I Love Free Software

Perform Google Search on Smartphone by Handwriting
Universal Multimedia Player and Encoder: Media File Converter SUPER
Simple, Free Web Browser just for Browsing: GreyNote
Free Google Reader Desktop Client: Espresso Reader
Sight Words Buddy Helps Kids To Learn Reading
Twitter Desktop Client for Linux, Mac and Windows: Destroy Twitter
How to Blur Faces in YouTube Videos
Create Flashcards from PowerPoint: Free Flashcard Generator
5 Free Android Map Apps
Teach Kids How to Read and Create Video Stories: Moo-o

Perform Google Search on Smartphone by Handwriting

Posted: 26 Jul 2012 10:11 PM PDT

Now you can perform Google search by simply writing on Google Homepage on smartphones and tablets. Google has launched this new handwriting feature that makes it even easier to enter your search term in Google.com on your smartphone.

With Google Handwrite, you can write anything using your fingers on Google Search page without the keyboard and Google will search for the content you have written. The new Handwrite feature makes it easier for Google users to type and search for the content in a faster way. Google Handwrite works with only touch screen smart devices. Open Google search page and start writing the search content using your fingers anywhere on Google search page.

Google Handwrite is in beta version and can be activated from the settings menu.

Typing search contents from smart device keyboard becomes time-consuming. But Google Handwrite makes it easier for you to type search contents using your fingers. Now typing speed depends on how fast your fingers work. You don't need to learn basic format of typing on smart devices keyboard while browsing on Google.

How To Enable Google Handwrite On Android Phone / iPhone / Other smart devices:

I tested the Google Handwrite on my Samsung Android phone, and it worked like a charm. The same steps should work for other smart devices as well:

Step 1: Open your Android browser and then open Google on your browser.

Step 2: Scroll down on the Google home page. You will see a link called “Settings”. Click on it.

Step 3: Scroll down and you will find "Handwrite" tab. Enable Handwrite option.

Step 4: Refresh the page and you are now ready to start writing using your hands.

How To Use Google Handwrite:

Tap on the Google Handwrite button below at the right corner of Google main home page.
Start writing using your fingers anywhere on Google home page.
The alphabets which you type will be converted into text, and will be written in search box of Google. Side-by-side, Google will also start giving you auto-complete suggestions, so that you don’t have to write the complete search term.
If you want to delete any alphabet or any word written, then tap on the back button at the bottom of the webpage. For space, tap on the space bar button at the bottom of the webpage.
Last, tap on Search button situated right to Google search bar.

Note: To disable Google Handwrite, again tap on Handwrite button at the bottom of the webpage and you are done with.

You can check out a small video on the new Google Handwrite in Google:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click on the link to know more about Google Handwrite.

Perform Google Search on Smartphone by Handwriting was originally published at I Love Free Software

Universal Multimedia Player and Encoder: Media File Converter SUPER

Posted: 26 Jul 2012 06:30 PM PDT

Media File Converter SUPER released on July 7^th, 2012 is a simple yet effective tool to convert and play any sort of multimedia file. In other words, it is a universal Multimedia player and encoder. The multimedia player surpasses any other player available in the market by supporting every multimedia file format. Moreover the free downloadable version is fully functional thus allowing the user to harness each and every feature of this amazing software.

Features of this Multimedia Player and Encoder

Media File Converter SUPER comes bundled with a variety of exciting new features and functionalities which makes the process of encoding far more flexible and easy for the user.

Interface: The interface of this application looks a bit clumsy as numerous options are incorporated in one single window. The interface has separate sections for audio, video, output and a separate multimedia player portion. Users can simply drag and drop a media file into the Player area to start playing the multimedia file.

Video: The user can change the resolution, the aspect ratio, the frames per second, the bitrate etc. of the video to be converted. In other words, the user can choose from a variety of preset values or he/she can set a custom value for each of the above mentioned features except aspect ratio and bitrate. Options are also provided which allows the user to crop portions of a video as well as disable the entire video stream such that the user just gets the audio stream from the video as the output.

