choose any image stored in the Pictures hub.

Calculator Safe is a pretty nice app, and you can get it for free by heading to the web Marketplace link below.

Download Calculator Safe

SiriPort: Get Siri On Older iPhone Without iPhone 4S Certificates [Cydia]

2012-02-25T08:52:00.002+05:30

The quest for the perfect Siri port to older iOS devices continues, and after Spire, AssistantConnect, H1Siri and a host of other attempts, SiriPort has now become the latest addition to the list of methods which you can use to get Siri on iDevices other than iPhone 4S. Most Siri ports for older iPhone, iPad or iPod touch devices require complicated setting up of proxy servers, or provision of a certificate from an actual iPhone 4S. With SiriPort, however, there are no such needs. You just need to download the package from Cydia and after a few simple steps you are good to go.

Here are the steps you need to follow in order to get SiriPort working, but before you do anything, make sure that you uninstall any other non-functioning packages related to Siri, like Spire. Once you have cleansed your iDevice of such packages, you are good to go.

Instructions:

Go to the Cydia store, and in the Manage tab, go to Sources.
Add the following new source URL repo.siriport.ru
After the repository has finished loading the packages, search for a tweak titled SiriPort.
Make sure that you are on a good Wi-Fi connection, and install the searched tweak. It is more than 250MB in size, so be prepared for a long wait while everything is downloaded and installed to your iPhone.
Your device will reboot when the package has been installed successfully.
Now from your web browser go to the following link, and download the file found there (titled 1.cert) siriport.ru/1.crt
Now email the file you have just downloaded to yourself, and open the attachment from the stock Mail app.
You will be taken to an installation page, hit the Install button, followed by Done.
Reboot your device.
When your device comes back on, long-press the Home button to launch Siri, and then say “Hi Siri”.

After that, Siri will be activated and you can enjoy a lovely chat with the talking assistant. In case it fails to activate, reboot the device, and then try step 10 once again. You have to keep repeating until Siri responds to your Hi. SiriPort hasn’t worked for every user who has tried it, but still, it’s worth a shot. Do let us know in the comments section if using SiriPort finally gave you Siri on your older iDevice.

Update: Here is theYouTube video of installing SiriPort

[via iPhone4Jailbreak.org]

YouSpin: Capture & Share High Quality Panoramas & 360 Views [Android, iOS]

2012-02-25T08:06:00.000+05:30

Say hello to YouSpin – one of the simplest ways to create 360 degree panoramas or 3D views of virtually anything using your Android or iOS-powered device’s camera. Whether you’re a professional photographer or just a novice user, using the app’s simple interface, you can easily develop and share high quality 360 degree views of yourself as well as any object of your liking in a matter of seconds. The best part about YouSpin is its user-friendly and self-explanatory graphical interface that guides you through the entire process. The app provides you with the option to snap images in portrait as well as landscape orientation, and specify the total amount of shots that would make the panorama. In addition, the app also supports a timer mode, complete with shutter sound effects, to help you with capturing your own 360 degree views without requiring help from a second person.

The app greets you with a brief introductory video, and then takes you to its homescreen, from where you may start creating 3D views. To help you understand the capturing process, the app’s homescreen explains the key steps involved along with an illustration for each.

While on the app’s homescreen, tap Options to pick a capturing mode from under the Simple options menu. Tapping the arrow sign at the top-right reveals the advanced menu screen, from where you can select the number of shots (10 or infinity), grid type, auto-timer, image orientation (landscape/portrait) and turn flash on or off.

Once all the required settings are in place, hit the Start 360 button at the bottom to start creating the panoramic image/3D view. The app’s image capturing interface comprises a viewfinder, a grid overlay and a preview of the total number of shots taken. Once the first image has been captured, the app helps you with all subsequent shots via several audio effects and on-screen suggestions. All you need to do is keep the device as well as the object steady till the final image is captured.

Once that is done, you can view and share the result within the built-in gallery. The app automatically uploads each created ‘spin’ to the YouSpin website, from where you may decide whether to keep it publicly available or not.

YouSpin has a free (ad-supported) and a $2 (ad-free) variant available in the Android Market and iTunes App Store. You’ll find download links to both Android and iOS versions provided right below the following demo video.

Download YouSpin Lite for Android (Free)

Download YouSpin Pro for Android (Paid)

Download YouSpin Lite for iOS (Free)

Download YouSpin Pro for iOS (Paid)

BeFunky: Apply Effects/ Frames, Edit & Share Photos On iPhone

2012-02-25T07:39:00.003+05:30

BeFunky is a photo editor for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, which is based on letting users edit their photos with complete ease. Admittedly, there are many iOS which have a lot to offer in terms of photo editing, but each of them has something unique, making it popular among users. Similarly, BeFunky has a few distinctive photo effects, frames and editing options. The app isn’t a mere photo editor; it even has a cloud service where users can store their photos for free, and also view public shares by fellow BeFunky users. The app certainly has a lot to offer, and you can find everything about it by reading on.

Like Instagram, you can view the BeFunky gallery even as a guest user, but if you want to upload your own images to the services, you will need to create a new, app-specific account. Before you can do anything with the app, you have to select the settings on which you want to run BeFunky. This includes choosing a language and then the resolution of images which will be output after editing. Once that has been done, you are taken to the homepage of BeFunky, where there are options to load a photo from the Camera Roll, or shooting one straight from the app’s camera. To view the app’s gallery, tap the grid icon in the bottom bar.

After you have loaded the photo to the app’s editor, there are three things which you can do to it to make changes to the image. In the Edit menu, there are options for cropping, rotating and adjusting other image attributes like brightness, contrast, hue and saturation. After that has been done, there is the menu for selecting Effects to be applied on the loaded image. There are many effects, and some of them are pretty unique, rendering you hard pressed to find them in any other app (do give Vibrant a try). You can choose the intensity of the effect after you have applied it, so that the edited version looks just as you want it to be. The same holds true for Frames, which can be adjusted in size by dragging the presented slider.

