Put the Reader link back in Gmail with a Chrome extension

Google made a minor tweak to the Gmail navigation links recently -- moving Photos into a more prominent spot and Reader into the More drop-down. While I wasn't particularly concerned (I've got Firefox hotkeys wired to most of my bookmarks for fast mouse-free access), the change created quite a stir on Twitter.

But as is usually the case, enthusiasts who don't want to accept changes on their favorite Web sites have already responded. If you want your Reader link back and you're using Google Chrome, grab the Put Reader Back extension. Once installed, just reload your Gmail tab to see the change.

Put the Reader link back in Gmail with a Chrome extension originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/01/21/put-reader-back-in-gmail-links-with-a-chrome-extension/

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Balance is a challenging physics Time Waster

balance
Balance is a very simple game that manages to be surprisingly engaging.

All you have to do is just balance the stick on your virtual finger. I call it a "stick" for lack of a better name, but it seems to be a rudimentary 2D representation of a rotating plate, or a platform with a weight on it. You use your mouse to move your hand and you just have to keep moving it in the right direction so the stick doesn't lose its balance.

There are no real levels in this game - by that I mean that you never get to rest when a level is over and then start again all fresh and alert. When you manage to balance the stick for around 10 seconds (I tried counting, there's no indicator I could see), you simply level up. Every time you level up, the stick gets a tad shorter, and your task gets a bit harder. It seems like a really simple game at first, but when the stick gets really short, it starts to get pretty challenging. I managed to get up to level 10, so I'm not sure what happens when the stick runs out. Maybe you win, or maybe you just get a new stick, far superior to the one you started out with (tell me in the comments).

Another thing I liked about this game is the fact you can easily play it with your trackpad. Up until recently I was using the trackpad on my laptop exclusively, and it's nice to have a game that doesn't give an advantage to people who have a real mouse. It was even a bit easier with the trackpad!

All in all, a lovely way to distract yourself for a few minutes. You can fantasize about being a juggler in the circus while you play (not that I did, of course).

Balance is a challenging physics Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/01/05/balance-is-a-challenging-physics-time-waster/

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How to change Android keyboards or input methods

android
This week's tips series is all about Android, highlighting some the operating system's built-in utilities, and better ways of getting stuff done. For other technology tips, check our Tips index.

When I first started using my Android devices, one of the most frustrating things I had to figure out was how to switch keyboards, or input methods. I don't just mean input languages, but switch to a completely different keyboard, such as Swype.

Well, it turns out it's a two-step process:

1) First you have to enable the keyboard (or "input method"). You do this by going to Settings > Language & keyboard and checking the box next to the keyboard's name. Android will make sure you know what you're doing, and once you confirm, it will enable the keyboard.

2) Next, go to any text field (for instance, start composing a new text message or email) and long-press the text-field. You will get a pop-up with all sorts of actions, one of which would say Input method. Press that, and you'll get the long list you can see in the screenshot. From here it's just a matter of tapping the name of the keyboard you want, and then merrily typing along.

How to change Android keyboards or input methods originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/01/25/how-to-change-android-keyboards-or-input-methods/

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HTML5 now has an official logo, looks oddly reminiscent of Superman's leotard

HTML5 shield logo
In a rather curious development, HTML5 has garnered enough celebrity to warrant its own official logo. Its heraldic and angular appearance obviously represents HTML5's role as the resilient vanguard of the open Web -- or, on second thoughts, it may simply be a reference to Superman's S shield.

Neither HTML4, HTML3, or indeed any version of HTML, has ever had its own logo before. There is an ancient 'HTML square', but as that dates to before 1995, it probably accompanied HTML2 and appeared on just a handful of websites.

The HTML5 logo website itself is, rather fittingly, a beautiful bastion of pure semantic goodness. Gone is the awful Web 2.0 'feedback' tab, with a beautiful 'Nav' menu sitting its place. There are also great descriptions for each of HTML5's major new features and some nice 'badge designers' -- in case you want to put the HTML5 logo on your site.