Audio: The user can customize the sampling frequency, the bitrate, the number of channels etc. It is also possible to cut off the entire audio stream from the video.

Compatibility: This software supports almost every multimedia file format which is available today like RM, AAC, AMR, WMV, MOV, MP3, MP4, MKV, FLV and many more. On top of this, it does not require any additional codecs to be installed on your computer. All the codecs which are required for encoding or playing are all built in.

Other: This app also comes with options to split or join multiple audio or video files of the same format. In the joining process files are not re-encoded; their streams are only sequentially copied and joined. Audio and Video streams can also be MUX-ed together using this software. Super can also play as well as save different Internet media streams having different protocols.

Download and Installation

This application of size just about less than 50MB can be downloaded directly from its official website by following this link. After downloading is complete, simple execute the SUPERsetup.exe file and follow the simple instructions to complete the installation procedure. This application works on all the major Windows platform like Windows 98(SE), 2000, XP, Vista, 7 etc. A minimum 512MB of RAM along with Microsoft DirectX 9.0c is also required.

The Final Verdict

There may be a lot of encoders and players out there in the market, but none of them has all the functionalities as the Media File Converter has. This wonderful software from Super is one complete package when it comes to encoding and playing Multimedia files, and since this software is completely free it is worth a try.

Universal Multimedia Player and Encoder: Media File Converter SUPER was originally published at I Love Free Software

Simple, Free Web Browser just for Browsing: GreyNote

Posted: 26 Jul 2012 05:00 PM PDT

GreyNote is a simple, free web browser which comes with a very simple interface. The simple web browser comes in a silverfish layout where it doesn't come with any other features besides just giving the option of browsing websites online. This easy-to-use internet browser is designed for those who do not like to use complicated browsers giving you more than required applications. You just need to type in the web address and start browsing your desired websites.

Installing Grey Note

The software is as simple to install as any of the simple software you might have downloaded from the internet before. You need to browse to the website of the company here and click on the download button. The moment you click on it a zip file containing all the files required to run the software gets downloaded. You need to extract the files and run the setup process by clicking on the setup icon. It takes seconds after that you are ready to launch the software and start browsing the internet on your browser. You can also try Xtravo Web Browser, RockMelt and Webian Shell reviewed by us.

User Interface of the Grey Note

The moment the software gets launched you would see a browser with a silverfish background appear on the screen. By default the homepage is set to aol.com which is the 1^st page which opens after the browser is launched. The options include the navigation features such as going forward or backward, reloading a page, stopping of loading a page and the area to type in a web address.

Using Grey Note free web browser

To start browsing a particular website you need to type in the URL of the website in the space provided. After you have the entire URL typed in the space you need to click on the GO button which is present next to the space. After you click on it the website would open and you are ready to read, browse, and play around with the websites you are browsing. The entire thing is pretty simple with nothing more to offer besides just providing the option to browse websites. Moreover, the browser doesn't consume much space of your hard disk as it is much smaller and lighter for your system.

Download Grey Note free.

Simple, Free Web Browser just for Browsing: GreyNote was originally published at I Love Free Software

Free Google Reader Desktop Client: Espresso Reader

Posted: 26 Jul 2012 03:30 PM PDT

Espresso Reader is a free RSS client for Google’s online RSS feed tracking service Google Reader. You might even not be aware of the fact that Google offers it’s own RSS feed reader, which is no surprise because there’s a lot of different tools and services which are being offered by Google. If you are a user of Google Reader, and you don’t want to open your browser each time that you want to see what’s new on websites that you track, then Espresso Reader can help you out.

On the image above, Espresso Reader is empty, and it can be empty for two reasons, you either haven’t logged into your Google account, or your don’t have any feeds added to your Google Reader account. After you take care of both of these counts, after you’ve logged in, and after you’ve made sure that there are RSS subscriptions added to your Google Reader, Espresso Reader will automatically become populated with news from the RSS feeds that you track.

