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GameStream vs. GeForce Now : Who is the gaming king?

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NVIDIA is one gaming company that probably every gamer has heard about. They are the bestsellers and are currently the number one gaming service provider company. They have been in the industry for a long time and enhance your gaming experience. They have further fortified their situation with the release of GameStream and GeForce Now. Now as an avid gamer all you need to do is to choose the one that best suits your needs.

Similarities

Before divulging into their difference, the similarities between the two cloud gaming service providers are:

  1. Both the service providers, enable game streaming on your devices.
  2. NVIDIA SHIELD devices are the prerequisite for any game streaming through these cloud-based game streaming service providers.
  3. GameStream and GeForce Now require a Wi-Fi router with at least a speed of 5MHz.

GameStream Vs GeForce Now

If you are a gamer then you will love to know the difference between these gaming services, so that you can find the right service for your PC gaming needs.

GameStream

  • It is for those prefer PC gaming.
  • You need to own a SHIELD device like Shield Tablet, Shield TV or any other Shield portable device.
  • It streams the games from your PC to any of the portable devices. This allows you to play your games at home or anywhere else you want to.
  • All the load is being carried by your PC in this case. Your PC would require a GeForce GTX graphics card on your gaming PC.
  • GameStream is free of cost, the only cost incurred is the cost of purchasing the Shield device and the games.
  • It can be installed very easily , you just need the GeForce Experience to handle all the game streaming and you are good to go.
  • It allows you to access your games just about anywhere with an internet connection.
  • GameStream supports, Bluetooth keyboard and mice. Since the streaming is through Wi-Fi, the connection can be a bit dormant.

GeForce Now

  • It did not stream games from your PC, instead, it streamed games from the Cloud. But with the latest edition, you can enjoy games on your PC as well.
  • You can enjoy free streaming of some sections of the game, but you need to pay around $7.99/gameto enjoy full versions.
  • It allows you to stream games to your devices, without having a heavy Graphics card.
  • It also allows Mac users to play Windows-only games and that too with the perfect graphics.
  • GeForce Now can be easily purchased with an $8 monthly subscription and you get access to 60 games.
  • Has a facility to allow you to continue accessing your already purchased games through Steam Key feature if you cancel your subscription.
  • Unlike GameStream, GeForce Now is not being streamed from your home. It is being streamed from various server locations, thus it has very specific network requirements. Besides a 5MHz router, it requires a minimum of 25Mbps internet connection.
  • It allows you to test your network’s capability and it will then inform you about the lacking in your connection and also guide as to measures you should take to have the connection at par. If there is constant fluctuations in your internet connection GeForce Now automatically adjusts the connection’s speed to meet requirements.
  • You do not need to install GTX graphics card. GeForce Now allows your old laptop to access the graphics card through the cloud and you can then enjoy crisp graphics for your game without any delays and poor output.

The Final Verdict

For avid gamers who earlier decided against GeForce Now due to its inability to allow PC gaming can take a back seat now. Since the new GeForce Now allows PC gaming and also has its own set of amazing games library that can be easily accessed through the cloud. So the best choice would be to get NVIDIA SHIELD, this will allow you to enjoy GameStream as well as have access to the GeForce Now games all through your PC and then you can use the Shield device to play games from your PC wherever you go thanks to GameStream!

Download Links

GeForce NOW for SHIELD

GameStream

GeForce NOW for PC

uTorrent Alternatives: 5 Best Free Torrent Clients For Fast And Secure Downloads

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A torrent is a way of sharing files, there is no limit on the size of the torrent. You can upload anything. Torrents are also a faster way of sharing files. torrent files may include video games,movies,TV shows or sofwares of big size. So in order to download these torrent files you need some softwares and uTorrent is one such software that let’s you download torrent files from torrent websites.

uTorrent used to be one of the best torrent clients that lets you download torrent files but after BitTorrent.inc acquired uTorrent it started showing ads. Some of these ads are usually highly unethical and is not suitable for some viewers to see and what’s so annoying about ads is that if you accidentally click it, it opens it up and slows your computer. Other problem some users might face while installing uTorrent is that while installing it ,it installs others garbage softwares too without even asking for our permission and these softwares makes changes in our webpages etc.

So in order to save you from these inconveniences, here is a list of 5 best alternatives to uTorrent. So let’s begin.