HTML5 now has an official logo, looks oddly reminiscent of Superman's leotard originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 08:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/01/18/html5-now-has-an-official-logo-looks-oddly-reminiscent-of-superman-shield/

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Five privacy protection Firefox add-ons for Data Privacy Day

dataprivacyday
Happy Data Privacy Day! While Lee already published one roundup showing a multitude of various tools, this post is all about Firefox!

If you're reading Download Squad, you already know all of these classics. Kudos to you! Now go ahead and let your less computer-savvy coworkers or family members read this list, and make sure they install at least one of these if they use Firefox at all.

  • HTTPS Everywhere is an add-on by the beardies over at the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation). It forces Firefox to communicate using HTTPS (secure HTTP) with a number of major websites, such as Google, Wikipedia, Twitter, Facebook, PayPal and others.
  • Ghostery focuses on those corporations and institutions bent on tracking your movements around the Web (or on their own websites). It detects when you're being tracked by Google Analytics, Facebook and over 400 other ad networks, and provides an easy way to block those tracking mechanisms while leaving all other JavaScript functionality intact.
  • Web of Trust provides a clear "traffic light" indication showing which sites you can trust with your credit card details, and which sites you should be leery of. The ratings are user-generated, and you don't have to access the actual website in question to view them - they show up right on the search results page when you use Google, Yahoo!, Bing and even Wikipedia.
  • NoScript is somewhat similar to Ghostery mentioned above, in that it also blocks JavaScript. But it's a more extreme solution: Rather than just block trackers, it implements a "white list", blocking all JavaScript except for scripts running on domains you trust. One of its many advantages is that it protects against cross-site scripting attacks.
  • BetterPrivacy protects you against a different kind of cookie - one that you can't flush just by clearing your browser history. These cookies are called Local Storage Objects, or Flash cookies, and are put on your computer using the Flash plug-in. BetterPrivacy scrubs these cookies off your system every time your exit your browser.
Did I miss any of the must-have privacy add-ons for Firefox? Share your recommendations in the comments!

[Image credit: dcJohn]

Five privacy protection Firefox add-ons for Data Privacy Day originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/01/28/five-privacy-protection-firefox-add-ons-for-data-privacy-day/

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How to customize the Ribbon menu in Microsoft Office 2010

Ribbon
This week's series of tips will be focusing on handy little features for Microsoft Excel and Word. To see the previous tips, check our Tips index.

While earlier this week I've shown you how to keep the Ribbon from getting in your way, that's not all you can do with it in Office 2010. Back when the Ribbon interface first came out, in Office 2007, it wasn't really customizable. You could modify it if you were lucky enough to know VBA (Visual Basic for Applications, Office's built-in programming language), but otherwise, you were pretty much stuck with the stock arrangement of tabs and buttons.

Fortunately, with Office 2010, Microsoft introduced a simple way to customize the Ribbon, requiring no programming at all. Simply go to the File menu, click Options and then select Customize Ribbon. You'll get a two-pane dialog, showing all available commands versus your existing ribbon, and letting you toggle things on and off and re-arrange them as you see fit.

The best part is that once you're done customizing your setup, you can easily export it for backup or to take with you to your other computers. Just click the Import/Export button and select Export all customizations.

How to customize the Ribbon menu in Microsoft Office 2010 originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/01/14/how-to-customize-the-ribbon-menu-in-microsoft-office-2010/

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UN: worldwide internet users hit two billion, cellphone subscriptions top five billion

The UN's International Telecommunication Union predicted last fall that the number of internet users worldwide would hit two billion by the end of 2010, and it's now issued its full report that confirms just that -- 2.08 billion, to be specific. As the ITU's Hamadoun Toure notes, that number represents a huge leap from the mere 250 million internet users that existed a decade ago, and it means that roughly one third of the world's population now has internet access of some sort -- of those, 555 million have a fixed broadband subscription, and 950 million have mobile broadband. Just as impressive as that (if not moreso), are the number of cellphone subscriptions worldwide, which has now crossed the five billion mark. That's up from 500 million at the beginning of the year 2000, although the agency notes that it's only accounted for "subscriptions," and not individual users. Any way you slice it, however, that's quite a record of growth for the first decade of the 21st century.

