productivity

June 25, 2013

3 Tools To Merge JPG Images Into A PDF File

Rahmeen Ahmad Khan List, Software PDF, PDF Editor, productivity 2 Comments

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 :

Click the Add button and select the image files you want to merge.
Click on the up and down arrows to move images up or down.
It has a preview pane also, so that you may add or remove any file from the list by clicking on Remove button.
Set the output properties of the file.
Click the Start button.
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.

June 9, 2013

How To Show Merge Folder Conflicts In Windows 8

Rahmeen Ahmad Khan Microsoft, Windows 7 productivity, windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8 tips 1 Comment

Whenever you try to copy a folder in any location, its name should be unique. Failure to do so, results in an interruption named as ‘Merge Folder Conflict’. This conflict can be resolved in two ways:

Give a different name to the folder, you are trying to copy
Allow merging of the two identically named folders

Before Windows 8, users used to receive a confirmation dialog box whenever this type of interrupt occurred. However, in the Windows 8 your folder conflicts are resolved automatically without even letting you know. This is because of a minor change in the default Folder settings. In this tutorial, we will see how to get back the confirmation dialog box.

When does Merge Folder Conflict Arise?

Note that merge conflict only arises when you copy a sub-folder into parent folder which already contains a sub-folder with the same name. Assume that you are in ‘Documents’ folder and it contains folder named ‘merge folder’. If you try to create a new folder in Documents with the same name, a dialog box appears and asks if you want to replace the folder. This dialog appears whether you uncheck the ‘Hide merge folder conflicts’ or not.

Folder Replace Confirmation

If you select ‘No’, two separate folders will be maintained with different names.

Folder Replace

In case, you select ‘Yes’ they will be merged into a single folder. This folder will contain the files that belonged to either of the folder. If a common file appears, it will ask you to rename the file. If you deny to rename, the file will not be copied and it would result in an unsuccessful merge.

Rename Files with same name

Why Enable Merge Folder Conflict Dialog Box?

Sometimes you keep the same name of two folders with different stuff, unintentionally. Now, if you try to copy it in a location which already contains a folder with that particular name, both the folders will be merged. Next time when you will open your folder, it could contain extra set of files which you really did not expect. Had the confirmation box appeared at the conflict time, you would have given different names and avoided the mess.

Enable View Merge Folder Conflicts

To avoid accidental merges, you may want to keep the control in your hands and resolve the conflicts manually. So, you need to change the folder settings and it will prompt you whenever a merge conflict occurs.

In the ribbon bar -> View -> ‘Options’ -> Change folder and search options.
Select ‘View’ tab.
Scroll down and uncheck ‘Hide folder merge conflicts’.

Set Folder Options

Now, if a conflict arises, you will see the following dialog box with a brief self-introduction. If you select ‘Yes’ , it will merge both the folders into a single folder containing all the files.

Confirm Folder Replace Dialog Box

If both the folders contain any common file, you will be prompt to select one of the various option.

Replae or Skip Files with Same Names

If you doubt the information contained in the file, you may prefer to compare them. Obviously, you will keep one file if the information is same or keep both the files, otherwise. This is what ‘Compare info for both files’ does for you.

Resolve File Conflicts

Enable Merge Folder Conflicts Through Registry

You can also set the values of Merge folder Conflicts through the registry. You may like to set the option permanently checked or unchecked ( i.e. values can be changed through registry editor only). To do so, go to the following key:

HKEY Local Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\ Explorer\Advanced\Folder Options\Hide Merge Conflicts

Small things if not handled properly, can result into a mess sooner or later. So, avoid the mess and take some safety measures. You may have it already enabled in your Windows 8 Pro. Those who do not have Pro edition can easily enable the View Merge Folder Conflicts to remain safe from accidental merges.

May 15, 2013

DBCMan: Use Windows 8 Task Manager on Windows 7

Rahmeen Ahmad Khan Software, Windows 7 productivity, windows 7, Windows Task Manager 0 Comments

Windows 8 improves on Windows 7 in a many aspects including the re-designed task manager. Windows 8 task manager give a lot more details about processes and system. Windows 7 users may not be willing to switch to Windows 8 because of various reasons but now Windows 7 users can enjoy Windows 8 Task Manager without switching fully. ‘DBCTaskman’ is a task manager application that is similar to Windows 8 task manager and can run on Windows 7. This manager has more or less the same options as provided by the native task manager. It has the following tabs:

Processes: It displays information about processes like process name, status and consumption of disk, cpu , memory and network.