Tribler

The first on the list in Tribler. Tribler is an open Source/free software that lets you download torrent files easily. It is an ad-Free software that does not annoy with different ads. The best thing I like about this software is that you don’t have to leave the software in order to search for a torrent file, you can easily search it within the software and start downloading it from there.

This is a great softwares for all those who like to stream videos a lot, as you can watch the videos on the torrent websites on these websites too without having to install them.

Highlights:

  • Ad-free
  • Open source/free
  • Video streaming online

Deluge

Deluge is another free open Source software that made to this list. It is a light weight software that does not consume much of your memory. It does not show any annoying ads as well. It has a very easy user interface. It’s interface is quite similar to uTorrent, so if you are switching from uTorrent to deluge then you won’t have any trouble adjusting to the interface as it is similar to uTorrent.

Highlights:

  • Ad-free
  • Open source/free
  • Easy interface
  • lightweight

qBitTorrent

qBitTorrent is another open source software that does not show any annoying or disturbing ads. It is very light weight as compared to uTorrent. It is available for windows. Mac OS and Linux. It’s interface is also very similar to uTorrent and qBitTorrent. Even though it’s very lightweight you will get everything in it that you can find in uTorrent.

Highlights:

  • Ad-free
  • Open source/free
  • lightweight

Transmission –Qt

Transmission –Qt is an another ad-free software that lets you download any game, movie or software using torrent files. It is an open source software that does not take much of your memory. In operating systems like Ubuntu and some of the Linux products it is installed by default. But it is also available for windows, mac OS to download for free.

Highlights:

  • Ad-free
  • Open source/free
  • lightweight

Tixati

The last uTorrent alternative on this list is tixati. It is one of the most used and famous file sharing program. It is a lightweight software and one of the best uTorrnet alternative. Although its interface is a bit hard to understand, still It’s the most widely used software that is used as an alternative to uTorrent.

Highlights:

  • Ad-free
  • Open source/free
  • Widely used
  • Dark interface

There you go. If you download any of these then let us know how these worked out for you.

4 Ways To Open Docx Document Files

4 Ways To Open Docx Document Files

File Management, List , , 2 Comments

In Office 2007, Microsoft introduced a file format called the Microsoft Open Office XML Format (.docx). This format is not compatible with older versions of Microsoft Word and with some other popular word processing software. Thus, Microsoft offers a list of compatibility packs for your older Office suite versions so that they can support the new format of .docx.

Today, we will look at the different options available to create, open and edit the .docx files without installing the Office Suite. We have solutions for the people with different tastes i.e. view your .docx files either using online tools or install an alternative suite. You may also think of converting your file to other formats. We have gathered all these options for you.

Use Online Viewers

Several online viewers can be used to view .docx documents. Gmail allows you to view attached docx document using Google Docs. Recently, Google Docs have been renamed to Google Drive which also comes as a desktop app.

Google Drive allows you to create and edit .docx files. You can also upload your files or folders which are stored on your PC. It provides all the basic features of word processing software. You can share your files with your friends and get them synchronized over the cloud using Google Drive.

Google Drive

Think Free Online is another online tool which enables you to view word files without opening them in the Office Suite. You need to create a free account on ThinkFree Online to receive more benefits. You may view your files, save them online and access them from anywhere. You can also use your Gmail credentials to use ThinkFree Online without signing up for an account.

Install Alternative Software

You may also install alternative software to the Office Suite which usually support the Word, Excel and the Powerpoint tools. Kingsoft Office is a free alternative to the costly Microsoft Office Suites. Kingsoft office can open the word documents which are stored using the .doc and .docx formats. It can also create .doc/.docx format files. Kingsoft Office is a lightweight alternative which offers Word, Excel and Powerpoint in its suite. Other alternative software include the Libre Office and Apache OpenOffice.

Install Browser Extensions

Another option is to install the browser extensions that could read the .docx format. Installing lightweight extensions will free you from installing any software and lets you view documents easily.

Docs Online Viewer is an extension for the Firefox users which uses API of Google docs and Zoho Viewer to open the files of different formats. It supports PDF, DOC, DOCX and some other formats.

Chrome Office Viewer (Beta) is an extension for chrome browser that lets you open the Microsoft Word, Excel and the PowerPoint files with a single click.