Similar software: Feed Turtle, RSSVoyage, Desktop RSS Ticker.

Free Google Reader desktop client for Windows, Mac and Linux – Espresso Reader

Since Espresso Reader is made using Adobe’s Air runtime, it can be used on all the major operating systems, it’s cross platform. But before you can see on your Espresso reader what you see on the following screenshot:

you’re gonna have to visit your Google Reader account, you have one even if you’re not aware of it, and add subscriptions to the RSS feeds of websites that you’re interested in tracking. It’s not something overly complicated, you can easily do this by clicking on the Add Subscription button while the Google Reader homepage is opened, look at the top left corner. Every major website these days has RSS feeds, because it’s an easy way of how users can keep track of website news.

Espresso Reader comes with two different ways of viewing RSS feed updates, the one that you can see above would be the Mag view, the one seen on the picture before this one would be the List View. Twitter support is included, which means that you can connect Espresso with Twitter to send tweets of RSS feeds that you find interesting, but also to find out if one of your Twitter contacts has posted something interesting.

Application can be minimized in the system tray, so that it doesn’t bother you while you’re working on the computer. When you want to check if there’s something new on your favorite websites, simply open up Espresso Reader, click on the refresh button and news will be listed for you.

Conclusions

Both Google Reader and Espresso Reader are free. With this Google Reader desktop client there’s no need for opening up the browser in order to see what’s new on feeds that you’re tracking with the help of Google Reader. Simply login with your Google account credentials into Espresso Reader, hit refresh and enjoy RSS feeds delivered straight to your doorstep, to your desktop. Save time that you would normally spend on opening websites and browsing through news pages.

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Free Google Reader Desktop Client: Espresso Reader was originally published at I Love Free Software

Sight Words Buddy Helps Kids To Learn Reading

Posted: 26 Jul 2012 02:00 PM PDT

Sight Words Buddy is a free educational software which helps your child to learn reading in a playful manner. This educational game basically speaks out the words and your child need to choose the correct word from the available three words displayed on the interface. In this way, you child becomes familiar with these words and even knows how to pronounce them without a mistake.

Sight Words Buddy offers few Sight word exercises/drills like Pre Primer drill, Primer drill, first grade drill, second grade drill, and third grade drill to learn reading.

The interface of this educational software is really cool and attractive which offers a very simple and playful way to learn reading.

When you launch this educational software, it speaks out a word and displays three words on the interface. Your child need to choose the correct word from these available three words. If your child wants to hear the word again before choosing the correct word, then it's possible by clicking on the speaker button in the middle.

This free software instantly gives response visually and in the form of audio for chosen word and tells you whether it's correct or wrong. S

ight Words Buddy even allows your child to view the results with a single click on View button. Download Sight Words Buddy for free and let your child learn playfully.

Don't forget to check out GiftedSpeech reviewed by us.

Features Of This Tool To Learn Reading:

Simple educational game to play.
Small in size educational game.
Words spoken are very clear.
Changeable skins.
View results instantly with a single click.
Choose among the available Sight words drills.
Offers an easy and playful way to learn reading.

Sight Words Buddy is a very simple, yet smart educational software that let's your kid learn reading playfully. Download Sight Words Buddy for free.

Sight Words Buddy Helps Kids To Learn Reading was originally published at I Love Free Software

Twitter Desktop Client for Linux, Mac and Windows: Destroy Twitter

Posted: 26 Jul 2012 12:30 PM PDT

Destroy Twitter is a free Twitter desktop client for Windows, Mac or Linux, written in Adobe’s Air runtime environment. Destroy Twitter is a very small and lightweight application, it comes packed with several different useful tools and features which will undoubtedly make your Twitter experience a lot better, for example you can filter tweets that you’re receiving, so that you can prevent people who are on a tweeting rampage from spamming your feed.

