Why You Don’t Need Desktop Chat Clients Anymore

Remember the days of MSN Messenger and AIM? Those two were the first chat clients I ever used. Once I started using them more and more, it became cumbersome to switch between clients and contact windows. Soon after, multiple-chat clients came about, the popular ones being Miranda IM, Trillian, Pidgin and Digsby. They’re still available, but do you really use them? Or need them? I have Trillian installed on my computer and I honestly can’t remember the last time I opened it. It’s basically just been an unconscious decision to stop using it.

So what do you use instead? I’ve found myself gravitating towards online chat clients instead. Many of them are built into websites I’m using already, so why have an additional program running?

Your Browser Is Already Open

Likely when you’re on your computer, you have some sort of website open. It’s very unlikely that you aren’t using your browser for some purpose already, so why not combine it with communication too?

In addition to already using your browser, you’re probably already using one (if not more) of the websites which contain a chat client. You know, Gmail, Facebook, Outlook.com… need I list more? Those are pretty much the top three that we use to communicate with. There’s also Yahoo Mail, which also has its own messenger, but who really uses that anymore?

Save On Space & Resources

Along with your browser already being in use, you can save on space and resources on your computer by not running additional programs. For most computers this isn’t a major concern since they’re built to handle more resource-extensive applications now days. That said, every little thing adds up and it’s not a bad idea to still keep things to a minimum. Although I do like desktop applications for certain things, I also find myself using web apps for an equal replacement at times.

Your Contacts Are In The Cloud, You Should Be Too

Perhaps you thought that all this time your contacts in your standalone desktop chat client were saved on your computer, and in some local clients that’s the case. However, the majority of the time, they are stored in the cloud with the services you’re connected to – Google, Facebook, etc. So in that sense, you aren’t really tied to any specific client. This means you can go anywhere and be on any computer and still talk to your friends and family.

There are certainly portable applications that allow you to take your favorite IM client with youby using Portable Apps. But in my opinion, that’s a bit more of a hassle. and again, you’re already going to be using the Internet, so you might as well use it for this too.

What About Video Chatting?

You might be thinking “but I use Skype all the time! How am I supposed to use that online?” Well, you might not realize this, but Facebook and Skype are best friends, and you can video chat on Facebook, through Skype. There’s really no need for Skype to be installed on your computer.

Skype isn’t the only player in video chatting anymore though, and they certainly knew this and jumped to partner with Facebook to help fill the gap that the mighty Google has shown a lot of success in. You may have heard about Google+ Hangouts. Have you tried them? If not, you should – it’s quite nice. And as an added bonus it works directly within Google Chat in Gmail.

If you want even more convincing, check out Tina’s article 5 Reasons Google Hangouts Are Cooler Than Skype For Video Chats.

The Web Chat Client Alternatives

We’ve already touched upon Facebook Chat and Google Chat, which are the two primary services you’ll likely be using the most. However, if you’re an Outlook.com (Hotmail) user, you can also connect your Facebook account to that account while still staying in touch with your native Windows contacts.

Note that Yahoo can also sync to Facebook and allow you to talk with Yahoo and Facebook contacts simultaneously from your Yahoo Mail page. I haven’t been really impressed with the chat features though and it seems quite cumbersome to use compared to other online chat clients.

But what about outside of the “standard” services that we use though? Well, perhaps you’ve heard of Meebo. That’s a pretty popular one and… oh, what? Google bought it?

Well, so much for that then. Thankfully though, Meebo isn’t the only option. There are quite a few alternatives, but my overall favorite is imo.im.

imo.im certainly isn’t the only web chat client – Craig covered some new similar sites like Instan-t Express Web IM and ILoveIM. Another great service that seems fairly new is IM+. There are quite a few others available too like WeBuzz.IM, Nimbuzz and older ones like eBuddy.

imo.im has been around a while too, and it is evident that it is continuing development and constantly adding new features. One feature that makes it stand out is the ability to send short audio clips of what you want to say. Not only can you send audio clips though, but you can also place calls to any service. This is the only web chat client which can do this, that I know of.

It also can connect to Skype, which is very rare. IM+ can also do this, but it can’t place calls, which is a big shortfall when it comes to communicating with Skype contacts.