Convert file formats

Although, this option is not very handy. However, you may sometimes need to convert the .docx file into any other format. Zamzar is an online tool that converts your documents from one format to another. It is a simple 4-step process which including uploading file, selecting the desired format, entering email address and pressing the ‘Convert’ button. The converted file will be sent to your email address. You need to sign up for a free account on Zamzar to grab your converted files.

zamzar docx converter

Docx-converter offers a portable solution for .docx format conversion. It is compatible with Windows XP/Vista/7. If you do not want to download any software, you may use the online converter to convert your files to other format quickly. The converted file is sent to your email address. It may strip out some formatting from your .docx document but it has fixed several issues, now. It also come as a desktop widget which is very helpful to convert the files from your desktop. It supports lesser several formats as compared to Zamzar, still, you may think of Docx Converter Desktop widget as an option.

docx online converter

Did you find today’s post helpful? Do share with us , if you have any other way to .docx document file without an Office suite.

6 Tips To Increase BitTorrent Download Speed

6 Tips To Increase BitTorrent Download Speed

Internet, List 1 Comment

The main purpose of BitTorrent is to share and distribute large amount of data over the internet. They decrease the server dependency on downloading large files over any peer-to-peer network and make a “Swarm" where user can join as a host and download and upload files from each other at the same time.

In this article, we will discuss some tips about boosting torrent download speeds.

1- Get a suitable BitTorrent client

When you think to choose any BitTorrent application for your PC or Laptop, take some time and read the reviews about that application you are going to installed. Some Torrent clients are easy to use, but are difficult to configure, and vice versa. You can check the best BitTorrent client for Windows. Wikipedia has a huge list of detailed BitTorrent applications with respect to Operating system, features, interface, vulnerabilities etc.

Comparisons betweeen different Bit Torrents

2- Healthy Seeders and Wealthy Peers

Seeders and peers or leechers are the most important part of any torrent file. Large number of both will affect your downloading speed. Basically seeders are those computers who have downloaded that piece of file and helping others to download quickly, while peers are those who are currently downloading and uploading the file simultaneously. Choose the download file which has more seeders and less peers.

High Seeders and Leechers

It is also important to note that if you see a file with 0 seeders or a file with large number of peers, then there might be a chance that file contain viruses. So always check reviews and comments before choosing any torrent file.

3- High bandwidth allocation

When running any torrent download, always make sure that you mark its bandwidth allocation to High. Bandwidth allocation depends upon your internet speed of downloading and uploading also called up and down.

High Low

In uTorrent, you can adjust the bandwidth by going to Options->Preference->Bandwidth.

Bandwidth

When you are downloading multiple files then it is suggested to keep the bandwidth of higher priority file to high and the rest to low so that the speed could be managed and distributed equally. It is also suggested to keep the uploading limit to Low.

4- Allow torrents from your firewalls

By default, BitTorrent applications are not allowed and permitted to communicate through firewall which results in blocking of most of the torrent clients.

To enable Torrent to communicate through your firewall, you just need to configure your Control Panel settings and ask the firewall to allow the BitTorrent applications.

FireWall Settings

5- Choose the right port

BitTorrent uses default ports when installed on any computer. They transfer the data packets using different port numbers and if one port is too busy for waiting acknowledgments, then it will unable to send more packets results in slow downloading.

Right Port Settings

So always configure your BitTorrent port number greater than 10,000. Recommended range of Port number is in between 200000 to 600000. These port numbers are recommended because they are less frequently used by other applications.

6- Limit the number of peers connection

As stated earlier, it is not good for a torrent file having large number of peers and low number of Seeders. So you should always limit your connection with peers. In uTorrent, this can be done by going to Options –> Preference –> Bandwidth. There you see three different settings for configuration under Number of Connections.

The first setting determines and limits the maximum no. of connections your BitTorrent can have with other clients on the Internet. This should not to be too high nor too low, otherwise either your downloading stops or becomes very slow.

Port1

The second setting allows you to connect the number of peers you restrict per download. This should also be set to low so that you have enough packets to boost up your downloading speed.

Port2

The third setting allows other computer to download from you. Keep this low restrict them to do so, but keeping it too low recognize you as a bad user. So choose the right number according to your internet speed and usage of torrent.

