In early April, I wrote about Blender, a free, robust open-source application that can be used for 3D modeling, eye-catching logos and other still graphics. As we covered on OStatic, Blender is now out in a much-improved version 2.49. You can find
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Samuel Dean
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Recently, I switched to a dual-monitor setup for working each day, and I’ll never go back. The productivity benefits were immediately apparent, and we’ve written before about how easy it is to switch to this type of setup. Both the Mac OS and Windows have support … Read More »
In a recent post “5 Free Online Answer Sites for Tech Questions,” I discussed sites that can provide you with quick, good responses to tech questions at no cost. These can be valuable for people who don’t work out of a central office or have … Read More »
Many people who manage web sites, blogs and web applications wrestle with the job of translating text to other languages, as discussed here. Babylon has long been a widely used tool for doing on-the-fly translations of words, text strings and entire web pages. It’s … Read More »
Many Windows and Mac users are intimately familiar with folders as an interface metaphor. AltSearchEngines has written an interesting post about Browsys, a search site that lets you organize your favorite web sites and online tools into folders and share them with others. While … Read More »
The Google Chrome team has announced a new version of the open-source browser, touting up to 30 percent performance increases on JavaScript-heavy tasks. I’ve taken it for a spin, comparing it to Firefox 3.5 Beta 4, which also has very fast JavaScript performance thanks to … Read More »
Many App Gems Named Among Webware 100 Winners
By Samuel Dean
May. 20, 2009, 7:00am PT
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CNet’s Webware blog covers topics of interest to people whose working lives are concentrated on the web. Once a year, Webware readers cast their votes for the best web sites and services in the Webware 100. Webware has posted its list of 100 winners for … Read More »
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Last year, I wrote about the Eye-Fi card, which has gone on to win numerous technology awards. It’s an SD card that has Wi-Fi integrated, so that you can wirelessly send photos you take directly to your PC or Mac, and they’re even automatically … Read More »
In a recent post, 5 Free Online Answer Sites for Tech Questions, I discussed places you can go online for getting tech questions answered, and readers added some useful ones to my list, including the impressive Stack Overflow site. These kinds of sites … Read More »
I’ve written before about the PortableApps suite of mobile applications, which is a convenient way to put many free, open-source applications on a USB thumb drive, or any portable drive, in one download. Once the applications are on your portable drive, you can use … Read More »
Although travel is down in this economy, it’s still required for many of us. In addition to the high-profile travel sites that most people already know about, there are some great new and lesser-known sites that can save you money on trips, and beat many common … Read More »
As Simon noted in his review of the Search Site Firefox extension, some browser extensions can really help streamline online searching. One of the best extensions for this is Surf Canyon, which has just come out in a new version, 2.0.4. It’s only a … Read More »
Is Linux the de facto operating system of choice for cloud computing? The Linux Foundation believes so, according to a new report out today from the group that examines Linux’s role in cloud computing — past, present and future. “Virtually every cloud player of any … Read More »
I’ve been using netbooks for over a year now; they’re great for the times when I just want to tote a lightweight machine for performing basic tasks, or even cruise around the house working in various places. If you’re new to netbooks, or thinking of getting … Read More »
New applications or enhancements to existing ones can provide big efficiency benefits, but there are also many simple tweaks, unsung tips, and new ways to think about the tools that you already use that can help you work better. In this post, I’ll share five ways … Read More »
The web abounds with free tutorials on applications that I use, but I don’t often have time to spend on complex lessons, which is exactly why I’m finding some of the tutorials at Expert Village useful. The site houses how-to videos that are done in … Read More »
By Samuel Dean
Apr. 29, 2009, 7:00am PT
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The Zoho suite of tools includes applications for everything from CRM to spreadsheets to project management. Zoho’s apps are particularly good for collaborative use. While Zoho already offered its applications for use on iPhones, it’s now released Zoho Mobile, which extends its … Read More »
I regularly install and try lots of free, open source software applications. One of my better recent finds is a customizable system monitor utility called GKrellM. Like many open source applications, its name is puzzling, but it is a useful and very customizable way to … Read More »
Google has recently opened up its API for Google Analytics, which promises to usher in lots of useful applications and widgets for those of us who rely on it for monitoring site traffic metrics. One of the first of these, Polaris, is an easy … Read More »
I’ve covered graphical search engines a few times, and mentioned my favorite one: Viewzi. When done right, these sites can deliver much better ways to sift through a lot of results than a typical Google results page. However, that’s not to say that Google … Read More »
One of the problems with working from home or otherwise outside an office environment is that you don’t always have access to help with technology questions. What do you do if you’re trying to learn HTML 5 and have a question? What if you have a … Read More »
Recently, on the OStatic blog, we covered ConvoTrack, an easy-to-use free web app that allows you to track online conversations on social media sites related to content that you post or read. (Hat tip to TechCrunch for calling it out.) There is no … Read More »