Below is a complete list of the best web chat clients, the ones in bold being the ones I recommend.

• Google Chat with Google+ Hangouts
• Outlook.com Messenger
• Yahoo Mail Messenger
• Facebook Chat with Skype
• imo.im
• IM+
• Trillian for Web
• ILoveIM
• Instan-t Express Web IM
• eBuddy
• WeBuzz.IM
• Nimbuzz

Websites Aside, There Are Also Extensions

Something we often don’t think of in this area is the simple browser extension which can replace a full-fledged desktop chat client. This slightly depends on your browser though. In doing some quick research I found that there are many more chat clients available for Chrome than Firefox. There were a few Firefox add-ons, but nothing close to the quantity and quality in the Chrome Web Store.

Below are some Chrome extensions that I’d recommend:

• Windows Live Messenger Extension
• eBuddy Chat
• Nimbuzz Messenger
• IM+ Bar
• Gtalklet (covered on MakeUseOf)

Final Thoughts

There are quite a few options to chat online, but amongst a lot of the “clutter” there are only a few good ones. Even in the ones I’ve covered in this article, there are some that stand out far greater than others. Through my testing and opinion, these would be again the bolded ones which I listed in the web chat client section.


References: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/why-you-dont-need-desktop-chat-clients/

10 Great Geek Hacks: Repurpose Everyday Objects & Get The Most Out Of Your Electronics

If you’re looking for a way to get the most out of old everyday objects that have become obsolete, like cassette tapes and CD’s, or want to put everyday objects like binder clips, bread clips and ceramic bowls to good use, we’ve put together a list of 10 really cool geeky ideas to upcycle, hack and reuse things lying around your house.

There is no end to the ways that you can put all your old gadgets and bits and pieces to good use – just browse Pinterest for 10 minutes and you’ll find a hundred and one cool projects to keep you busy all weekend. Our list sticks to the more geeky gadgetry that we know MakeUseOf’s readers will love.

Use a Ceramic Bowl Instead Of Speakers

If you’d rather spend your money on a decent pair of earphones, you can always turn to an everyday object you most definitely have to enhance your at-home listening with your iPod, iPhone, or any other smartphone you happen to own. Simply turn your music on, stick your phone in a ceramic bowl, and hear the difference. The concave shape of the bowl will help amplify the sound, and a ceramic bowl offers the best results.

Use Binder Clips To Organize Your Cords

If you’ve got a lot of gadgets and electronics sitting on your desk, chances are you’ve got a jumble of cords running sitting right next to them. A great way to keep them handy and easily accessible is to use large binder clips, attach them to the edge of your desk, and thread the cables through the opening. That way you keep them organized, in sight, and won’t run the risk of losing important USB cables.

Use Bread-Bag Clips To Label Your Cables

Once you’ve got your binder clips in place on your desk, another place where cables might still be a bit of a mess are under the desk leading to your power strip. So that you don’t unplug the wrong gadget or electronic device by mistake, you can use bread-bag clips to label each cable clearly. Don’t have any bread-clips handy? You could always simply make your own.

Turn Old Cassette Tapes Into Cool Retro Lamps

You probably can’t remember the last time you played a CD, let alone a cassette tape. If you’ve still got a lot of cassette tapes stashed away in your attic or garage, and simply couldn’t bear to part with them, you can actually turn them into a bit of impressive home decor. One way to impress your friends would be to turn the cassette tapes into cool retro lamps. Here’s an easy guide to follow to create one of these beauties yourself.

If creating a lamp is a little too complicated for you, there are a few other easier projects you can do to get the most out of your old cassette tapes – like turning them into iPod Nano casesor business card holders.

Turn a Cassette Case Into a Cord Organizer

Now that you’ve found a way to put those cassette tapes to good use, you’ll likely have a bunch of cassette cases lying around that you don’t know what to do with. You can turn them into cord organizers, or also use them to hold your business cards. Since cassette tape covers are relatively small, they’ll come in handy for your smaller USB cords and earbuds, particularly when you’re travelling and want to keep everything nicely organized.

