Not happy with Feedbin integration in existing Mac apps? Put Feedbin in your menu bar with this free app.
Unless you've been living in a cave with no access to the Internet, you likely know Google Reader is now dead. If this comes as a surprise to you, you still have time to export your Reader data through Google's Takeout service. Be sure to do this before July 15th, when Google will remove Reader from its Takeout offerings.
One of the many Google Reader replacement services that has popped up since Google announced Reader's execution date is Feedbin.
Feedbin is a subscription service, costing $3 a month or $30 a year, with an API for developers to integrate into apps, and a functional Web site to browse through your newsfeed.
Currently Reeder (free) for iPhone has Feedbin support, with plans to add it to the iPad and Mac version in a future update. Press for Android ($2.99) also has Feedbin support. You can see a full list of apps with Feedbin support at Feedbin.me.
As Feedbin and its competitors try to gain traction with new Reader refugees, the app selection might not appeal to everyone, leaving those people to rely on the Web site. One major drawback to using the site is the lack of an unread count. Thankfully, a developer and Feedbin user decided to make Feedbin Notifier an OS X menu bar application, open-source it, and give it away for free.
In the past, you could pull off this maneuver right on your phone. Now, it requires a trip to iTunes. Find out where in iTunes you need to go to hide and unhide apps from your purchased list.
Turns out, I've been giving you bad advice. Or at least outdated advice. In my post on this topic from last year (in the heady days of iOS 5), I showed you how you could simply swipe on an app on your purchased list right on your iPhone to hide it. For no good reason at all (at least any that I can see), iOS 6 did away with this functionality. Perhaps iOS 7 will bring back the ability to cull your purchased list from your phone, but for now, it requires a trip to iTunes. *sad trombone*
Open up iTunes and click on the iTunes Store button. Next, click on the home button if the Store didn't open to this view. In the right column, under the Quick Links header, click on the Purchased link. Click on Apps from the top of this view, and you'll see a grid of your purchased app. Hover over an icon and a small X button appears in the upper-left corner. Click the X to hide the app. The app will be hidden from the purchased list on your phone the next time you take a look at your purchased list; no sync is necessary.
To reverse course and unhide an app, click on the button with your username in iTunes and select Account. Next, in the iTunes in the Cloud section, click the Manage button that sits to the right of the Hidden Purchases. Select Apps and you'll a grid of icons for all of your hidden apps, each with an Unhide button. Click the button and the app is returned to your purchased list.
If your kid is using an iPhone, iPod, or iPad to blast music at unsafe levels, you should consider setting a limit on their maximum volume. I mean, they'll hate you for it -- but they'll also hate having tinnitus in their 20s, right?
In the above video, I'll walk you through the steps of lowering the maximum volume limit on any iOS device, as well as locking that setting in place using a password of your choosing.
The first step in the process is to lower the maximum volume by tapping Settings and then scrolling down and selecting Music. Next, tap Volume Limit and pull down the volume slider to the maximum volume level you've decided on. Then, tap the back arrow until you're back at the main menu.
To lock the volume limit with a password, head back into Settings, but this time tap General, and then select Restrictions. Next, hit Enable restrictions at the top of the page and create a four-digit password. After that, scroll down to where it says Volume Limit. Tap that, change it to "Don't Allow Changes" and then back all the way out to the main menu.
That's all there is to it. If you want to ease the sting of restricting their volume you should seriously consider treating them to an upgraded pair of headphones. Below, you'll find a roundup of some of CNET's favorite picks for under $50.
Adobe's Photoshop Express, previously only available on iOS and Android, is now available for Windows 8. We'll show you how to get started with the app.
Previously only available for iOS and Android devices, it's now ready to be downloaded for free to your Windows 8 tablet or hybrid device from the Windows Store. Here's how to get started with Adobe Photoshop Express for Windows 8:Adobe's Photoshop Express is a basic photo-editing app for your mobile device. With Photoshop Express, you can correct photo properties like contrast, exposure, and white balance, or use the autofix feature to let Photoshop try to fix everything for you. You can also crop your photos, apply creative filters, and share them to Facebook directly from the app.
Opening a photo
When you first launch Photoshop Express, you'll be prompted to select an image source for editing. You can select a photo from your Pictures Library, take a photo from the device's camera, or pick a photo from Revel, Adobe's photo storage and synchronization service. If the photo you want to edit isn't stored in those locations, you can always browse to the photo with Windows Explorer, right-click on the photo, then go to Open with > Photoshop Express.
Editing a photo
Once you've opened up a photo, you'll see six editing choices on the lower left side: Crop, Correct, Looks, Red Eye, Auto Fix, and Reduce Noise. Just tap or click on any of those choices to edit your photo.
Crop lets you rotate, straighten or flip the photo, as well as crop with strict photo ratios.
Correct allows you to change the contrast, clarity, vibrance, exposure, highlights, shadows, temperature and tint. All of these enhancements work by moving the slider, which works very well on a touch screen. You can also choose to have the app correct the exposure and white balance automatically.
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Looks contains 20 free Instagram-like filters. There are also 20 premium filters (Adobe Looks Pack) that you can buy for $2.99. You can try all the premium filters for free, but you'll have to buy the upgrade to save any changes.
Red Eye helps you remove red eye from photos, just by tapping on the problem area. If you have a touch screen, you can use zoom gestures to enlarge the photo to make it easier to select the red eye. If you decide you don't like the enhancement, you can tap on the undo button in the upper right-hand corner. The redo button is located there as well.
Auto Fix attempts to enhance the photo with a single tap. As with most of the enhancements you make with Photoshop Express, you can tap and hold on the View Diff or View Original button that appears on the lower right side to compare the edited version with the original.
Reduce Noise is another premium feature that tries to "smooth out unwanted grain and speckling." The Noise Reduction Pack costs $4.99 from the Windows Store.
Sharing a photo
You can share your photos to Revel or Facebook directly from Photoshop Express by tapping on the Save/Share button in the lower left-hand corner. You can also try using the Windows 8 share feature from the charms bar. If all else fails, you can always save the photo to your device, then share it the old-fashioned way.
Adobe Photoshop Express for Windows 8 should work well for most casual users and is particularly fun to use on Windows 8 devices with touch screens. Let us know what you think of it. Does it have enough features to meet most of your needs or do you require something more robust?