Have you ever had the frustrating experience of buying a device or computer that you’ve really had your eyes on, only to find out that a much improved alternative is available only days later? If so, you’re not alone. It’s a common complaint that I’ve heard … Read More »
If you, as I do, like to complement your Google searches with results from alternative search engines, you may want to look into a couple of players in the emerging visual search space: Middlespot and Search-Cube. As I’ve written before, Viewzi remains … Read More »
Layoffs are on the rise in the tech industry, and web workers are feeling the crunch. In the meantime, however, there are a number of good resources cropping up for web workers in need of work. Webware has been doing regular updates on not only … Read More »
Last year, I covered the very useful Firefox extension Read It Later. It’s the recipient of an award from Mozilla for the easy way it lets you make a note of web pages of interest that you don’t have time to read now, but want to … Read More »
Who doesn’t like to get something good for free? The open source community offers all kinds of resources that go beyond free applications, including free books on mastering the top open-source applications. In this post, I’ll cover an excellent book about Blender, available for free online. … Read More »
Like many web workers, searching the web is an integral part of how I get things done each day. For that reason, I regularly try out various types of search engines that can take me beyond standard Google results. My favorite recent find in this … Read More »
The web has transformed many types of work, and there are legions of web workers who write online for much of the day. From bloggers like those of us here at WebWorkerDaily, to journalists who used to focus on print, to people who collaborate on business … Read More »
Most web workers are constantly adding new applications to their arsenals, and it’s common for our computers and mobile devices to become loaded with them over time. At the same time, many mobile devices these days can’t tolerate arrays of bloated applications. I’ve written before … Read More »
If you’re a regular user of Google Docs, note that you can now take advantage of drawing tools accessible from directly within your documents, presentations and spreadsheets. You can view the announcement of the Insert Drawing tools here. The tools aren’t as rich as the … Read More »
Are you a web worker who depends heavily on a home Wi-Fi network? There are more and more of us, and I’ve written before about the importance of doing regular checkups on your wireless network to make sure you’re getting the best performance. Recently, my … Read More »
Last year, in a post called “6 Free Apps and Utilities for Working with Video,” I discussed how many more web workers are dealing with video on a daily basis. Video content is good for everything from promotional materials to embedding on sites and blogs. … Read More »
There are two spins on the alternative search model that have never quite worked the way I wanted them to: natural language searching, and human expert-driven searching. ChaCha is a well-known example of the latter, where paid human experts help with your search questions, but … Read More »
For many of us who produce and oversee content on the web, the job of accurately translating it into other languages is an extremely difficult one. There are quite a few tools available to help, though, including many free ones that can automate … Read More »
If you’ve been using the beta versions of the Firefox 3.1 browser, as I have, you know that it’s significantly faster than previous versions, and has quite a few new, useful features. Mozilla is out now with Beta 3 of Firefox 3.1, which you can … Read More »
Recently, PortableApps released an overhauled version 1.5 of its PortableApps.com Suite. I’ve written about PortableApps in previous versions, and several readers agreed that its suite is incredibly useful, especially if you like to carry around a USB thumb drive stocked with applications that you … Read More »
AltSearchEngines has a couple of posts up that should be of interest to web workers who frequently travel. SeatGuru, a great site for planning out which airplane seat to sit in and which amenities your seat will provide, has been steadily adding site … Read More »
While the web is loaded with expert sites that do hardware reviews, and many of us web workers rely on them to make our technology buying decisions, there is still merit in word-of-mouth recommendations. Additionally, in this economy, getting the right price is often a crucial … Read More »
Netbooks — small, light and inexpensive portable computers — have become very popular in the past year, and come in enough flavors that many web workers may want to consider getting one. I use an Asus Eee PC netbook as a secondary machine for mobile work, … Read More »
I’ve written before about optimizations for home and office Wi-Fi networks and how to keep public Wi-Fi sessions secure. Xirrus has long provided free tools for monitoring Wi-Fi performance, finding hotspots and more. Now, the company is out with Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector, … Read More »
If you’re a Firefox user, you undoubtedly already know that one of the huge advantages of the browser is the big galaxy of useful extensions you can use with it. Last year, we mentioned a drawing tool extension called Pencil that went on to … Read More »
I’m always on the hunt for freeware and open source applications and utilities, and one of my favorite finds from last year, which I wrote about here, was Startup Delayer. I’ve been steadily using this utility, and recommend it highly to Windows users frustrated … Read More »
Several of the bloggers here at WebWorkerDaily are big fans of the free web conferencing application Yugma. It’s a free, full-featured online meeting tool that is particularly good for inviting other participants on-the-fly to join a meeting even if they haven’t downloaded the Yugma … Read More »
Graphical and visual search engines are always interesting to me as alternatives to Google. I find that for certain types of searches, especially if I’m say, researching new hardware technology, or scanning headlines that happen to come from unusual sources, the extremely text-heavy way in which … Read More »
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