Turn CDs Into Coasters & More

If your CDs aren’t getting much use anymore either, you can repurpose them into cool coasters, a candle mat to catch dripping wax, or even as a dock for your smartphone.

Buying coasters made out of CDs can run you about $18 if you can still find them, so if you have a ton of old CDs lying around and are feeling a little crafty, you can always decorate them yourself and turn your old CDs into something entirely new. Another idea we’ve come across for getting the most out of your CDs is to stick them on the front and back of your bike as makeshift reflectors.

Use a CD Case As a Recipe Holder

So now you’ll want something to do with those CD cases right? You can turn them into recipe card holders. Not only will you end up with a completely organized set of recipes that you can easily look through by labeling the spine of the CD case, you can also use them to prop up the recipe in plain view while you cook.

Turn An Old TV Into a Fish Tank

This is certainly the most difficult of the ideas we’ve come across but turning your old TV or computer screen into a fish tank has to be one of the coolest ways to get the most out of old retro gadgets. Of course this is not the kind of task you should undertake unless you really know what you’re doing.

Use Burnt Out Lightbulbs As Picture Frames Or Vases

If you’ve got some burnt out lightbulbs lying around the house, you can use them to create vases, terrariums, or even turn them into interesting and unique picture frames.

Do you want more ideas on what to do with lightbulbs? Try turning them into salt and pepper shakers, an oil lamp, a mini fish tank, and more. Check out this really cool Pinterest boarddedicated entirely to cool uses for old lightbulbs.

Before you give any of these electronics hacking projects a try, be sure to take a look at this guide on how to hollow out a light bulb.

Organize Your Cables With Toilet Rolls

Yet another way to keep your cables and cords organized is to use toilet rolls. You can fill a shoebox with toilet rolls to stick your cables in, but you can also find a few ways to keep it looking pretty. All it takes is a bit of wrapping paper and you can dress up the toilet roll to look a lot nicer than it really does. Don’t have any wrapping paper handy? Just use a page out of a magazine.

References: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-great-geek-hacks-repurpose-everyday-objects-electronics/

Top 5 Most Common Windows 7 Problems and How to Fix Them

Windows 7 is a fairly cool operating system, but like most operating systems it’s not perfect. Some Windows 7 problems are bugs others happen to be features. Either way, they are annoying and all we care for is a quick fix.

Some of the most commonly reported problems with Windows 7 include compatibility with older programs, slow performance on low-end hardware, and trouble with the Aero theme and its features. In this article, I’ll show you how to fix these annoyances. For those that prefer an automatic fix, scroll down to the bottom for suggested software solutions.

1. Windows 7 Seems Slow

Windows 7 is hungry for resources. It features many visual effects that draw heavy on your graphics card and system memory. If your system was slow out of the box, chances are you can easily fix that by turning off superfluous effects.

Go to > Start and type ‘performance‘ in the search field. Select > ‘Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows‘ from the results. The > Performance Options window will open. Under > Visual Effects select > Adjust for best performance. If you would like to retain a nice interface, select > Custom and check > ‘Use visual styles on windows and buttons‘.

2. Windows Aero Not Working

I recently wrote an article on How To Enable & Troubleshoot Aero Effects In Windows 7.

In addition to this article, you should make sure that your graphics card supports Aero and that graphics driver is up to date. However, if your computer came with Windows 7 this should not be an issue.

Finally, Aero could be disabled in your registry. Before I proceed to explain how to check and edit your registry, I must warn you! Editing the registry can cause permanent damage to your Windows installation. Please backup your registry and know what you’re doing.

Go to > Start and type > ‘regedit‘ into the > search option. Launch regedit and browse to >KEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM. The value of the entry > ‘EnableAeroPeek‘ should be set to 1, rather than 0.

3. Older Programs Not Compatible

Before upgrading to Windows 7, it is advisable to check which of your programs will be compatible. The Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor checks the most common programs. However, as I have outlined in my article How To Use Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor To Check PC Compatibility, you may have to do a manual check at the Windows 7 Compatibility Center for many other programs. Now, if you have already upgraded and if it turns out that a dear program of yours is not compatible, there is a way out: Windows 7 Compatibility Mode.