Port3

These are some of key tips which can help your BitTorrent speed up the downloading of torrent files. Experiment with these tips and let us know which tips you found very useful.

3 Tools To Merge JPG Images Into A PDF File

3 Tools To Merge JPG Images Into A PDF File

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Sometimes we needs to merge multiple JPG images into a single PDF document. This is usually the case when we want to create an e-book out of scanned images. In this article, we will discuss some free tools to create a PDF document of your images quickly. We will also see a solution using the Microsoft One Note 2013.

FM JPG to PDF Converter converts image files and folders to PDF

FM JPG to PDF converter is a tool that enables you to merge multiple JPEG images and save them in the form of a PDF file. It allows you to add, remove and arrange the image files. You can also add an entire folder containing the JPG images and you will be saved from adding the files one by one.

fm Jpg pdf converter

To create a PDF file :

  1. Click the Add button and select the image files you want to merge.
  2. Click on the up and down arrows to move images up or down.
  3. It has a preview pane also, so that you may add or remove any file from the list by clicking on Remove button.
  4. Set the output properties of the file.
  5. Click the Start button.
  6. If you want to create another file, click the Clear button to remove all files at once.

fm Jpg pdf converter Output Properties

PDF Mate Merger merges multiple files into a single PDF

PDF Mate Merger is a free PDF merger that can be used to merge multiple files into a single PDF file. We can also merge the images in JPEG format and build a PDF file through it. It is completely free and you can start using it right away without any subscription or registration.

PDF Mate Merger to Merge Jpeg into PDF

PDF Mate Merger sports an easy to use interface that allows you to add any number of files using the Add Files button. You can arrange these files or images in any order using the Up and Down button. Right click on any file name and you will the associated options in the context menu form. You may use Remove button to drop any image which is mistakenly added.

You may need to adjust the output settings according to your requirements using the ‘Output Settings’ options at the bottom. Oh wow! We can add a password to our file as well. Don’t forget to set the layout or it will be set automatically. Now, click the Build button and your PDF file is created.

Using OneNote 2013 to create PDF from Images

You may have used your OneNote to create and maintain your work diaries. How about using the One Note 2013 to merge your JPEG images into a PDF file? The trick is simple and gets you rid off any expensive PDF Merger tool.

  • Select the images that you want to merge.
  • Right click on it.
  • Select Send to One Note 2013.
  • Open your OneNote and see the images there. Arrange them as you like.
  • Go to File -> Export -> Select the ‘Section’. (I assume that your images are pasted in a section).
  • Select PDF format.
  • Click Export.
  • Specify the file name and location.
  • Click save.

One Note to Merge Jpeg into PDF

If you are converting images to PDF files frequently then a dedicated tool like the two mentioned above would be more useful. For occasionally getting your task done, you can use OneNote which is also better suited for creating PDF files from different kinds of multimedia content and not images only.

Which tool do you support? List down your favorite tool for converting images into PDF files.

10 Tips To Secure Your Online Data From Hackers

10 Tips To Secure Your Online Data From Hackers

List, Security 1 Comment

Digital thieves are on the lookout to steal data, let it be personal information, social media, emails and anything they can get their hands on. Data theft is one of the major cyber crimes that is on the rise and therefore precautions need to be taken to ensure the safety of personal data. Following tips will prove helpful in maintaining security of your accounts.

1- Stronger is better

strong computer security

Keep strong passwords to your accounts. In addition, keep a method of creating strong passwords. Create a good mix of numeric and alphabets to ensure strong password and throw in a couple of special characters for good measure. You can even use software to generate a strong password for you.

1Password is an application used to manage and organize your online account passwords, ID’s and other personal and confidential credentials.

2- Sharing is caring: NOT!

key to data sharing

Never share your password with anyone. If the situation requires it, change your password immediately. Password is the key to your online world, never compromise on that.

According to recent research, about 47% malicious attacks on online accounts are done by insiders. Experts advise not to use the same password for all your online accounts and always keep a strong password for accounts where you do financial dealings.

3- Check before you click

Invalid Link

It’s a common occurrence to receive mails of the kind informing you that you have had a stroke of good luck and won a lot of money, or an intriguing mail saying something like “OMG! I can’t believe this is your picture!" Take our advice and don’t click on them. They are called scam mails, designed to trick people into giving information of their accounts.