Performance: It represent the performance of hard drives, ethernet and CPU in the graphical form along with some information about the number of threads, handles, uptime, and number of running processes.

Users: It is useful for multiple users sharing one computer. It lets you know how much resource every individual is consuming.

Details: It tells process id, image type, user name, memory and description.

Services: Another list of stats for the services running on your system displaying id, status, start type and group.

Running DBC Task Manager on Windows 7

DBC Task Manager can be downloaded from Neowin. Since it is a portable app, you will only need to unzip and run DBCTaskman executable.

Unfortunately, DBC Task Manager does not have any option to replace the default task manager. So you will need to run it manually in order to run this task manager which is similar to Windows 8 Task Manager. If you are a keyboard junkie, you can always configure a keyboard shortcut for DBC Task Manager so that you may be able to run it directly from the keyboard.

The shortcut key can be configured as follows:

Right click on the application -> Select ‘Create Shortcut’.
Now, right-click on the shortcut -> Select ‘Properties’.
Set the shortcut key as : Ctrl + Alt+ T.

create shortcut to task manager

This is how your new task manager will look like. It does not consist of the ‘Networking’ tab, however, you can still see the list of processes, performance details, users, details and services. If you are a keen observer, you will note that it shows the same statistics as your native task manager. However, in my case, system uptime was not the same in both managers.

windows8 task manager on windows 7

You can also open the Resource Monitor directly from the task manager to get in-depth knowledge about the resource utilization.

Click ‘Open Resource Monitor’ in the bottom.

windows-task-resource-monitor

Click on the Processes tab and enjoy a cleaner look and detailed information about background processes and the currently running apps. There is a loophole present in the processes. If you want to end a process, you will select a process and click ‘End Task’. You will be disappointed to see nothing happens. Since the task manager is still in work in progress, you will see these kinds of shortcomings. But certainly we’ll expect a more featureful Windows 8 task manager for Windows 7 in the coming versions.

Processes in Windows 8 Task Manager

If you are not interested in details about every process then you can click ‘Fewer Details’ option at the bottom. It will hide all the columns except the app and process name.

Windows 8 Task Manager on Windows 7

Note that ‘Switch To’ and ‘New Task’ tabs are not present in the Windows 8 Task Manager, but you can still run a new task by:

Go to File -> Run new task.
Type the task name.

Run Task on Windows 8 Task Manager

DBC Task manager is not a complete replication of the Windows 8 Task Manager as it does not contain the start up and the app history tabs that made Windows 8 Task Manager powerful. We can expect the developer to add the ‘Startup’ tab so that the users can customize their Startup programs and apps directly through task manager. Although the app history is limited to the metro apps history in Windows 8, but it would certainly be a nice idea to include a history tab for the non-metro apps of Windows 7. DBC Task manager is still work in progress and we can hope that the bugs of the current task manager will be fixed in the next versions. All in all, this task manager won’t disappoint you and would serve you rightly as your native manager will.

March 14, 2013

Beginners Guide to Microsoft Windows Journal For Tablets

Rahmeen Ahmad Khan Microsoft, Windows 7 productivity, windows 7, Windows 8, Windows XP 0 Comments

Microsoft Windows Journal is a note taking application that is included in Windows 7 ,Windows 8 and Windows XP Tablet PC. It allows the user to write the notes on his tablet using the stylus. You can also enjoy drawing and sketching on this journal with some basic options. It saves the files in the .jnt format which is a less popular format. You can also take notes or draw sketches using the mouse (hold the left click and move your mouse), if you have a non-touch screen.

Install Journal Note Writer

When you will open the Windows Journal for the first time, it will seek your permission to install the Journal Note Writer. Click install to complete the installation process. This writer will be used to print your text or image documents in the .jnt format.

Windows Journal Note Writer

March 12, 2013

How To Be More Productive Using Microsoft OneNote 2013

Rahmeen Ahmad Khan Microsoft Microsoft Office, office 2010, Office 2013, onenote, productivity 2 Comments

Are you the one who is habitual of using sticky notes or keeping a pocket diary where you can note down all the important points while studying, write down meeting timings, tasks to do or other random thoughts and information? Are you looking for a tool that allows you to note down all related stuff while working on your PC?