The Save menu will let you share your photos over Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and the app’s own gallery. If you want, you can choose to just save the photo to camera roll by hitting the appropriate button. BeFunky is a free app, although there is a pro ($1.99) version as well, which brings more frames and effects to the mix.

Download BeFunky

Download BeFunky Pro

View, Download & Upload Videos With Youtube Pro For Windows Phone 7

2012-02-25T07:23:00.000+05:30

It is common knowledge among WP7 users that the official YouTube client for Windows Phone 7 isn’t very good, and for the most part, just directs you to the web version of the popular video hosting service. Maybe this is the reason there are so many third-party YouTube clients in the Marketplace. It is purely a matter of choice which client you prefer to use from among the available options, as there are the likes of easyTube and Udownldr among many others. Youtube Pro is another third-party client for YouTube, and it comes with one of the best set of features you could hope to have in a Mango app. Read on to know more about the amazingly thorough app.

The main page of Youtube Pro is laid out in a very metro fashion, and has tiles for the frequently used areas of YouTube. There are tiles for Hot Videos, Subscriptions, Favorites and Playlists. Most of these menus can be used if you are signed in to the app with your YouTube account, but there are other which are open to guest users as well. If you just want to get a view of some of the top rated videos on YouTube, swipe to the right and you will be taken to the array of videos, filed under distinct categories. Throughout the app, you will find the search button present, saving you the trouble of having to navigate to a particular area of the app in order to look for videos. The features which make Youtube Pro so good include its interface and the ability to download and upload videos to your account.

If you choose to record a video using the app, you will be taken to the video camera menu within the app, and when you have finished recording, the video will go straight to your YouTube account, given that you are already signed in. The live tie support in the app is pretty decent, and there are options to pin individual menus to the Start screen. For the videos you come across in the app, there are options to view them in LQ, HQ or HD, and there are buttons available for that. When it comes to downloads, background downloading is supported, and you can turn that on in the Settings menu of the app. In the same menu there are options to specify video categories, so that only relevant videos will be suggested to you. Another good feature in Youtube Pro is Map Tube, which lists video according to the area from which they were uploaded.

To change the viewing modes of videos, you just have to shake your phone, and you will be viewing the current video in a different mode or proportion. The app supports multiple languages, and sends push notifications when a new message arrives in your inbox or a new video is added to one of your subscribed channels. Any time you want, you can customize the background of the app from the Settings menu, making the whole experience exactly what you want it to be.

Youtube Pro will cost you $0.99, but there is a free, ad-supported version as well, which has no limitation on features. You can grab both version from the web Marketplace links below.

Download Youtube Pro (free)

Download Youtube Pro

Updated Google Docs For Android Brings Collaborative Editing & More

2012-02-25T07:05:00.000+05:30

The official Google Docs mobile client for Android was released almost a year ago, and ever since, it has been updated with new and improved features at frequent intervals. However, the latest update that the client has received can be cited as a massive leap in making your document editing and sharing experience via mobile much innovative and collaborative. Apart from sporting several handy UI tweaks and text formatting tools, the updated Google Docs app for Android now supports real-time editing of documents by multiple users, which means that you, along with your colleagues, can now simultaneously work on a shared document – a feature that the web variant of Google Docs has been offering for quite a while now. Changes made by any user can be seen by all other participants almost instantly. In addition, the app also brings rich text formatting support, multi-touch pinch-to-zoom gestures for convenient document editing, and several layout tools, including numbered/bulleted lists and indentation etc. Details to follow.

All the other aforementioned features aside, it’s the collaborative editing part of the update that is going to be received as a welcome change by users. Provided multiple users are editing a specific document, you can trace the current position of each individual user on the document via a color-coded cursor and text highlighter.

The document editor interface of the app now supports a feature-rich toolbar at the top that houses all the rich text editing and aforementioned layout tools. Using various controls available on the toolbar, you can apply bold, italic, underline effects to your text in custom color, insert a numbered or bulleted list within the document, and indent the paragraphs towards left/right as per requirement.

However, not everything is working with the updated client as it should do. While the app allows you to view and edit your documents via its native interface, the spreadsheets and presentations are opened via the Google Docs’ web version. Hopefully, all existing wrinkles would be ironed out in the future updates of the app.

The download link and QR code provided below take you to the Android Market page of Google Docs.

Download Google Docs

Dock Designer: Customize Mac Dock Backgrounds & Switch Between 2D/ 3D

2012-02-25T06:38:00.000+05:30

We’ve reviewed a lot of Mac customization tools in the past; some that allow you to tweak hidden features in OS X Lion, and others that are meant for customizing a particular feature. Dock Designer is a free Mac app that lets you customize the Dock. It lets you switch to a 2D or 3D dock view, allows you to add spaces between apps and folders for a more organized looking Dock, and lets you change the background to any image on your hard disk. The app‘s interface is simple and, in the event you don’t like the changes, you can revert back to the default Dock using the reset feature.

The app interface is divided into three tabs, one each for 3D and 2D customization, and one for managing the app’s updates. If you want to enable 2D Dock view, go to the 2D Dock tab and click Enable 2D Dock. To return to the 3D view, visit the 3D tab and enable it. To change the background in either one of the views, click the Change and Apply button, browse and select the image you want to set as the Dock’s background and the app will change it accordingly. To remove the background entirely, click Yes under Transparent 3D Dock (likewise for a transparent 2D Dock).

The app also lets you add spaces between apps and folders on the Dock. To add a space between folders and apps, click either Add one to Applications (left) or Add one to Documents (right), both will have the same effect, i.e., a space will be added between the two types of icon on the Dock.

Of the similar apps we’ve reviewed in the past, Docker is worth mentioning. It is rich in features compared to this app, but if you only need a few simple tweaks that you can easily revert back from, this app is a fairly good choice. Download Dock Designer

Why Launching Task Manager from Ctrl+Alt+Del is Slower?

2012-02-15T20:21:00.001+05:30

Are you launching Task Manager from this screen? If so, time for a change. Why? Because it’s slow. And why is it slow that way? Here is the explanation from The Old New Thing.