To prevent yourself from click frauds, always use safe browsers and add-on who block or warn the user when they found any link suspicious or malicious. An interesting study noted that Internet Explorer was the most secure browser. The study still holds true for Internet Explorer 10.

4- Enable Two-Factor Authentication

multi factor authentication

Two-Factor authentication is a very reliable method of confirming the user’s identity. If your account provider has this feature to offer, turn it on from your account settings. It works on the following principle: in order to verify your identity you must tell something you know (password etc) and confirm something you have (cell phone etc.)

5- Encrypt your Data

keys on keyboard

In case of a security breach, a lot of valuable information like business or personal emails is jeopardized. In order to keep them safe from the eyes of an invader, encrypt your data before storing it online. You can use software or even small add-on for the job.

There are many encryption algorithms used to secure online data and used in many high security database around the globe. The most common among them is Secured Hash Algorithm which is also used in Digital signatures validation.

6- Resume from Checkpoint

data backup

Assuming you have lost your account to a hacker and can no longer access some very important data you were working on, what do you do? Either you begin from scratch, or you resume from last save point. As a smart move, maintain backup of your information to keep a last updated copy.

There are some software available in the market which ensure you that your data is safe from any mishaps and accidental loss. You should always backup your data regularly to make sure that you have the most recent copy of backup in case of any disaster.

7- Keep a plan B

disaster recovery computers

Hacking is a real world problem and at the rate it is occurring these days, there is a good probability that you might get hacked even with your security on. In case of such a crisis, always know your way out. Keep information on the account retrieval and verification method of your respective service providers.

8- Die Daisy Chain!

daisy chain

Don’t link accounts. Linking of accounts only makes it easier for the hackers to gain access to other accounts once they break into any one of them. For example, if a hacker breaks into your Amazon account, it will lead them to your linked twitter account, which will lead them further on, compromising all that you have. This is called Daisy Chaining of Accounts.

9- Fake answers to security questions

Place you grew up in? Favorite pets name? Mothers maiden name? These are all questions asked to verify your identity. If you answer these questions honestly and the attacker is someone who knows you, he/she can guess the answers and obtain hold of your account. To avoid this from happening, always provide bogus answers to such security questions, answers that only you know.

Some forums and websites have very strict rules about security questions as they are one of the most sophisticated way of social engineering to compromise any account.

10- Uniqueness is the key

Always use different passwords for different websites. Keeping the same password for all sites increases the risk of total loss of data in case anyone of the website accounts is hacked. An example is to keep a format of password and change a few letters with respect to website. For example: Facebook password is “fbmYPa$$w0rd" and Google password is “gomYPa$$w0rd".

These tips can help secure your account from malicious software and hackers but you will need to take preventive measures as the proverb says, “Prevention is better than cure”!. Do you have any tips for securing your accounts from online threats?

10 Actionable Steps To Increase Your Laptop Battery Life

10 Actionable Steps To Increase Your Laptop Battery Life

List, Tips/Troubleshooting 1 Comment

Laptop battery life depends upon several factors. The factors can be directly or indirectly related to the computer. We will discuss some of these factors and possible actions to make your battery life longer in this article.

1. Know your battery

Currently there are two types of batteries available in the market. Maintaining both types of batteries is different. The newer batteries are Lithium Ion based, and have no problems with partial recharging or discharging (this is called memory effect). This means you can recharge the newer Li-On batteries any time you want.

battery internals

The older batteries are Nickel Metal Hydride based, and have memory effect problems. This means that from time to time, you have to drain the battery completely and then recharge it to full, to minimize any losses in battery capacity.

Editor’s note: The latest research reveals that the new sulfur-based battery is a lot safer and more powerful than Li-On battery. It can save charge four times than that of Li-On battery as it has a lot more energy density. See more about Lithium sulphur battery here.

2. Know your Energy Profile

All major Operating Systems including Windows come with default energy consumption profiles for controlling PC performance while on battery. When you are not doing processor and graphics intensive work (such as gaming, photo/video editing), you can switch to battery saving profile for longer battery life.

This is especially easy in Windows 7, where you can tap Windows + X hotkey to bring up the Windows Mobility Center which enlists energy consumption profiles in an easy to select drop down menu.