OneNote is a tool that gathers all your information and notes in the form of organized ‘Notebooks’. This notebook is like a physical diary where you can make different sections.

OneNote 2013 is more like a brain processor where you can dump every plan and thought you are thinking of. It can serve as an important asset for you if you learn how to use and manage your data using OneNote. It can also serve as a brainstorming tool.

Let us start with a sample Notebook and explore the possibilities. You can either add a new notebook or choose from the available template notebooks. You can start with Personal or Work notebooks to help you manage your daily routine or work related notes. Click on the drop down arrow and select Personal Notebook.

Click on the ~ez_lsquo+ez_rsquo~ button next to the ‘Quick Notes’ to add different sections in your notebook. You can add as many sections as you want and customize them.

Protect Your Notebooks

Every one of us does not own a personal computer or laptop but each of us want privacy for his/her documents especially your personal notebook which has everything that you may have in your mind. Encrypt your notebooks and prevent them from unauthorized persons by adding a password. To password protect any section:

Right click on the section and select ‘Password Protect this Section’.

Protect One Note 2013 Notebook

If you want to apply this password to all the sections of your notebook then press ‘CTRL+ALT+L’ (L is for the lock). Another way is to go to Review tab -> Password, and a panel will appear containing different options related to password protection.

Add Pages

Adding a page is really simple. All you need to do is to go into the section and find the ‘Add Page’ option in the right side panel. Click on it and give your page a proper title. Office offers a collection of Page Templates. Go to insert tab-page template. Or go to the online template library.

Merge Sections

You can copy or merge different sections of even different notebooks. Let’s say you want to merge ‘To Do’ section from personal notebook to ‘Project 2’ of work notebook;

Right click on ‘To do’ section -> Select ‘Merge into Another Section’.

A window will appear that has all your notebooks. Select your required notebook and specific section to merge them. You can merge two sections at a time.

Merge Sections in One Note 2013 Notebook

Import Data into Notebook

Organize your data by inserting tables in your notebooks or add spreadsheets. Let’s assume that you want to import an excel spreadsheet containing expense and their details of Project Italy in your Work Notebook. To do so:

Click Insert -> Spreadsheet -> Existing Excel Spreadsheet and find it.
Inserting pictures is a traditional option available but you can also insert one or more files in the notebook.
Click Insert -> File Attachment -> Insert your required files.
Link up different sections and pages of your notebook so that you don’t need to open different notebooks when you need them.
Go to Insert -> Link -> Link any web address or file.
However, you can import audio or video but can only record them at the instant.

Import Data in OneNote 2013 Notebook

Tag Pages and Sections

Tagging is very helpful when you have a large number of documents. You can search pages and sections with specific tags as to do, important, question, idea, critical etc. There are many predefined tags, but you can also customize tags according to your needs.

Go to Home Tab-> Tags -> Select from the Tag Menu.
To add new tag, go to the bottom of the Tag Menu and click ‘Customize Tag’.
Add or modify a tag.
Similarly, you can also search all notebooks with a specific tag.
Go to Home Tab -> Tags -> Find a Tag.

Tag Pages and Sections in OneNote 2013

The Clipping Tool

Sometimes we need to take a screenshot of our work and make notes accordingly. You can not do this in Word 2013 rather you would be installing any snipping tool to capture your work. But the OneNote 2013, comes with a built-in clipping tool that would spare you from installing any other software.

Go to View -> Clipping Panel -> Clipping Tool.
Capture screen and insert it in your pages. You can also capture screen-shots using insert tab.
Go to Insert -> Screen Clipping.

Clipping Tool in OneNote 2013

Dock to Desktop

While working and researching on the Internet we often wish to note down several points. You may either use a paper and paper or copy-paste information into a separate word file. But if you are using OneNote 2013, you are blessed with a smarter option — Dock to Desktop.

Go to View -> Dock to desktop and OneNote will be appeared at the right of your desktop.
You can now easily take notes while surfing on the web or reading any research paper.

Dock OneNote 2013 To Desktop

We hope that you find this basic tutorial helpful and it will help you make intelligent use of the available tools to improve your productivity.

March 7, 2013

Add Multiple Timezone Clocks as Desktop Widgets in Windows

Rahmeen Ahmad Khan Microsoft, Software, Windows 7 Desktop Enhancement, productivity, windows 7 2 Comments

Online community bounds you in relationship with friends, colleagues and client across the globe. This arises the need of knowing the time in different countries and time zones. In this article, we will see how to install multiple clocks in the system tray in Windows. We will then go ahead to put those clocks to our desktop.