To install a program in Compatibility Mode, right-click its > installation file and select >Properties. In its > Properties windows switch to the > Compatibility tab, check > ‘Run this program in compatibility mode for:‘ and from the > pull-down menu choose the latest version of Windows of which you know that the program was running on.

You may have to repeat this step with the program itself once it is installed. Right-click the > program icon, select > Properties, switch to > Compatibility tab, check > ‘Run this program in compatibility mode for:‘, and choose the respective Windows operating system.

Furthermore, you can change the settings for the respective program and you should explore these, depending on the issue you’re facing.

Finally, if you went with Windows 7 Professional or up, you can use Windows 7′s XP Mode. It runs Windows XP as a virtual machine and you can install all programs that worked on Windows XP in this environment. Ars Technica has a very decent article on Windows 7′s XP Mode.

4. DVD Drive Not Found

Windows 7 can not find your optical drive? This is another issue that involves editing the registry. The warning from point 2 applies!

Click > Start, search for > ‘regedit‘ and launch it from the > results. Navigate to > ‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class‘. In the > right-hand panel delete > ‘UpperFilters‘ and > ‘LowerFilters‘, restart Windows and see if the problem was resolved.

If not, click > Start, type > Disk Management, and select > ‘Create and format hard disk partitions‘. In the > Disk Management window right-click on the > optical drive icon and select ‘Change Drive Letter and Paths‘. In the > Change Drive Letter and Paths window click the >Change… button and choose a new drive letter. Restart Windows and hope the issue was fixed.

5. New Themes Change Custom Icons

So you switched themes and found that some of your custom icons where changed? That’s quite annoying, but it’s easy to prevent. Right-click > desktop, select > Personalize, in the control panel windows that opens switch to > Change Desktop Icons, and in the > Desktop Icon Settings window uncheck > ‘Allow themes to change desktop icons‘.

Another common issue, which only seems to occur in older laptops, is that Windows 7 falsely reports an empty battery and subsequently shuts down. ITExpertVoice provides a workaround, preventing Windows 7 from shutting down when it thinks the battery is empty. Unfortunately, this may leave you with a sudden laptop death when the battery really runs out.

Finally, many Windows 7 problems can be fixed in an instant using handy tools. MakeUseOf has reviewed FixWin in the article How To Fix Common Windows Problems In A Snap With FixWin. Another option is QuickFix, which contains 21 common Windows 7 fixes. Since it is a portable app, it could one day help you out of a virus attack or restore default Windows 7 behavior.


References: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-5-commonly-reported-windows-7-problems-fix/

How To Fix A Windows 7 Infinite Reboot Loop

Every morning I get up, switch on my PC and then go and prepare breakfast. By the time I’m done, Windows has booted up and I can start work.

But not today.

Unfortunately something had gone wrong with Windows 7 and the operating system was refusing to boot. Instead, the computer was caught in a reboot loop, unable to load the operating system and constantly restarting.

In previous versions of Windows this might have required a full reinstall or at least some messing around. Fortunately thanks to the way in which Windows 7 was designed it is possible to resolve a reboot loop in a relatively short space of time.

What Is an Infinite Reboot Loop?

Have you ever encountered an infinite reboot loop?

You would probably recall if you have. It is instantly recognisable by the failure of Windows to correctly load up after switching on your PC or laptop. Instead, the computer will reach a certain stage before the logon screen only to then reset back to the boot screen, at which point it will attempt to load Windows again, becoming caught in the loop (although in some cases it might successfully boot) again and again.

The error occurs because of a problem with the Windows 7 system registry. Unfortunately without booting into Windows the registry cannot be fixed, leaving the operating system unreachable.

It’s a Catch 22 situation.

In order to overcome this problem, the tools provided in the Windows 7 System Recovery Options can be used.

Booting Into the System Recovery Options Screen

First you will need to boot your computer into the System Recovery Options screen. This is usually done with the installation DVD, which should be inserted into the optical drive. When the computer boots, Press any key to boot from CD or DVD as requested, select your language preference and then click Repair your computer. A list of installed operating systems should be displayed – select Windows 7 and click Next.

The System Recovery Options screen will appear. Select the first option, Use recovery tools that can help fix problems with Windows, and then select Startup Repair.