Windows Mobility Center

Another way to do the same is to click on the battery icon in the notification area (bottom right of your screen in Windows), which brings up the last three used energy consumption profiles.

Editor’s note: In case of Windows 8, you will need to press Windows Key + X + B shortcut key to open the mobility center.

3. External Devices

Devices plugged into USB ports, such as external hard drives, external optical drives, iPods or cell phones are a huge drain of battery. The best way is to unplug or turn off the devices not currently in use. Also, avoid charging cell phones or other portable devices when laptop is running on battery.

Usually 500mA power is available for each USB port. You can save this power by turning off all the USB ports while running on a battery.

To automatically turn off USB ports when on battery do the following:

  1. Go to Device Manager (Windows Key + X + M)
  2. Expand Universal Serial Bus Controllers by click on the + button
  3. Right click Universal Root Hub and select Properties
    USB Root Hub properties
  4. Under Power Management tab, check “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power“

You will need to do this for each Universal Root Hub to make sure that all the USB ports are powered off.

4. Memory beats Hard Drive

Not having enough memory (RAM) in laptops can be a big energy drain. Operating systems use a procedure called Virtual Memory, which is when a part of hard disk is used as extension of memory, to run more applications in limited memory. This results in frequent use of hard drive, which is an energy intensive part of your laptop.

buy more memory

To avoid this, always have enough memory installed in your laptop.

5. Keep your laptop cool, your environment cooler

Heat is a waste of energy. The more your laptop heats up, the more power is drained from battery. So clean your laptop’s air vents regularly. Use air blowers to remove dust residuals. Use laptops in regulated temperature environments.

keep laptop cool

Also, don’t use laptop in open daylight. Laptops are not designed to radiate external heat, which means they can absorb sunlight and heat up much more quickly. This is a surefire way of killing your battery, and your laptop’s performance too.

6. Keep your drivers updated

Newer drivers are usually released to increase performance and decrease power consumption. While this may seem like an inept commentary, latest drivers can help your laptop increase the battery life.

Update Windows drivers

This is especially true for gaming laptops which have powerful GPUs. GPUs are leading contenders for energy consumption when it comes to gaming. So having latest drivers can help cut energy consumption.

7. Invest in cooling pads

If you use your laptop in bed or in sofa a lot, it can heat up quickly and cause load on battery. This is because clothes, and other such material decrease (or completely shut down) air flow to the heat vents, thus causing intense heating of the system which can not only drain the battery, but damage it (and other components also).

Laptop cooling pad

In order to avoid this, you can buy a portable USB stick connected cooling pad for your laptop. Pads come in cheap and have drastic effects at the temperature of your laptop. Always make sure that your laptop has a space to breathe, because no air flow means no cooling, which might decrease laptop performance.

8. Control screen brightness

Screen display requires lighting up multiple arrays of LED lights, which can put a lot of burden on the battery, decreasing its life. One way to control screen brightness in Windows 7 or Windows 8 is through the mobility center. Another way of controlling screen brightness is through the ‘function’ keys, which come in most of the newer laptops. Also, energy consumption profiles come with default settings for screen brightness.

Flux settings

Editor’s note: Flux is a wonderful utility which can automatically change the screen brightness according to the time of the day. For nights, it will decrease the brightness while at day time, the brightness will increase automatically making sure that your eyes stay safe as well as your battery performs better.

9. Prioritize the running programs

If you are working on a spreadsheet, listening to you MP3 collection, downloading your favorite TV Show, updating your software packages and installing a chunky program, all at the same time and without plugging in your power cord, the battery will drain before you can finish any work. Whenever using battery power, avoid overloading useless or otherwise uncritical programs. You can set the updates for night, when you would be watching your TV Show. You can install the program when listening to music during afternoon. Don’t expect more from your battery than it can offer.

Windows 8 power options

Editor’s note: The best way to do this is to change the Power management plan to Power Saver. This will force the processor and other PC components to run slower than normal.

10. Disable graphics accelerated display options

Windows Vista, 7 and 8 come with ‘Aero’ theme which uses the graphics resources for aesthetically pleasing display experience. But using graphics resources all the time can be a huge drain on the battery. High end graphics cards consume more power than hard disks and RAM combined, so be careful with what display settings you use.

In Windows 7, you can revert to a ‘basic’ theme which does not use graphics resources by going to Control Panel -> Appearance and Personalization -> Personalization and selecting any theme from the ‘Basic and High Contrast Themes’.