Show more clocks in system tray

You can add multiple clocks to your system tray to stay updated with the time in different time zones. By default, you can add two more clocks to your system other than the local clock. This trick was used in earlier versions of Windows and it stays valid for windows 7 and Windows 8 too.

Click on the ‘Date and Time’ in system tray.
Select ‘Change date and time settings‘.

This will open the dialog box which lets you customize date and time settings. The ‘Date and Time‘ tab allows you to set the correct date and time of you local clock. You can select a local timezone for the system clock. The ‘Additional Clocks‘ tab lets you add two more clocks to your system tray. The ‘Internet Time‘ tab is used to synchronize your local clock with the ‘time.windows.com’ on scheduled basis.

To add a new clock:

Check the box ‘Show this clock’.
Select time zone for the clock.
Enter the display name of time zone instead of ‘clock’ so that it becomes readable.
Click ‘Apply’ and ‘OK’.

Move your cursor to ‘date and time‘ in the tray to see the time of more clocks. Or click on it and you should see three clocks instead of one.

Show Multiple Clocks in Windows

Add multiple clocks as Desktop gadgets

In the above mentioned trick, you have to move your cursor tip to the system tray when you want to see time. This may not sound very good if you have to see the international times frequently. So, why not dock clock gadgets to your desktop and see the time instantly? Windows 7 came with the concept of Desktop gadgets which is now removed in the Windows 8.

If you do not have gadgets on your Desktop in Windows 7 , type ‘Desktop Gadgets’ in the search bar.
Or go to Control Panel -> Appearance and Personalization -> Desktop Gadgets -> Add Gadgets to Desktop.
Right click on the clock and select ‘Add’.
You can add as many clocks as you want.

Add multiple clocks as desktop gadget

Now, set the time in the clocks to make your desktop look like an airport wall where multiple clocks are hanged showing time for different areas of the world.

Right click on the gadget.
Select Options.
Select the desired time zone and give a proper name to your clock.

Once, you are done with all the Desktop gadgets, your desktop side bar should look like this.

Add multiple clocks as desktop gadgets

Add multiple digital clocks Desktop Gadgets

By default, the analog digital clock gadget is available in the desktop gadget list. However, you may prefer installing a digital clock as desktop gadget with some more customization options.

Go to Add Gadgets to download the set up of digital clock.

It is a zipped folder so extract the contents of this folder.

The unzipped folder will have the digital clock gadget.

Open and install.

Install Digital Clock Desktop Gadget

Digital clock gadget is now docked to your Desktop. As obvious from the name, it shows the time in digital format. But this is not the only reason for installing it. Actually you can take advantage of a fully customizable clock if you install it. It allows you to add as many digital clocks as you want like you added before. It also allows you to set up the alarm at regular intervals, a specific time or even a count down.

Right click on the gadget and select ‘Options’.
Here, you can set the date, time and their format.
If you scroll down a little, you will see the ‘Count Down’.
Use this option to set any count downs.
Set it to play sound when the countdown ends.
Select the ‘Sound’ from the pre-defined list or add custom sound to it by selecting ‘Custom’.
Adjust the sound volume according to your needs.
The interface is simple enough, and you can easily play with the options.

You may want to set the alarm on the digital clock to remind you of some meeting or task. This may be very helpful if you have a talk scheduled with an international client. Follow these steps to set alarm:

Select the ‘Alarm’ tab to set the alarm.
Set ‘Alarm’ to ‘On’.
Set the time and select the days.
Now, select the alarm sound and set its volume level.

Did you find this article helpful? Or did we miss any thing? Leave your opinion and let us know if you have any questions in mind so that we can help you tackle the problem.

March 5, 2013

5 Productive Tips For Windows File Explorer In Windows 8

Rahmeen Ahmad Khan Microsoft, Tips/Troubleshooting Best Free Windows Explorer Add-ons And Enhancements, productivity, Windows 8, Windows 8 tips 0 Comments

Windows Explorer is a File Explorer that lets the user explore files and folders saved on the hard drive. Windows 8 has introduced the File Explorer with the Ribbon interface which makes it more useful and handy as compared to its previous versions.In this article, we will explore how this ribbon facilitates its users. To open the file explorer, click the folder icon in the task bar or right-click on it and select File Explorer. You may also press the “Windows key+ Q” to search apps and type ‘File Explorer’ to open it.