Like we said in the the introduction, Destroy Twitter requires Adobe Air to work, this is a great thing, because it means that you can use this free Twitter clients on all the major operating systems, it’s cross platform. List of useful features that Destroy Twitter has is very impressive:

Auto-Complete usernames
Font size selection
Tweet notification sounds
Filter tweet spammers
Fast tweet reading
Lightweight and fast usage

Interface of Destroy Twitter is very modern looking, it will run in the system tray, like any other instant messaging application and it will behave like one too, sound and pop up notifications are there, and you can even send tweets from it to.

Similar software: Tweetz, Hahlo Twitter, MetroTwit.

Free Twitter desktop client for Windows, Linux and Mac

After installing Destroy Twitter it will start working right away, a login window will wait for you, where you need to surrender your Twitter login details. After you do that, you will be greeted with a list of tweets from your home page:

When you’re hovering over tweets, two different buttons will appear at the bottom right corner of the tweet, one of which would be the reply to tweet option which you can see above. Great thing about Destroy Twitter reply features is that it sports a spell checker which will underline misspelled word, and offer you suggestions for correction after you right click on it.

Next to being notified and reading new tweets with Destroy Twitter you also get the ability to track Mentions, search for friends, for those who have a lot of them and read Messages. Image above shows a user search which has yielded results and is now displaying both a list of tweets made by that user at the bottom of the window and also notifications above.

Free PC and Mac Twitter client with tweet filtering

The other option which is offered to you when you’re hovering over tweets in the Home list would be the option to filter users who are constantly sending tweets updates:

Here you can also re-tweet, direct message or reply to tweets which you have received. Destroy Twitter really owns up to its name, you can really completely avoid using Twitter from the browser by using this small Twitter client for the PC and Mac. It will not slow down you computer, and you can use it just like you would any other instant messenger. Minimize the main application to the system tray, and then simply wait for the tweet notifications to start coming in. Destroy Twitter is a free application, so if you don’t like it, you can just uninstall it.

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Twitter Desktop Client for Linux, Mac and Windows: Destroy Twitter was originally published at I Love Free Software

How to Blur Faces in YouTube Videos

Posted: 26 Jul 2012 11:00 AM PDT

YouTube has added an impressive feature which can be applied to your videos in just a few mouse clicks. This feature is the 'Face Blurring' feature that can help you to hide or blur faces in your videos. So if you are uploading some content and wish to keep the identity of any individual hidden, then this feature is something which can be quite helpful. This feature is a breeze to use and just requires a couple of mouse clicks.

How to Blur Faces in YouTube videos?

Make sure that you are logged in to your account and you have already uploaded the video where you wish to use this blur feature.
Click on your username at the top corner of the window.

Here the username is 'kritsneek'. As soon as we click it, a drop down menu appears where you need to choose the option 'Video Manager'.

Once you click on the 'Video Manager', you will see a screen containing a list of all your uploaded videos. Next to the video, you need to click on the arrow next to the edit button. This will display a number of options and you need to click on 'Enhancement'.

You can edit the video in the YouTube editor window. However, here we are only interested in face blurring. Click on 'Additional features' option and click on 'apply' present below the 'blur all faces' description.

If you wish to keep the original video, you need to uncheck the button next to 'Delete the original video' once 'apply' changes to 'applied'.

Check out YouTube Statistics to track likes, dislikes and views of videos.

Cons

One of the major caveats of this feature is that it fails to blur all the faces. This is quite evident in the snapshot below.

The left video is the original one whereas the right is the preview after we applied 'blur'. As it's evident, half of the faces are blurred whereas the feature has failed to blur some of the faces. Hence, it becomes necessary to preview the video after applying this feature to make sure that the result is per your expectations.

Also check out how to watch YouTube videos in TV mode reviewed by us.

Checkout the video we created using this face blur feature:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Verdict

Though the 'Face Blur' feature in YouTube suffers from some major limitations, yet it is an impressive feature. You can try it out, it's simple.