When you press Ctrl+Alt+Del, the winlogon program receives the notification and switches to the secure desktop, and displays the Ctrl+Alt+Del dialog. When you select the task manager from that list, it supposes to launch taskmgr.exe, but can’t because it’s on the wrong desktop running under the wrong security context. So in order to get Task Manager to appear on your desktop with your credential, winlogon needs to change its security context, change desktop, and then launch taskmgr.exe. And changing desktop is slow.

On other hand, launching Task Manager directly from taskbar doesn’t need to go through all these, the Explorer process just launches taskmgr.exe via the normal CreateProcess call under the same credentials on the same desktop.

So let’s stop doing the wrong way. Instead, simply right click on your taskbar and launch Task Manager there. Or, even better, use the keyboard shortcut, Ctrl+Shift+Esc.

Make Your Windows 7 Taskbar Icons Align Center

2012-02-15T19:27:00.000+05:30

Everything that comes out of the box by default lacks the ability to re-adjust. Windows 7 Taskbar is the single biggest feature of Windows 7 and yet, you can’t do much about it other than re-arrange the icon in order.

Also, by default the icons will always be aligned to the left, what if you want to make them align to the center or even right ?

The best part is that this method does not require any additional add-on, no any tweak utilities are involved. So if you are the type of person that hates to use those small tweak utilities, this is the method for you.

1. You need to create a new empty folder, lets call it “Dummy Folder”

2. Right Click on the taskbar, (click unlock the taskbar if you haven’t) go to Toolbars > New toolbar …

3. Pick the folder that you’ve just created.

4. Uncheck Show title, and Show Text.

5. Drag this toolbar all the way to the left, and here you can adjust any extra spaces you would like to have between the start menu button and the icons.

6. Click on “Lock the taskbar” when you are done.

And that's it. You are done. I have tried it myself. You can click on the Screenshot (above in this post).

Getting Up to 4.5G Extra Space on Dropbox

2012-02-15T18:39:00.000+05:30

If you love Dropbox but feel tight on space right now, here is another way to get you up to 4.5G space into your Dropbox account.

To promote its new Import pictures tool and award people for trying, Dropbox put up a promotion that adds more extra space to your Dropbox account. For every 500MB of photos or videos uploaded through Dropbox’s new import picture tool, you will receive 500MB space bonus, up to 4.5G in total. Pretty good, I would say.

In order to get that reward, you need to

1. Download the new beta Dropbox application from here. Choose the proper version for your platform you will be using.

2. Import your photos and videos from your camera, mobile phone, camcord, or external USB flash drive. When the image import dialog box pops up, choose the one with Dropbox icon next to it.

You will see the notification immediately saying that “your space has been increased”. So congratulations, you’ve now successfully increased your Dropbox space by 500M. The more you upload, the more space you will get, up until the limit of 4.5G is hit.

So, what are you waiting for? :-)

Direct Download Links:

Windows: http://dl-web.dropbox.com/u/17/Dropbox%201.3.16.exe
Mac OS X: http://dl-web.dropbox.com/u/17/Dropbox%201.3.16.dmg
Linux x86_64: http://dl-web.dropbox.com/u/17/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-1.3.16.tar.gz
Linux x86: http://dl-web.dropbox.com/u/17/dropbox-lnx.x86-1.3.16.tar.gz

Send Free SMS To Anyone With Cross-Platform Messenger "HeyWire" [WP7]

2012-02-13T22:38:00.000+05:30

HeyWire is a messaging service which has been around for quite a while on iOS and Android. It is a very useful app, using which you can send free SMS to any number in the US. Even if the recipient is living outside the US, texts can be sent if they, too, have HeyWire, or any other service that assigns US numbers to its users (like Google Voice). HeyWire has extended its reach considerably now, as recently, the Windows Phone 7 client of the service was released. Read on to know of all the features HeyWire brings to the Mango platform.

To use HeyWire, you have to link your Facebook account with it. After you have done that, choose a screen name and password, and once you enter your email address, you are good to go. The app also inquires about your whereabouts and time zone, so that it provides its services accordingly. If you are living outside the US, HeyWire will assign a new phone number to you, based in the US. All the texts you send via the app will be sent through that number. To view your assigned number at any time, you can go to the Settings menu in the app.

Whenever you want to send a text using HeyWire, you can do so by hitting the Compose button. You can add the recipient’s number manually, or by tapping the ‘+’ button, which will take you to the People hub. To dismiss the keyboard, tap the empty orange area. When you are done typing the SMS in the white text box, hit the Enter button on your keyboard, and the message will be sent, as long as the recipient’s number is from a supported country. Needless to say, messages are sent through your data connection, so make sure you have internet access in order to use this app.

HeyWire would have been a whole lot better if the interface was a bit more responsive and attractive, but the app does get the work done pretty efficiently, and as it does not cost you anything, it is definitely worth a try.

Download HeyWire

How To Root Samsung Captivate Glide On Android 2.3 Gingerbread

2012-02-13T21:19:00.001+05:30

The QWERTY keypad equipped Samsung Captivate Glide gets rooted! The root method comes in from XDA-Developers forum member CarpeNoctem along with lambgx02 who provided the Carrier IQ free kernel (by Rogers) and the insecure kernel and the Rogers rooted ROM, and ardatdat who provided the rooted ROM and the overclocked kernel. The root will work for both the AT&T Captivate Glide and for Rogers as well.

However, if you’re on Rogers, your kernel is already CarrierIQ Free, in which case you will not have to flash the CarrierIQ free kernel on way to rooting your device. So how can you root your Captivate Glide?

Disclaimer: Please follow this guide at your own risk. TechChasse will not be liable if your device gets damaged or bricked during the process.

Requirements:

Samsung USB drivers installed. Download USB drivers for 32 bit Windows | 64 bit Windows.
ODIN installed on your system.
CarrierIQ FREE kernel (zip file) or the OC’d version of it. (Not for Rogers.)
Rooted ROM (AT&T based ROM).
Rogers rooted ROM. (Unzip with WinRAR not 7zip.)