Open File Explorer

Change what File Explorer opens

By default, File Explorer takes you to the Libraries directly. However, you can easily command file explorer to take you to your most visited folder, if you do not work with the libraries frequently. This requires a simple change in its properties.

Right click on the File Explorer.
Select Properties.
Replace the default libraries path with your desired path in the ‘Target’.
You may also set some shortcut keys for it.

file-explorer-properties

Include folders directly to Libraries

The Windows 8 File Explorer Ribbon Bar comes with many rich features. One of these features is to include the folders directly without the need of the copying them from one place to another and with the lesser number of clicks. Let’s assume that you want to add an existing folder in the ‘Documents’ library without leaving your window.

Right-click on the Documents and select Properties.
Or select Documents and click Properties in the Ribbon.
Click on the ‘Add’ button.
Browse through your computer, select and include the folder you wish to add.
The folder is added successfully.
Similarly, you can select the folder name and click ‘Remove’ to remove it from the library.

File Explorer add folder

Move and copy made easier

It is so relaxing that you can move or copy your files and folders to any location without leaving your current window. There is one deficiency, however, you can not ‘copy from’ or ‘move from’ a file from any location. The ‘Include Folder’ feature compensates this deficiency to some extent by including the folders from any location .

Select the file or folder to be copied or moved.
Click on the ‘Copy to’ button in the ‘Home’ tab.
It displays the list of your frequently visited places. You may also select ‘Choose Location’ if your needed location in not included in the list.

You can move a file or folder in the same way but selecting the ‘Move to’ button in the ‘Home’ tab.

Delete files permanently

Previously, deleting a file meant moving it to recycle bin and emptying the recycle bin meant deleting the file permanently. Now you have a choice about deleting any file or folder.

Select the file.
Click on the ‘Delete’ in the ribbon.
Choose if you want to recycle it or delete permanently.
Note that recycle bin is a safe option than permanent delete.

Windows Explorer Delete

You can also delete a file permanently by pressing Shift + Delete button while the file to be deleted is selected.

View detailed information about files

The view tab has almost the same options as in previous versions of Windows. But this time you can sort and group your items with respect to the wide variety of attributes.

Click on the ‘Group by’ in the view tab.
It displays the most commonly used grouping options. Click on the ‘Choose Column’ to see more options.
After sorting and grouping the files and folders properly, you may need to set the attributes listed in front of them.
Click on ‘Add Columns’ and select attributes like authors, categories, tags, titles etc.
This information will be displayed column wise next to the file/folder name.

File Explorer view

New Item: New files, folders, bitmap images, journal document, text document etc can be created directly from the ‘New Item’ button in the Home tab, while you are inside any library.

Share Tab: Use the ‘Share’ tab to see the different sharing options available.

Select the file name and click on the Share tab.
You may either zip it or share it with some specific people.
You can email, print, fax or burn the file to disc through Share tab.

Overall, Windows File Explorer in Windows 8 has been a great addition and enhancement to Windows Explorer. It is a good experience working with the Ribbon. Do you use the Windows 8 Explorer differently? Share your tips with us in the comments.

December 8, 2012

5 Resources To Download PowerPoint Templates For Free

Rahmeen Ahmad Khan Featured, Internet, List Office 2007, office 2010, Office 2013, powerpoint, productivity 5 Comments

Microsoft PowerPoint is, without doubt, the most widely used presentation tool. PowerPoint comes with a default template library so that we can start with a specific design rather than a blank presentation. We can use any template to start working on it. However the default template library is very limited and after giving one or two presentations you try to seek more new and energetic templates from online resources. While working on our project presentation, we just came across some resources from where you can download a variety of templates for free.

PowerPoint 2013 templates

PowerPoint 2013 comes with a search field on the Welcome screen. This search field will enable you to search for and download free PowerPoint templates of your choice. You can also browse through categories for templates of your choice. Just click on any template and download it.

Following are some resources which provide PowerPoint templates in addition to the built in templates.

1- Free PowerPoint Templates – FPPT

Fppt has a large collection of templates that cover almost all of the categories one may be looking for. These templates are compatible with Office 2007 and Office 2010. Just click on your selected template and a separate page will open. You can download it as a zip file. You will find a brief description about each template which will help you decide if it suits your need or not.