How to Blur Faces in YouTube Videos was originally published at I Love Free Software

Create Flashcards from PowerPoint: Free Flashcard Generator

Posted: 26 Jul 2012 09:30 AM PDT

Flashcard Generator is an effective way to create flashcards out of PowerPoint presentations. The process of creating flashcards has been simplified by this software where you need not do much besides clicking a few options from your Microsoft PowerPoint screen only. Free Flashcard Generator comes in very handy to the professionals and the students who are in constant need of creating presentations and convert them into flash cards. Moreover, this free flashcard creator also comes in very handy for people who are in search for software that could help them in converting their presentations instantly. You can create flashcards automatically using this freeware.

Installing Flashcard Generator

To install Flashcard Generator you need to visit their site here and click on the download link available. Once you click on the download link the zip file containing the installer gets downloaded on your system. You need to unzip the files and run the setup file to install the Flashcard Generator on your system. The program upon installation gets integrated with Microsoft PowerPoint and can be used directly from the program itself. You can also try Flashcard Master, Anki and 5 Free Flashcard Maker reviewed by us.

Using Flashcard Generator to create flashcards

To use Flashcard Generator you need to open a Microsoft PowerPoint file after which you would see a newly added tab on the menu bar. The tool comes with two options in it i.e. creating a flashcard for a single slide or for the entire presentation.

In case you want an existing presentation to be converted into a flash card you need to open the presentation and use this tool. Moreover you may create your presentations inside the default window itself before converting them to flashcards. The 1^st step is to click in the option you wish to go for (single slide or entire document). For the 1^st time you click on it you would need to accept the User license to proceed after accepting that you may proceed using the application as and when required.

Now when you are brought back to the main window of your presentation you need to click on whether you wish to convert each of your slides into flashcards or a single slide. Once you do so you would see an added slide before the slide you created the flashcard for. Hence when you run the presentation the flashcard would appear before the other contents on the slide. Basically all the materials which you have as your background gets displayed as the flashcard and the rest of the contents appear only when you press a key. It is quite handy when you need to hide the elements to appear at the start of the slide. So with the help of this feature you could definitely make it much easier to explain slides and the contents on them.

Now that you know all about Flashcard Generator, you can use this freeware to create flashcards automatically.

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Create Flashcards from PowerPoint: Free Flashcard Generator was originally published at I Love Free Software

5 Free Android Map Apps

Posted: 26 Jul 2012 08:00 AM PDT

Here, are 5 free Android map apps. These mapping apps for your Android smartphone make it very easy to find route to any location. Now you don’t need to carry a separate GPS device; your smartphone doubles up as that.

Google Play Store has multiple map apps to install on Android. From among all of them below are the 5 free map apps that helps you navigate locations on Android. Map apps include Google Maps; one of the most popular official Google app, Map (-) app, National Geographic World Map app, and more.

Google Maps:

Google Maps is a free Android map app that provides the option to navigate world map on Android. Google Maps app is the official Android app from Google. Also, Google Maps is one of the most popular app in Google Play Store that most of the Android users install on their Android phone. You can easily search for any location on Google Map. The new feature added by Google in Android Google Map is the navigation part. You can navigate the route from one place or location to other location on Google Map. The tells you the complete route by highlighting the way on Google Map with a different colored line. You can easily reach any location with your own vehicle by following the way displayed on Google Map on your Android phone. You can also view the app map according to different layers which include traffic, satellite, terrain, transit lines, and more. The Google Map uses your phone GPS to accurately track your location.

Maps (-):

Maps (-) is a another free Android app that offers world map on Android. You can easily browse between different countries, states, and cities on the map. Maps app allows you to browse location on three different maps which include open street map, open cycle map, and Google Map. You can also activate your phone's GPS to trace the current location on any of the three maps. Zoom in and zoom out to check the location on the map in better way. The map even allows you to load GPX data from SD card, if any. If you want to zoom in the map location, then magnify map to zoom in the location searched. Toggle the map to full screen mode for the better view of navigation of countries, states, and cities on Map app for Android.