Instructions:

To begin, put your phone into download mode (Turn off the phone, press volume UP and keeping the button pressed, press the power button. A screen should ask you if you want to continue – press volume up to confirm) and launch ODIN.
If you’re on AT&T hit the PDA button select the .tar kernel extracted from the CarrierIQ free kernel zip file or the OC’d version of it.
Connect the device to the PC and once detected in ODIN, hit the Start button.
Once the phone reboots, put it in download mode again. If the flashing failed, try flashing this insecure kernel.
Now it’s time to flash the rooted AT&T or Rogers ROM depending on your carrier of course. Run ODIN and hit the PDA button selecting the .tar ROM once extracted.
Hit the Start button and let the ROM flash.
Now after the phone has rebooted, run the Market and make sure you have the latest version of Superuser installed and that Superuser is updated.

That’s it! Your captivate guide should be permanently rooted now. For updates and queries, head over to the forum thread at XDA-Developers.

Steve Jobs’s Best Quotes

2011-09-02T23:34:00.000+05:30

Steve Jobs has stepped down as CEO of Apple, the company he founded and turned into the largest technology company in the world. Although his tenure as CEO will be remembered for ushering in fundamental changes in the way people interact with technology, he has also been known for his salesmanship, his ability to turn a phrase – and a knack for taking complicated ideas and making them easy to understand. Below, a compendium of some of the best Steve Jobs quotes.

On Technology

“It takes these very simple-minded instructions—‘Go fetch a number, add it to this number, put the result there, perceive if it’s greater than this other number’––but executes them at a rate of, let’s say, 1,000,000 per second. At 1,000,000 per second, the results appear to be magic.” [Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985]

***

“The problem is I’m older now, I’m 40 years old, and this stuff doesn’t change the world. It really doesn’t.

“I’m sorry, it’s true. Having children really changes your view on these things. We’re born, we live for a brief instant, and we die. It’s been happening for a long time. Technology is not changing it much — if at all.

“These technologies can make life easier, can let us touch people we might not otherwise. You may have a child with a birth defect and be able to get in touch with other parents and support groups, get medical information, the latest experimental drugs. These things can profoundly influence life. I’m not downplaying that.

“But it’s a disservice to constantly put things in this radical new light — that it’s going to change everything. Things don’t have to change the world to be important.” [Wired, February 1996]

***

“I think it’s brought the world a lot closer together, and will continue to do that. There are downsides to everything; there are unintended consequences to everything. The most corrosive piece of technology that I’ve ever seen is called television — but then, again, television, at its best, is magnificent.” [Rolling Stone, Dec. 3, 2003]

On Design

“We think the Mac will sell zillions, but we didn’t build the Mac for anybody else. We built it for ourselves. We were the group of people who were going to judge whether it was great or not. We weren’t going to go out and do market research. We just wanted to build the best thing we could build.

When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.” [Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985]

***

“Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it’s really how it works. The design of the Mac wasn’t what it looked like, although that was part of it. Primarily, it was how it worked. To design something really well, you have to get it. You have to really grok what it’s all about. It takes a passionate commitment to really thoroughly understand something, chew it up, not just quickly swallow it. Most people don’t take the time to do that.

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things. And the reason they were able to do that was that they’ve had more experiences or they have thought more about their experiences than other people.

“Unfortunately, that’s too rare a commodity. A lot of people in our industry haven’t had very diverse experiences. So they don’t have enough dots to connect, and they end up with very linear solutions without a broad perspective on the problem. The broader one’s understanding of the human experience, the better design we will have. [Wired, February 1996]

***

“For something this complicated, it’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”

“That’s been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” [BusinessWeek, May 25, 1998, in a profile that also included the following gem: "Steve clearly has done an incredible job," says former Apple Chief Financial Officer Joseph Graziano. "But the $64,000 question is: Will Apple ever resume growth?"]

***

“This is what customers pay us for–to sweat all these details so it’s easy and pleasant for them to use our computers. We’re supposed to be really good at this. That doesn’t mean we don’t listen to customers, but it’s hard for them to tell you what they want when they’ve never seen anything remotely like it. Take desktop video editing. I never got one request from someone who wanted to edit movies on his computer. Yet now that people see it, they say, ‘Oh my God, that’s great!’” [Fortune, January 24 2000]

***

“Look at the design of a lot of consumer products — they’re really complicated surfaces. We tried to make something much more holistic and simple. When you first start off trying to solve a problem, the first solutions you come up with are very complex, and most people stop there. But if you keep going, and live with the problem and peel more layers of the onion off, you can often times arrive at some very elegant and simple solutions. Most people just don’t put in the time or energy to get there. We believe that customers are smart, and want objects which are well thought through.” [MSNBC and Newsweek interview, Oct. 14, 2006]

On His Products

“I don’t think I’ve ever worked so hard on something, but working on Macintosh was the neatest experience of my life. Almost everyone who worked on it will say that. None of us wanted to release it at the end. It was as though we knew that once it was out of our hands, it wouldn’t be ours anymore. When we finally presented it at the shareholders’ meeting, everyone in the auditorium gave it a five-minute ovation. What was incredible to me was that I could see the Mac team in the first few rows. It was as though none of us could believe we’d actually finished it. Everyone started crying.” [Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985]

***

Playboy: We were warned about you: Before this Interview began, someone said we were “about to be snowed by the best.”

[Smiling] “We’re just enthusiastic about what we do.” [Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985]

***

“We made the buttons on the screen look so good you’ll want to lick them.” [On Mac OS X, Fortune, Jan. 24, 2000]

***

“It will go down in history as a turning point for the music industry. This is landmark stuff. I can’t overestimate it!” [On the iTunes Music Store, Fortune, May 12, 2003]

***

“Every once in a while a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything. … One is very fortunate if you get to work on just one of these in your career. Apple’s been very fortunate it’s been able to introduce a few of these into the world.” [Announcement of the iPhone, Jan. 9, 2007]

On Business

“You know, my main reaction to this money thing is that it’s humorous, all the attention to it, because it’s hardly the most insightful or valuable thing that’s happened to me.” [Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985]

***

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” [The Wall Street Journal, May 25, 1993]

***

Q: There’s a lot of symbolism to your return. Is that going to be enough to reinvigorate the company with a sense of magic?