UN: worldwide internet users hit two billion, cellphone subscriptions top five billion originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 17:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Optimus 2X and Optimus Black priced at ?499 by Amazon Germany, not yet available to buy

Amazon's German outlet has started listing LG's two latest and undoubtedly greatest phones: the Optimus 2X (seemingly renamed the Optimus Speed here) and the Optimus Black. Both run Android 2.2 on 4-inch screens, with the former offering a dual-core Tegra 2 processor capable of 1080p video recording and HDMI output, and the latter cranking up the display brightness to a quite unreasonable 700 nits. The Optimus Black also has one of the thinnest profiles on a smartphone of its class at 9.2mm, and will be one of the first phones to offer WiFi Direct connectivity. Intriguingly, Amazon's Optimus Speed / 2X listing also shows a brown color option for the handset, though only its black SKU is subject to a neat €50 discount bringing its price to €499, the same as the cost of the Optimus Black. We don't know when either one will drop, but you can go and reserve yourself one (or a dozen) at the links below.

[Thanks, Julian]

Continue reading LG Optimus 2X and Optimus Black priced at ?499 by Amazon Germany, not yet available to buy

LG Optimus 2X and Optimus Black priced at ?499 by Amazon Germany, not yet available to buy originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Jan 2011 05:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plantronics Calisto 800 speakerphone and Voyager Pro UC headset make concalls cool again

Plantronics Calisto 800 speakerphone and Voyager Pro UC headset make concalls cool again
We'd all rather be flown to some exotic, Caribbean location for our next corporate get-together, but in these hard economic times sometimes a good 'ol audio bridge makes the most sense. Increasingly those concalls are happening via some sort of VOIP bridge, and Plantronics' latest are ready for it. First up is the Calisto 800 series "multi speakerphone" devices, which offer connectivity to an analog phone line, a mobile phone over Bluetooth, and even a PC over USB. This lets you easily dial in to just about anything and naturally offers a full duplex speakerphone with noise cancellation and an LCD with caller ID. There's even an optional wireless microphone that you can plunk down on the table so the lamentations of the entire QA team will be picked up loud and clear.

Plantronics Calisto 800 speakerphone and Voyager Pro UC headset make concalls cool againAlso new is a revised version of the Voyager Pro UC, a rather more traditional Bluetooth headset with an extended boom for better voice pickup and the ability to pair to a mobile phone and a PC (via a tiny USB adapter) simultaneously. It'll even do A2DP so you hold music won't be the only tunes you hear. Both appear to be available now, and both start at $199.95, putting them out of reach for most non-corporate attendees.

Continue reading Plantronics Calisto 800 speakerphone and Voyager Pro UC headset make concalls cool again

Plantronics Calisto 800 speakerphone and Voyager Pro UC headset make concalls cool again originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 22:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nook Color earns its very early, very unofficial Android 3.0 Honeycomb wings

One of the first things that happens after a new platform emulator breaks loose is that a bunch of hackers far smarter than ourselves get hold of it, tear it apart, and port it to whatever's convenient. In the case of this week's Android 3.0 Honeycomb preview, "whatever's convenient" would be the Nook Color, which reigns as perhaps the cheapest decent-quality Android tablet money can currently buy. Naturally, xda-developers has a thread going on the subject as we speak; the current port is said to be really slow and mostly broken -- but then again, that kind of describes the current state of the emulator itself. Good news is that the developer says he plans on working on graphics acceleration to improve performance over the weekend, so with any luck, the Xoom might have some unofficial competition before too long. Follow the break for another shot.

[Thanks, s30zgt]

Continue reading Nook Color earns its very early, very unofficial Android 3.0 Honeycomb wings

Nook Color earns its very early, very unofficial Android 3.0 Honeycomb wings originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 17:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/28/nook-color-earns-its-very-eary-very-unofficial-android-3-0-hone/

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