Performance options

You can also adjust performance settings by going to System Properties (Right Computer and select Properties) –> Advanced System Properties –> Adjust for best performance.

Hopefully these tips will help you to make better use of your laptop battery. If you have any suggestions or would like to share your experience, please leave a comment below.

10 Gmail Widgets To Make Your Email Inbox More Exciting

10 Gmail Widgets To Make Your Email Inbox More Exciting

Internet, List 0 Comments

Gmail provides a list of widgets to entertain its users and to make them more productive and organized using Gmail. The encouraging point about Gmail Widgets is that you do not need to search for them over the internet, rather they are available at your dashboard.

How to install a widget in Gmail

Go to the Settings

Select ‘Labs’ tab. Gmail labs are crazy experimental stuff, as called by the developers

Settings in Gmail

Every gadget appears with its name, image, some description and the radio options of Enable/ Disable.

Select Enable

Find the ‘Save Changes’ button at the bottom of the page to make the settings effective

Add any gadget by URL

This is a very useful and handy gadget for the developers. You can add any gadget directly by specifying it URL.

  • Go to labs
  • Find the ‘Add any gadget by URL’ in the list
  • Select Enable and Save Changes
  • It adds a ‘Gadgets’ tab to the settings
  • Select the gadgets tab and enter desired URL

Add any gadget by url in gmail

Embedding images insides emails

Did you feel annoyed when it comes to sharing an image with a friend through email? You can always share images by inserting them as ‘Attachments’ but it may lead to unambiguous messages. The default formatting toolbar does not allow you to embed any image in the email message, however, you can enable this feature by using ‘Inserting Images’ from the labs. Click on the ‘Insert Images’ button and browse through your computer to select the image.

By default toolbar

Insert Images in Gmail

After installing ‘Inserting Images’

Insert Images in Gmail

Insert your display picture on Gmail chat

Gmail lets you chat with your friends from your Gmail inbox. Add more spice to your chat by displaying your profile image and viewing your friend’s display picture in the chat box. Enable the ‘Pictures in Chat’ gadget from the Gmail experimental labs and view the profile pictures while you chat.

Add image in gmail chat

Quick Links

As obvious by the name, it adds links to the left side of your inbox. You can use Quick Links to add most frequently visited website or any web address given in the email message. You can also add any email as a Quick Link.

  • In the left pane, go to Quick Link.
  • If you want to add any email as link, open that email and select ‘Add Quick Link’. It will assign a unique URL to email.
  • You can also add inbox, sent items, starred items or drafts etc as quick link.Go to inbox, sent items, starred items or drafts tab and select ‘Add Quick Link’. This will add your selected tab as the Quick Link.

Add Quick Links in Gmail

See recent emails

This is not any experimental gadget, rather it is a built-in feature of Gmail. When you read any email, you will see the sender name and profile picture in the right column. Below its picture, you will a link of ‘Show Details’. Click on it and it will display the recent messages from the sender.
See recent mails in gmail

There are also many other widgets available in the laboratory like:

Mark As Read

It adds a ‘Mark as Read’ button in your inbox. Now you can mark your emails as being read without actually reading them.

Google Calendar Gadget

It adds a calendar in the left column. Add important events and meetings to this calendar,so you don’t miss any important date.

Google Voice Player

This gadget lets you listen voice mails right from the email notification.

Undo Send

Undo Send is a helpful gadget for those who are always in a hurry. If you have pressed send button in hurry, click Undo Send to cancel the sending of email.

Google Docs Gadget

It is handy for the Google Drive Users as it displays your recent and starred docs.

Which gadget did you find most helpful? Do you use any other gadget to increase your productivity? Do share with us!

System Level Spell Checkers For Windows

System Level Spell Checkers For Windows

List, Software 0 Comments

Spell check was first introduced in Microsoft Word long ago but now spell and grammar checking has become a necessity for almost all applications that we use on any Operating System. Whether we are using a web browser or a notes taking application, we expect it to correct our spellings as we type. But there are still a lot of apps which do not offer integrated spell checking. I have used different spell checkers for different purposes. In this article, we will discuss some spell checkers which can be used for different tasks. Please note that I will list down all the spell checker apps that I have come across without considering a single Operating System but my focus will still be Windows-based spell checkers.