“You’re missing it. This is not a one-man show. What’s reinvigorating this company is two things: One, there’s a lot of really talented people in this company who listened to the world tell them they were losers for a couple of years, and some of them were on the verge of starting to believe it themselves. But they’re not losers. What they didn’t have was a good set of coaches, a good plan. A good senior management team. But they have that now.” [BusinessWeek, May 25, 1998]

***

“Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it.” [Fortune, Nov. 9, 1998]

***

“The cure for Apple is not cost-cutting. The cure for Apple is to innovate its way out of its current predicament.” [Apple Confidential: The Real Story of Apple Computer Inc., May 1999]

***

“The problem with the Internet startup craze isn’t that too many people are starting companies; it’s that too many people aren’t sticking with it. That’s somewhat understandable, because there are many moments that are filled with despair and agony, when you have to fire people and cancel things and deal with very difficult situations. That’s when you find out who you are and what your values are.

“So when these people sell out, even though they get fabulously rich, they’re gypping themselves out of one of the potentially most rewarding experiences of their unfolding lives. Without it, they may never know their values or how to keep their newfound wealth in perspective.” [Fortune, Jan. 24, 2000]

***

“The system is that there is no system. That doesn’t mean we don’t have process. Apple is a very disciplined company, and we have great processes. But that’s not what it’s about. Process makes you more efficient.

“But innovation comes from people meeting up in the hallways or calling each other at 10:30 at night with a new idea, or because they realized something that shoots holes in how we’ve been thinking about a problem. It’s ad hoc meetings of six people called by someone who thinks he has figured out the coolest new thing ever and who wants to know what other people think of his idea.

“And it comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don’t get on the wrong track or try to do too much. We’re always thinking about new markets we could enter, but it’s only by saying no that you can concentrate on the things that are really important. [BusinessWeek, Oct. 12, 2004]

On His Competitors

Playboy: Are you saying that the people who made PCjr don’t have that kind of pride in the product?

“If they did, they wouldn’t have made the PCjr.” [Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985]

***

“Some people are saying that we ought to put an IBM PC on every desk in America to improve productivity. It won’t work. The special incantations you have to learn this time are the “slash q-zs” and things like that. The manual for WordStar, the most popular word-processing program, is 400 pages thick. To write a novel, you have to read a novel––one that reads like a mystery to most people. They’re not going to learn slash q-z any more than they’re going to learn Morse code. That is what Macintosh is all about.” [Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985]

***

“The only problem with Microsoft is they just have no taste. They have absolutely no taste. And I don’t mean that in a small way, I mean that in a big way, in the sense that they don’t think of original ideas, and they don’t bring much culture into their products.”

“I am saddened, not by Microsoft’s success — I have no problem with their success. They’ve earned their success, for the most part. I have a problem with the fact that they just make really third-rate products.” [Triumph of the Nerds, 1996]

***

“I wish him the best, I really do. I just think he and Microsoft are a bit narrow. He’d be a broader guy if he had dropped acid once or gone off to an ashram when he was younger.” [On Bill Gates, The New York Times, Jan. 12, 1997]

On Predicting the Future

“I’ll always stay connected with Apple. I hope that throughout my life I’ll sort of have the thread of my life and the thread of Apple weave in and out of each other, like a tapestry. There may be a few years when I’m not there, but I’ll always come back. [Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985]

***

“The most compelling reason for most people to buy a computer for the home will be to link it to a nationwide communications network. We’re just in the beginning stages of what will be a truly remarkable breakthrough for most people––as remarkable as the telephone.” [Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985]

***

“The desktop computer industry is dead. Innovation has virtually ceased. Microsoft dominates with very little innovation. That’s over. Apple lost. The desktop market has entered the dark ages, and it’s going to be in the dark ages for the next 10 years, or certainly for the rest of this decade.

“It’s like when IBM drove a lot of innovation out of the computer industry before the microprocessor came along. Eventually, Microsoft will crumble because of complacency, and maybe some new things will grow. But until that happens, until there’s some fundamental technology shift, it’s just over.” [Wired, February 1996]

***

The desktop metaphor was invented because one, you were a stand-alone device, and two, you had to manage your own storage. That’s a very big thing in a desktop world. And that may go away. You may not have to manage your own storage. You may not store much before too long. [Wired, February 1996]

On Life

“It’s more fun to be a pirate than to join the navy.” [1982, quoted in Odyssey: Pepsi to Apple, 1987]

***

“When you’re young, you look at television and think, There’s a conspiracy. The networks have conspired to dumb us down. But when you get a little older, you realize that’s not true. The networks are in business to give people exactly what they want. That’s a far more depressing thought. Conspiracy is optimistic! You can shoot the bastards! We can have a revolution! But the networks are really in business to give people what they want. It’s the truth.” [Wired, February 1996]

***

“I’m an optimist in the sense that I believe humans are noble and honorable, and some of them are really smart. I have a very optimistic view of individuals. As individuals, people are inherently good. I have a somewhat more pessimistic view of people in groups. And I remain extremely concerned when I see what’s happening in our country, which is in many ways the luckiest place in the world. We don’t seem to be excited about making our country a better place for our kids.” [Wired, February 1996]

***

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” [Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]

***

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.” [Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]

***

“When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” [Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]

***

“I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next.” [NBC Nightly News, May 2006]

***

And One More Thing

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” [Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]

SD Maid For Android Keeps Your SD Card & Internal Memory Junk-Free

2011-08-31T19:48:00.001+05:30

Certain apps tend to forget to clean up after themselves when they’re uninstalled. Which is why, after testing and uninstalling apps for a while, many Android users find their SD cards cluttered with app residues. SD Maid is a free, handy system cleaner tool for rooted Android devices that not only helps you get rid of said residues (fittingly termed “corpses” in the app’s UI) but also keeps your internal memory squeaky clean. The freeware allows you to scan for and clean discarded or unwanted files/residues on your SD card as well as temporary files, cache files, logs and more from the system.