The collection includes more than one thousand PPT templates, themes, PowerPoint backgrounds, 3D PowerPoint templates, animations for PowerPoint.

Visit free PowerPoint templates for downloading free PowerPoint templates of your choice.

2- Indezine

A collection of over 5000 PowerPoint templates can be found at Indezine. They have divided their collection into small combos consisting of 200 designs each. You can either download the templates for free or buy the designs in one CD. The collection has totally different aesthetic taste. We must admit that the templates look more ‘abstract’ than ‘professional’.

Download PowerPoint design templates from indezine.

3- Smile Templates

Smile templates is another large collection of PowerPoint templates compatible with Office 2003, Office 2007 and Office 2010. You can download any template instantly. Just click the ‘Download’ button and the download process will start. Premium templates are also available which are made more attractive with animations and can be bought if desired.

Smile Templates

4-PowerPoint Styles

PowerPoint styles leads the list by providing high quality PowerPoint templates for free. What is unique about PowerPoint styles is that they not only allow you to download any template but also suggest the related templates so that you may have a wider choice of similar templates.

PowerPoint Styles

5- Graphics Land

Graphics Land provides you formal presentation templates. If you are looking for simple and elegant presentation templates then you must land at the graphics land. Although the free collection is not very large but you can get all the templates by downloading one zip file. Most of their templates and themes are premium ones.

The premium templates are known as PowerDesigns. PowerDESIGNS is a complete PowerPoint design package including PowerPoint templates, animated templates, 3D graphics, photo icons, and animated slide layouts that will make you look like a PRO.

Graphics Land

Presentation Magazine and Presentation Pro also provide free templates which include animated and flash templates as well. However you may need to subscribe to these websites to get free emails into your inbox.

Using the template files

You can directly open the template file and start customizing it according to your needs. You can also apply these themes and templates to your existing presentations. Just follow the steps below:

Open the presentation in PowerPoint and go to Design tab.
Click on the down arrow and select browse for theme.
Locate your downloaded template and apply it to your presentation.

We hope that you enjoyed browsing through these beautiful collection of templates which can be downloaded and used easily. Do you know any better resource of free PowerPoint templates? Do not forget to share with us.

October 1, 2012

Install Smartphone Apps In Windows (Android, iPhone, iPad)

Rahmeen Ahmad Khan Software, Windows Android, Apple, productivity, Toolbars 1 Comment

Everyone of us love to play with the latest apps. Be they on any platform, we want to give them all a try at least. This may sound sarcastic but when we had our desktop PCs we moved on to smartphones. And today, when we have highly enhanced smartphones; attention is being paid to improve desktop user’s experience. Tech geeks have now started looking for software that can run their smartphone apps right on their desktop. Or to rephrase it, we want to be connected with our apps no matter using smartphones or desktop PCs.

Team Cubiez has taken an initiative and these passionate people have been able to develop a platform that can run smartphone apps on your desktop Windows PC. They believe that you should stay connected with your main interests and getting content on desktop should be as easy as clicking a button. Cubiez on Windows 7

Get Cubiez Instantly!

Cubiez is a platform that brings your favorite content right into the desktop with the best stuff just a click away as soon as you turn on your system. Cubiez sits in the taskbar, and all the apps you install are also pinned to taskbar. Certainly, you do not need to leave your work to check the updates, since you are always kept updated with the notifications and push messages. Why are you waiting then?
Download it now.

Cubiez SDK:

Cubiez sdk
Cubiez has also offered their SDK( Software Development Kit) along with necessary documentation to the developers. If you are a developer, you can easily get it from their official page. Developing your smartphone app and then exporting it to Cubiez platform will definitely introduce to an entirely new marketplace.

How Does Cubiez Work?

Once you have downloaded and installed Cubiez, its icon will appear in the taskbar, next to start button. There are many customization options but yes you can enable or disable ‘Developer Mode’. Check for updates or re-loading app can be performed easily. You can also quit the app, if desired.

Right Click the Cubiez icon and Check/Uncheck your required option.

How to Install Apps on Cubiez?

You must be willing to grab some apps on your desktop and that’s why you have downloaded Cubiez. So we will tell you how to do so:

Click on the Cubiez and a window will appear. This window has three categories :

All Cubiez: As the name implies, it enlists all the Cubiez apps.
My Cubiez: It contains only your installed apps.
New Cubiez: This tells you about the new arrivals in Cubiez.