(If your computer has a pre-installed recovery partition, the process is a little difference. In this case, boot to the Advanced Boot Options screen, select Repair your computer and tap Enter. Next, select the keyboard language type, then your username and password before selecting Startup Repair in the System Recovery Options screen.)

With Startup Repair selected, Windows will attempt to automate the repair; this might work – otherwise, further action will be required.

Preparing Windows 7 Recovery

If the Startup Repair option fails, you will receive a message reading Windows cannot repair this computer automatically. At the bottom of the message, click View advanced options for system recovery and support to return to System Recovery Options, and instead click Command Prompt.

The black command line interface will open with X:\ selected by default; this is the Windows internal RAM disk that is used by System Repair. You will need to navigate to your Windows system drive, which will by default be on the C: drive.

To open this, type C: and press Enter. Type DIR and press Enter to check that you are in the right drive – the contents listed should include the Program Files, Users and Windows folders.

You will then need to change directory. Enter CD \windows\system32\config and then DIR to check that the correct files and folders are listed:

• RegBack
• DEFAULT
• SAM
• SECURITY
• SOFTWARE
• SYSTEM

With access to the correct directory and the required folders present, enter MD mybackup to create a backup folder. Enter copy *.* mybackup to copy everything to this location, agreeing to the overwrite warnings when they appear.

The RegBack folder stores automatic Windows registry backups. To check if these can be used in restoring your system, enter CD RegBack and then DIR to view the contents. In the folder, you should have the following:

• DEFAULT, SAM and SECURITY files, each around 262,000 bytes
• SOFTWARE file, around 26,000,000 bytes
• SYSTEM file, around 9,900,000 bytes

Note that these figures are approximate, but recognise that if any of these files display a size of zero bytes then you will have to resort to another method of restoring Windows 7.

Running the Windows 7 Recovery

With your RegBack folder containing the data you need to restore Windows 7 and rescue it from the reboot loop, you will be able to copy the contents and use them to get the operating system back up and running again.

Begin by entering copy *.* .. – note the two trailing dots. These indicate that the contents should be pasted to the level above – the Config folder. Agree to all prompts concerning whether you want to overwrite files, and once the process has completed enter exit to close the command prompt.

On the System Recovery Options screen, click Restart to reboot your PC – if everything has gone as it should, Windows 7 should now start correctly!

Conclusion

Reboot loops have long been a problem with Windows. While previous versions offered a couple of ways out in the recovery options, these solutions were far from comprehensive.

The same is true in Windows 7 but there is at least a much better success rate of dealing with infinite reboot loops.

When following the steps outlined here, please take care to follow them precisely. Errors that you make while using the command line interface cannot be undone. Note also that these steps don’t guarantee success – you should be prepared to reinstall Windows in the event that fixing the reboot loop fails.


References: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/fix-windows-7-infinite-reboot-loop/

Bitcasa: Gives Infinite Storage Space To Your Folders

Many of us deeply value some of the tools that exist out there which make our lives so much easier. One of the best examples is Dropbox, the application which seamlessly synchronizes our files across all of our devices. Without Dropbox, our workflow would become a lot less efficient, and we’d probably have more gray hair too. The only real downside to Dropbox is the limited amount of storage space we can synchronize.

Bitcasa plans to change that. In short, Bitcasa is a synchronization tool which gives infinite space to whichever folders you’d like. Unlike Dropbox, Bitcasa’s main focus is actually expanding your folder’s available storage space to a virtually unlimited amount rather than synchronization. This is achieved by simply connecting the folder to Bitcasa’s cloud, where you aren’t limited to a quota.

However, the service does come with a good amount of additional features, including synchronization, easy sharing, encrypted storage, and access via their website.

While Android and iOS applications are still in the works, BitCasa is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux to allow true access from any computer.

Features:

• Unlimited storage.
• Synchronization.
• Easy sharing.
• Cross-platform.
• Similar sites: BookMyCloud, CloudExperience, miMedia, Boxnet,ADrive, Boxstr, AllYouCanUpload and FrostBytez.

Check it out @ www.bitcasa.com


References: http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/bitcasa-give-unlimited-capacities-to-your-folders/