SD Maid scans for residues in the /data/data and /mnt/sdcard/Android/data/ directories common to all Android devices and those in the /dbdata/databases/ directory exclusive to Samsung Android devices. Tap Refresh from within the respective Corpse finder tab to scan mentioned directories. Corpses can be deleted selectively by tapping scan results one by one or all at once by tapping the Clean all button.

The Clean system tab allows you to scan (selectively/collectively) for and clean unwanted system files, which, as of this writing, include logfiles, stacktraces, caches, incomplete downloads, temporary files, Windows thumbs.db, Windows desktop.ini, MacOs .DS_Store, MacOS ._* files and gallery thumbnails.

The app does not scan for all mentioned files by default. To add or remove files from the Clean system scan list, hit the Menu button and tap Settings.

You can grab SD Maid from the Android Market via the provided link or scan the QR code.

Download SD Maid

Reeder Is Fast Google Reader Desktop Application For Mac

2011-08-28T20:25:00.000+05:30

Reeder is a free RSS reader for Mac which is somewhat quite akin to previously reviewed Espresso Reader in terms of both usage pattern and features. The developer has kept configurations to bare minimum in order to set it up quickly. The main interface is laid wide across the screen with two panels for navigating through subscribed feeds and articles from selected website while main interface shows the complete story. Being a simple RSS reader, it takes nothing more than to sign-in with Google Reader credentials to populate the feeds list. With Reeder, one can switch between multiple accounts, change default reading behaviors and gestures, customize syncing options, and configure integrated services including, Twitter, Instapaper, Google Mobilizer, and so on.

For the first time usage, it will ask you to enter Google Reader username and password for importing feeds list. It maintains the very same folder hierarchy as set up in your Google Reader account. After the feeds list is downloaded, you can start sifting through the latest articles and stories from left side. At the bottom, you will find the search bar along with options to mark all as read and open source link.

Setting up preferences are not compulsory at all, but users who want to tweak syncing options can bring up Settings window from menubar. Under General tab, you can change Unread count badge and enable auto-updating. You can set up time for syncing feeds list at defined intervals from Syncing tab. From Reading tab, you can change Font family and set feeds pre-loading options.

We didn’t experience any lags in syncing feeds list with Google Reader. The application is in beta phase, therefore, you might encounter some bugs. Reeder was tested on Mac 10.6

Download Reeder

Add "Reverse Scrolling" In Mac Snow Leopard, Customize it in Mac Lion

2011-08-28T20:02:00.000+05:30

One of the most annoying iOS inspired feature of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion is reverse scrolling. Lion emulates the scrolling behavior of iOS devices, where you scroll up to actually move down the page and conversely is the case with scrolling up the window. If you want to restore the natural scrolling in Mac OS X Lion, you can disable reverse scrolling behavior from System Preferences. Nevertheless, you may also want to enable reverse scrolling behavior before using trackpad or magic mouse. If you frequently switch between mouse pointing devices, Scroll Reverser may help you manage between natural and reverse scrolling behaviors for each device. It’s a menu bar application for Mac OS X to customize reverse scrolling behavior for all types of mice and trackpads with a scroll wheel or scroll gesture support, including, Magic Trackpad, Magic Mouse, Mighty Mouse, and MacBook trackpads.

When you launch the application, it will sit in system menu bar. All the provided features and options can be accessed from the system menu bar menu. When you want to disable its functions, simply click Reverse Scrolling to go back to Mac Lion default scrolling behavior.

When enabled, scrolling works as configured with Scroll Reverser. From Preferences window, you can toggle Reverse Horizontal and Reverse Vertical scrolling behaviors on/off. For instance, when you only want to keep default vertical scrolling behavior of Mac Lion then enable Reverse Horizontal and un-check Reverse Vertical. This will only reverse default horizontal scrolling. Similarly, you can use default Reverse Horizontal option by disabling it from Preferences menu.

Underneath these two options, you can customize reverse scrolling for Trackpad/Magic Mouse, Tablet and Mouse. When, for instance, only Reverse Trackpad is disabled, Trackpad and Magic Mouse scrolling directions will not be changed, i.e you can scroll up and down the page the default way, whereas Tablets and Mouse scrolling imitates natural scrolling, i.e scroll up to move to top and scroll down to move towards the bottom of the page.

With Scroll Reverser, you can easily bring Mac OS X 10.7 Lion like scrolling (reverse scrolling) to Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.

Download Scroll Reverser

Customize Mac OS X 10.7 Lion System Dock With Docker

2011-08-28T19:54:00.001+05:30

Since Mac OS X offers a very limited set of options to change different elements of system dock, including, position, icon size, application window minimize effect, etc, many users rely on 3rd party tools to change dock layout as well as its appearance. If you’ve been hanging around multiple tools to overhaul Mac system dock, have a look at Docker. Unlike other dock tweaking tools, Docker is an all-in-one system dock tweaker that caters to almost everything related with dock ranging from Dock Style, Icons, Indicator Style, docked application separator, 2D and 3D Dock Style, Standard and magnified size of items in dock, Disable bouncing icons, Hide in-active applications and more.

Recently it got updated with Mac OS X 10.7 Lion dock tweaks, which includes, enable/disable indicators for active applications while including updated 3D dock files and indicators provided with Mac OS X Lion.

The dock related options and tweaks are grouped into 4 major categories, Styles and Colors, Settings, Stacks & Spaces, and Kiosk Settings. Under each category, you will find Restore Apple Defaults to revert all changes back to default settings.

The Styles and Colors window allows you to change Dock style from default 3D to 2D and toggle translucent icons on/off. Here, you can specify Indicator and Separator style and color, and select style for 2D or 3D system dock. When you click Apply, it restarts system dock to launch it with applied tweaks.

Under Settings window, Icon sizes and magnified icon sizes can be defined. You can also change two way position of dock to adjust it properly on required side of screen. In addition to Mac native minimize effects – genie and scale, it adds Suck Effect as well. The minimized icon has two option standard and top corner icon. Underneath Minimize Effects, you have a host of generic effect tweaks listed, such as, prevent icon from bouncing, hide background applications, show only open applications, etc.