Click All Cubiez ( it is selected by default ) or New Cubiez.
Which app are you interested in? Facebook, Google Search, 9GAG, NewsHub or MLB Sports? If you do not know about the app, you may need to check the category which is also mentioned with the name. However, if you type any app name in the search bar, it will search in the apps already present in All Cubiez.

Click on the ‘Install’ button which is displayed next to App Name.

Your app will be downloaded instantly and will be ready to use.

How to Use Installed App?

You can find your installed app next to the Cubiez icon in the taskbar. You can use this app in the same manner as you would use on your smartphone. If you do not want to receive notifications about the app, then:

Right Click on the icon -> Uncheck Enable Notifications.

Installing Smartphone apps in Windows using Cubiez

Well, what I was glad to see was the ‘Inspect pop-up’ and ‘Inspect Background Page’. A simple click and you will come across some interesting programming stuff.

How to Uninstall App?

Of course, you can uninstall any app you don’t want to use. There are two ways to do it.
Right Click on the app icon -> Check Uninstall App.
Or Click on the Cubiez icon -> My Cubiez. Select the app you want to uninstall and click the Uninstall Button. The app will be uninstalled easily.

Cubiez alternatives

Cubiez is not the only installer when it comes to installing smartphone apps in Windows. There are other free alternatives that are available. We list the alternatives below.

iPadian – Install IOS Apps in Windows computer

iPadian for Windows

iPadian is an Adobe Air application whose interface seems to be very similar to iPad or IOS. iPadian is just an iPad simulator for Windows. Before installing iPadian, you will need to have the latest version of Adobe Air installed in Windows. It is not the complete IOS but will simulate most of the apps of IOS.

Download iPadian

BlueStacks – Install Android Apps in Windows PC

BlueStacks

BlueStacks is another popular application which can be used to install Android apps in your Windows PC. It requires .NET Framework 2+ in order to be installed. The good thing about BlueStacks is that it can also run on Mac in addition to Windows.

Download BlueStacks

YouWave – Another Android for Windows PC

Android on Windows PC

Using YouWave, you can run thousands of Android apps and app stores on your Windows PC without having a smartphone. Its very easy to install and operate and supports the latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread. It runs on Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 (32-bit and 64-bit). Using YouWave, you can also play multiplayer online games.

Download YouWave

Pokki – Your favorite apps now on your computer

Pokki

Pokki is an app store which will let you install individual apps and widgets. The apps and widgets include the smartphone apps too.

Visit Pokki to select your favorite apps

Which software will you prefer to use in your Windows PC for running the smartphone apps? Is there any other free alternative which we have missed? Please share your thoughts with us in comments.

April 12, 2012

Download HD Analyzer To Manage Hard Drive Space

UK Software, Windows Increase PC Performance, optimization software, productivity, system, toolwiz care, troubleshooting 0 Comments

Over the passage of time, even the largest hard drives tend to fill in with data and leave less free space. This is because the users tend to create more files and data and not delete any obsolete or junk data.

HD Analyzer is a great little software which can get you a larger picture of the hard drive by visualizing the data inside the hard drive. It shows detailed information about the files which are taking more space on the selected drives.

Upon installation and start, HD Analyzer will show all the hard drives along with visual bars of free and used space. To see the visual graph of a specific drive or folder, click on specific buttons, Analyze Drive or Analyze Folder. It will take a few minutes depending upon the size of the drive or folder being scanned.

After the scanning is complete, you will see a window of three panes. The left hand pane lists down all the folders along with their size (with a visual size bar) in a tree view. The right hand pane will give additional information about the selected folder in the left hand pane. If you want to open any folder, just press "Show Folder in Windows Explorer" button. Unfortunately, right click does not work with HD Analyzer. The bottom pane gives the summary of all the files and folders that were scanned.

HD Analyzer has helped me in finding some obsolete files that were taking huge space in my system drive. It was easier for me to delete those files after identification. HD Analyzer can only give the analysis of the drive or folder. We need to do the cleaning ourselves. For automatic cleaning, you may try out software like DMaintenance or Toolwiz Care.

Download HD Analyzer

Which software do you use for analyzing your hard drives? What are your comments about HD Analyzer?

1 2 3