Spell and Grammar Checker Microsoft Word Windows 8

FreeSpell

If you are a Linux user, you must be familiar with command line spell checkers like Aspell and Ispell. FreeSpell is a Windows application based on Aspell engine. It works on a system level and you can use it with any application. You can use it with any application including Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Internet Explorer, Firefox, a development program like Visual C++ and even Windows Explorer while renaming files and folders.

You can easily trigger FreeSpell for checking spellings using a shortcut key.

FreeSpell

tinySpell

tinySpell is another system level application for checking the spellings. It can be used with any application. The biggest benefit of tinySpell is that it will do spell check in real-time meaning that you will see the suggestions as you type. tinySpell can be triggered from the system tray.

tinySpell

Ginger

Ginger is the complete grammar checker and spell checker. This is my personal favorite because it can be used with popular browsers like Google Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer. I like the grammar correction feature of Ginger. It includes proofreading with a single click. It can also trigger automatic checking with configuration. It also includes a text to speech reader.

Ginger is compatible with Windows, Mac OSX and can also be used online.

Ginger

Language Tool Style and Grammar Checker

Language Tool stands out from the rest because it can proofread in more than 20 different languages including English, French, German, Polish, Romanian, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Malayalam, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish and Spanish. It detects the grammar rules of any language as well as spell checking.

Language Tool Style and Grammar Checker

In my opinion, the spell checking feature should be added to the Operating Systems on a system level which can be used by any application. Do you use any stand alone spell checker other than the default ones which are application specific? I will be more interested to hear about any command line spell checker which can run on Windows 8.

3 Ways To Find Unknown Device Drivers In Windows

3 Ways To Find Unknown Device Drivers In Windows

Featured, List, Tips/Troubleshooting, Windows , 11 Comments

Device driver installation has always been a headache for most of the people. Either one thing or the other is always missing. Once we want to clean install Windows, we have to make sure that we have got all the device drivers for our system. If we miss some of the drivers, nothing works fine. Here are some ways to find unknown device drivers in Windows.

1- Using Unknown Device Identifier

Unknown Device Identifier enables you to identify the yellow question mark labeled Unknown Devices in Device Manager. And reports you a detailed summary for the manufacturer name, OEM name, device type, device model and even the exact name of the unknown devices. With the collected information, you might contact your hardware manufacturer for support or search the Internet for the corresponding driver with a simple click. With this utility, you might immediately convert your unidentified unknown devices into identified known devices and find proper driver on the Internet and contact the hardware device manufacturer or vender. Known devices recognized by Microsoft Windows will also be analyzed independent of the operating system.

Unknown Device Identifier

Download Unknown Device Identifier from the following location:

[download id=”66″]

2- Using Unknown Devices

Unknown Devices helps you find what those unknown devices in Device Manager really are.

By checking Device Manager for unknown devices and extracting information from it, this program attempts to figure out what the device is. You might not have to open your case or look up random numbers off of PCI cards to figure out what they are.

Unknown Device Tool

However when I run this software on my Windows Vista machine, it doesn’t detect my operating system. I have updated the vendors database file and packed with this software. The software can be downloaded from the following location:

[download id=”67″]

3- Manually Identifying The Unknown Devices

To manually identify the devices we have to find out the device instance ID which has two parts, one is the vendor ID and the second is Device ID. Once we have got the vendor ID and identified the device ID, we can easily find the drivers for our device.

To find the device instance ID go to Device Manager –> Right click the unknown device –> Properties –> Details.

Now from the drop down menu select Device Instance Path (Windows Vista)/ Device Instance ID (Windows XP)

It will give you a string value which contains the vendor ID and the Device ID. The string is like this:

HDAUDIO\FUNC_02&VEN_14F1&DEV_5045&SUBSYS_103C30D5&REV_1001\4&2675E3A&0&0002

Where red is the Vendor ID and green is the Device ID. Note down both of them.

Once you have the Vendor ID and the device ID, you can go to the following websites and find out the vendor and device name and search for its drivers.

http://www.pcidatabase.com/

http://www.pcisig.com/membership/vid_search/

http://pciids.sourceforge.net/

You can also download PCI Utilities which displays the Vendors and devices in human readable format instead of the alphanumeric code characters.

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