Stacks & Spacers window contains options to add stacks and spacers between dock icons. The Add Application Stack adds a recently used applications stack in dock. Similarly, clicking Add Document Stack will add documents stack icon to view most recently opened documents. The Dock Spacers will add blank spaces between applications and documents. You can drag the spacers to place them anywhere on dock.

From Kiosk Settings, you can set Finder Menubar Visibility. For instance, if you choose Hide Dock and Menubar from drop-down menu, both dock and menubar will be hidden when you open Finder window. Moreover, you can set menubar visibility settings for specific applications from Menubar Visibility in Other Application section.

The Settings Locks window present next to Kiosk Settings lets you prevent other users from changing dock settings. By default, all settings are unlocked but can be locked by enabling the lock options, such as, Lock Contents, Position, Minimize Effect, Size, Magnification, and Autohide Settings.

Dock has proved to be an extensive Mac native dock tweaking application. It supports both Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Mac OS X Lion.

Download Docker

Convert PDF Files To HTML Format In Windows, Mac And Linux

2011-08-28T19:36:00.000+05:30

pdftohtml is an open source application which converts files from the PDF (Portable Document Format) files to HTML file format. The conversion process is performed using CLI (Windows Command Line Interpreter). Since it does not have a GUI front end, you can perform the conversion process by specifying the path of the executable file and the PDF document. pdftohtml supports extracting images from the PDF document, complete document conversion and can also be run in debug mode. It is a cross-platform application which works on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

To get started, place the PDF file in the same folder as the executable file of pdftohtml and use the Terminal to navigate to the folder path.

Once done, enter the name of the executable file followed by the PDF filename to convert it (pdftohtml filename.pdf).

This will convert and save the PDF file(s) to HTML format. All converted files will be saved in the source folder of the executable file. In case the HTML file is not specified, pdftohtml.bin converts file.pdf to file.html and extracts all images. If the -c option is not specified, only JPEG files are saved. If the -c option is specified, one PNG image is generated for each page. To compile pdftohtml, type : make. For compiling pdftohtml with debug information and memory leak detection type use the following command: make DEBUG=”-g -DDEBUG_MEM”.

pdftohtml works on Windows, Mac, Linux, FreeBSD, and Sun Solaris.

Download pdftohtml

Toggle Mac OS X 10.7 Lion New Features On/Off With "Lion Tweaks"

2011-08-28T19:26:00.000+05:30

The latest Mac OS X 10.7 brings a whole lot of improvements along with a dozen iPad inspired UI features and animations. Although these improvements don’t come into conflict with UI design and core features of Mac Snow Leopard, many users hate the idea of bringing the iPad like UI elements and animations to Mac OS X. If you’re amongst those who want to keep Mac OS X 10.7 installed on your system but also want to toggle some of its new features, window options and animations on/off, Lion Tweaks is probably the best Mac Lion tweaking application that you can try.

The application has been developed to quickly turn off numerous exclusive features of Lion; the list includes, enable 2D-dock, remove system window animation, remove mail window animation, disable auto-spelling correction, change iCal and Address Book leather UI to aluminum look, enable permanent scrollbars, show hidden files, disable crash dialog popup. The provided toggles are present on the main interface. All that is required is to click Yes or No for those Mac features which you wish to change.

When you, for instance, want to replace 3D dock style with 2D Dock, it will restart system dock and load the new 2D dock, thus it’s recommended to close all applications before start tweaking with Mac Lion core components.

Lion Tweaks works only on Mac OS X 10.7

Download Lion Tweaks

Tincta – Alternative For Mac TextEdit With Programming Language Support

2011-08-28T19:12:00.000+05:30

Looking for Mac’s native TextEdit alternative which has a great deal of text editing features with programming language support? Have a look at freshly developed Tincta. It’s a tiny yet powerful text editor which is designed intuitively to fit the requirements of both novice and professionals. The main UI offers tab support and the navigation bar at left side holds all pen documents to make switching between them a lot easier. Apparently, it supports all major programming languages with options to customizable syntax highlighting color for, HTML, PHP, CSS, Java, Python and more. Unlike other text editors with programming language support, it uses natively written coloring algorithm to quickly identify and highlight programming language syntaxes.

Tincta adds a line number bar in each opened documents to let users quickly get to to required line of code. According to developer, it focuses on all those little text editing options and features which are not provided by either TextEdit or by many other third-party text editors, such as, convert line endings, convert spaces to tabs and vice versa, change case, print documents, and spelling error identification and correction.

Open Settings to change some general and syntax highlighting options. From General, you can change the default Font family and size, and enable options to insert spaces instead of tabs, indent new line similar to previous lines, highlight current line options and enter number of column where page guide is to be shown. The Colors tab refers to changing the default programming language syntax colors along simple text highlighting colors.

It also integrates with File Open With menu, so you can quickly open code files without having to select them from its main interface.

Tincta is a nice text editor with programming language support. Users who deal with slew of different types of code files will find it immensely handy. It’s must be noted here that Tincta is in initial beta testing phase, you may encounter some UI related bugs.

Download Tincta

Tweet And Update Facebook Status With Current iTunes Track In Mac

2011-08-28T19:01:00.000+05:30

Do you love to share every track that you listen in iTunes with your peeps over at Twitter and with Facebook friends? Today we have an interesting app for Mac, called Tweeter, which fetches meta information of track being played in iTunes to automatically updates your Twitter and Facebook status. It is a miniscule yet powerful menu bar app for Mac which can keep your friends and peeps abreast with your music selection. While supporting famous online music service – last.fm and Amazon for appending direct URL to tweets, it supports Growl notification service to let you know about the latest tweet or status which is being published at respective social media platforms.

It also creates Like and Dislike music related tweets to spice your timeline a bit. Additionally, it comes with iTunes playback controls to jump between current playlist tracks, rate current song, and turn on / off the playlist shuffle mode. The status auto-update feature is totally controllable. You can set auto-update time interval or completely disable it to tweet or update Facebook status at your will.