MapQuest:

MapQuest is a free Android app to display map and navigate the location on Android. You can easily search for any location on MapQuest. The map provided by MapQuest looks same as Google Map on Android. You can also browse hotels, restaurants, cars, Airports, shopping places, and coffee shops. The app even allows you to navigate and search routes between two specific locations. Like Google Maps app and Map (-) app, you can toggle MapQuest to full screen mode view. MapQuest provides GPS shortcut key to enable/disable GPS on your Android phone. Switch to multiple map views which include traffic, satellite, and night mode. Zoom in and zoom out the world map to see the searched location and nearby location on Android phone.

World Map 2012 Free:

World Map 2012 is a free Android map app that provides world map with a very simple view. This Android world map app is the best app for students studying geography subject. The view of the map looks as it is designed specially for students. The good part of the app is that, the map works offline on Android. Just launch the app and you will find full globe shaped world map. No extra settings required. Just launch the app and browse the location by scrolling the map. You can zoom in and zoom out the world map to view the locations in a better way. If you want any online world map app, then read the next review on National Geographic World Map app.

National Geographic World Map:

National Geographic World Map is a free Android map app that works when you are online. The app displays map in the form of Globe. Displaying map with National Geographic World Map look same as with World Map 2012 app. You just have to launch the app and start browsing the locations on World Map. You can zoom in and zoom out the map to see the details with a better view. The more you zoom the map, the more will the app display the location information on Android. No need of GPS. You just need a simple internet connection and get started with the app.

If you find any other good Android Map app, then do let us know in comments below.

You can check out Location Tracker App for Android. We have also reviewed an article to track location on Android with Life360 app.

5 Free Android Map Apps was originally published at I Love Free Software

Teach Kids How to Read and Create Video Stories: Moo-o

Posted: 26 Jul 2012 06:30 AM PDT

Moo-o is a free interactive story telling application which you can use to create video stories where your children or you yourself play the character roles according to pre-made scripts, that way kids can learn how to read better and they have loads of fun in the process. This story creator is free, but stories themselves are not. You get 1 free story for which it’s necessary to register with the Moo-o website, and if you like the application, you can buy more.

Right after you start the application, you’ll first be asked for email and password, which you are given during registration. Then you will need to make sure that your camera and microphone are working, because like we said, with Moo-o, the star is you. Camera is necessary because it will be used to put your child’s face on the faces of characters, and microphone because you will also be the voice of the characters in the story that you’re reading and making.

Checkout free language learning app for kids.

Improve kids reading and have fun with Moo-o story telling app

On the image above we can see the one lone story that we get with the free version of Moo-o. Story has 81 words, which can help out the little ones improve their reading, and there are 3 characters to choose from, you can either be Dad, Pat or Cat.

Here you can see why exactly camera is needed, when you’re choosing which character you’ll be, you can use it to take a screenshot of your child’s face which will be replacing that of the character, and of course enter a new name, use your own if you wish.

Each scene on the left will have to be recorded separately, and for each scene there is a number of words that have to be read, see at the top of the image. Webcam here is used to change the face of the character with faces of your kids, in real time, see on the image above how that works. Microphone is used to record the text as it’s being read, so that it can be listened later on while watching the video.

You can record all the scenes, or you can only do a few of them like we did on the image above. This is the Publishing part of the video creation, where you can see every scene that you made, and also select various different video introductions and beginnings. Here’s how a completed video looks like:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Conclusion

Reading is very important, and it can be very difficult to force youngsters to learn how to read. Because of this fact, that children are not very interested in learning how to read, at least not all of them, it’s necessary to make the experience fun for them, and that’s exactly what Moo-o does, it makes reading fun, not only for your kid, but also for the entire family, because you’ll without a doubt have a few laughs when watching your little ones playing with this free video story maker. Free download, only for 1 story.

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Teach Kids How to Read and Create Video Stories: Moo-o was originally published at I Love Free Software

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