After launching the application, from its menu bar menu, bring up settings to provide Twitter, Facebook and last.fm account details. From Messages and General window, you can customize Like and Dislike Tweet messages and toggle keyboard shortcuts on/off & configure generic settings, respectively.

Once accounts information is verified, launch iTunes and play a track whose meta information is to be published. Now in menu bar option, you can click Tweet of the moment and Status of the moment to tweet and update Facebook status with current track info respectively.

The screenshot shown below displays dialog box for publishing tweet with meta information of current track. To add a meta tag, just drag the meta tag to tweet area followed by writing the message and click Publish.

It works on Mac 10.6.

Download Tweeter

Create And Edit HTML Web Pages In Mac With HTMChen

2011-08-28T18:50:00.000+05:30

Do you hate to bring up one hefty IDE each time to do simple tweaking with HTML file? HTMChen is designed for those Mac users who want to instantly create and edit HTML files without loading one memory hog development kit. It offers all the basic HTML tags including, br, p, li, ul, img, span, code, pre, etc., on the toolbar, which can be applied by only selecting the HTML content followed by a click on required tag. This comes particularly useful in creating HTML pages from a scratch without having to enclose HTML content in required tags manually.

Furthermore, it supports a long list of other HTML styles and tags, such as, heading tags, span elements, small & emphasized text, make uppercase, make lowercase and so on, which can be used to do basic styling over HTML elements and to handle headings, divisions, ordered and unordered lists in most appropriate fashion.

Usage is utterly simple. Either open the HTML file or copy the HTML content from any source to the main window. It will instantly highlight the syntax and show the complied result in bottom pane. If you are creating a new HTML file, add the content and then select the HTML element tag either from toolbar or right sidebar to enclose it automatically.

With minimal configuration to set up, you won’t have to associate file types, compiled window options, and other syntax highlighting settings. The compiled window is very responsive, as it generates results in real-time. By default, it is set to refresh the page automatically, however, you can click a small refresh button at the bottom to reload the page preview.

In Preferences window, you can change the default font family & size and toggle Automatic refresh preview option.

It runs on Mac 10.4 – 10.6.

Download HTMchen

'LyricsMenu' Shows Lyrics Of Songs Being Played In iTunes [Mac]

2011-08-28T18:38:00.000+05:30

LyricsMenu is a beautiful lyrics fetcher for iTunes, which is designed for providing user a powerful way to view lyrics of track which is being played with an option to search lyrics on the fly. To cater all types of genres and artists, it supports a list of online lyrics database resources for retrieving lyrics in plain text format in nicely designed transparent UI. Along with showing artist name with title, it grabs album arts automatically from iTunes.

To begin, play the track in iTunes for which you need to look up lyrics for. For the first time, you need to specify the online source to let it begin fetching lyrics. Being a non-intrusive application, it doesn’t bother you in any way nor it contains too many options and configuration to set it up. The application is completely free, portable, and suit users who love to hum along.

It works with Mac 10.6 or higher. Testing was done on Mac 10.6.2.

Download LyricsMenu

Minitube For Windows Brings YouTube Player Without Flash To Desktop

2011-08-28T18:30:00.000+05:30

Minitube, a widely known desktop YouTube player for Linux and Mac OS, has just been released for Windows OS. Users who were missing this awesome lightweight application can bring YouTube to their Windows desktop with almost all the features. Those who don’t have any clue about MiniTube, it’s a simple YouTube utility, which allows you to stream and download YouTube videos into any available video quality. You can easily search for YouTube channels, filter videos, switch between different video qualities, and importantly, download YouTube video in any quality.

Many YouTube desktop players which are available out there can’t hold candle to what Minitube has to offer. First, it doesn’t use Adobe Flash player to stream videos, which means that netbook and laptop users will save more battery power while streaming videos through Minitube rather than using memory hog browser integrated Flash Player, secondly, the options to switch video quality and to download selected videos on the fly, do get it over the line.

Minitube for Windows offers the very same, simple UI. On the home screen, you have options to search Youtube channels and videos. Just choose channel or search keyword and hit Watch to list down search results. Video search suggestions are also available, just as you have in YouTube and Google, to quickly find what you’re looking for.

The search results are displayed in the left sidebar, while the top most video in stack will automatically get streamed. The main toolbar holds video playback options with direct download facility. You can skip the streaming, play/pause and stop the video, turn on the full-screen mode, control volume, and download the video by clicking the down-arrow button. The search bar is also present next to volume control slider to initiate a new search.

To change the video quality, click the small button residing in bottom-right corner and pick up the required video pixel quality.

By default, it will download videos in Videos folder, however, you can click Change Location to change the location. Underneath it, you can switch between video qualities and choose any quality in which you want to download the video in question.

It runs on Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.

Download Minitube

Update: It turns out it is only a Demo, the full version is paid and costs 9 Euros.

YouTube Client That Doesn’t Require Flash Player [Mac]

2011-08-28T18:18:00.001+05:30

YouTube is arguably the most popular website today. All it requires is a Flash Player and that’s about it! Now, imagine you want to see a clip on YouTube that everyone’s is talking about but are unable to watch because Flash Player installed on your system has refused to play the media!

Minitube is a little tool that plays YouTube videos without Flash Player being even installed! There are situations where you can’t get the Flash working or just like a Flash-free viewing experience, and that is where Minitube comes in handy. It is a full-fledged desktop client that searches and plays YouTube videos, in ordinary as well as HD formats in a sleek interface.

Upon first launch, you see a search field on top right side. You get the list of results on the left sidebar, and a video window on the right. You can toggle HD viewing on and off, switch to full-screen mode for longer clips, and scan through the video. You can open an actual YouTube page as well. When you enter a text for search, it returns the whole video stream matching those keywords and it keeps on adding more results unless you hit the “Stop” button!

The concept for developing this tool was to provide a platform for viewing YouTube videos outside the browser & without Flash. It adds the portability for users and somehow provides a TV experience. The only apparent limitation is since it’s a YouTube client, it only gets you the video clips hosted on YouTube.

Minitube works fine on Mac and Linux. The Windows version will be out soon.

Download Minitube