Create, Read, Edit Evernote Notes on Ubuntu : Everpad

If you have recently switched to Ubuntu from Windows/Mac and you used to to keep your notes in sync with Evernote, then you might be missing the feature-rich note taking application on Ubuntu. There is no official Evernote application for Ubuntu, but you can use another application, smartly-named Everpad by its Developers.

Easy-To-Use

Everpad is an easy-to-use application which also comes with a app-indicator, so you can create/manage notes from the task-bar. To keep your notes in sync with your Evernote account, you need to authorize the application, for which there is an option in the Settings and Management menu. Once authorized, Everpad will automatically synchronize the previous notes in your account with the local notes.

Using the simple and clean interface, you can easily create / manage notes and organize them into notebooks. The Editing Interface is simple and icon-based, you can create to-dos, add image, link, and other items just like the official Evernote Application on Windows / Mac.

The best thing about Everpad is its app-indicator which sits right in the taskbar and helps you quickly create new notes or manage the existing ones.

Alternatives

If you don't want to use Everpad for some reason, then there is no other alternative which comes with Evernote sync feature. You can use Tomboy Notes and use its sync feature to save the notes in your Dropbox folder, this will automatically sync your Tomboy notes with Dropbox.

Install Everpad On Ubuntu

Here's how you can install Everpad on Ubuntu:

First, add this ppa:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nvbn-rm/ppa

then update:

sudo apt-get update

now, install :

sudo apt-get install everpad 

The Best and The Lightest Screenshot Capture Software: Shotty

Are you fan of SnagIt? But you don't want to waste your money buying it? Well, there are many Free Alternatives available on the web. But have you ever heard about a Screen Capture Software which is very powerful but light on your system? Sometimes, on Netbook, you want to capture the whole screen or a rectangular region, but because SnagIt is a resource hungry tool, your computer (netbook) hangs quite often. What if you're running a heavy application and wants to take a screenshot of it? Shotty is free screenshot capture application which lets you quickly take a screenshot of your whole screen or a part of it. You can also take a screenshot of a Window, if you want to. Shotty resides on your System Tray (SysTray) and can be accessed by clicking on it's icon in the System Tray.

You can also delay your screenshot for 10 seconds if you want to take a screenshot of a drop down menu, like I did here: http://goo.gl/bsPCi. In the above pop up, you have to select from : Full Screen, Region (Part of the Screen) and Window. After taking the screenshot, a new window will appear:

From here, you can Blur a part of your Screenshot or Highlight Something in it, or draw something using the pen, Crop the Image, Resize it and add text to your Screenshot. You can also upload to the server (You can choose the Image Sharing Service by right clicking the icon in the System Tray and then you'll find an option to change the Hosting Service there).

NOTE: If you don't want to use any Hosting Service, you can save the Image on your Hard Drive and then upload it on your server or keep it.

That's not all about Shotty, it's light but it's more powerful than you think, you'll find all the Setting by right clicking the icon in the system tray and choosing "Extended Settings" and then you can choose to display watermark on your image, change the duration time and more. You can download Shotty from here.

Create Simple Permanent Short URL of Your Google Plus Profile

Google Plus is the latest buzz on the web, and people are now sending out invites to their friends and the Social Networking Site is growing very fast. One of my friend mailed me the invite and I was able to sign up after clicking on the invite link. Well, the interface is awesome and the best thing I liked about Google Plus is it’s Simplicity.
But what I disliked about Google+ is the Profile URL. In Twitter and Facebook, you can get a clean and short profile URL like http://facebook.com/UrbnGeek and http://twitter.com/Abhishek_Biswal , where there is your username in the URL. But, In Google Plus, the URLs are like this:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/105941023014351009998/posts

The Google Plus Profile URL (It’s my profile, you can add me in your circle!) is very long and contains numbers, therefore, you are unable to share your profile with your friends Offline. Would you like to learn this long URL and make your friend learn the URL when you meet Offline, so that he can find you?

So, Here’s a Trick for all the Google Plus Fans. Google Plus is new, so it will take time for plugins to be developed for it. GPLus.To is a Profile URL shortener which helps you to shorten your Profile URL, like this one:

http://Gplus.to/AbhishekBiswal

So, which of the above two URLs is easy to remember? You can register your gplus.to short URL. You can choose any name you want (for example, I typed in AbhishekBiswal which was available and clicked the big button and it was registered!) and you don’t need to register to use the URL Shortener, just go to http://gplus.to to register your Short Profile URL. And choose Your Nickname Wisely because you can’t have two or more Short URLs for one profile.

NOTE: GPlus.To URL once registered will permanently remain yours.

DocsPal: A Free Online All-In-One Converter

Are you one of those who like downloading files such as Video Files from YouTube ( in .FLV Format)? If yes, then there is a good chance of you having different converters for different file formats. For Example, You might be having a video converter for converting video files, an ebook coverter, Audio Converter, Image Converter and Document Converter. Now you can free up your Hard Disk from these Converter Applications, as there is a new Online Converter : DocsPal, which converts anything you throw at it!

You might be thinking why I called it an All-In-One Converter, that's because it can convert different file formats to the format you have chosen. For example, you want to convert a YouTube Video (.FLV) to WMV, you can use the Online Converter - DocsPal: First, Upload the File you want to convert, select the format in which you want to convert the uploaded file and them click on Convert and your File will get converted and a link will be shown to you, following which you can download the converted file.

Uploading a small file is easy, but what to do when the file is large? You have to think before downloading the original file, if you'll be able to use it without converting then download it and if it is in a non-compatible file format, then you can copy the download link (without downloading the file actually, so that you don't waste your time and bandwidth by downloading the file 2 times) and then choose the format, and click on Convert!

It's not only a file converter, but a file viewer also! Just go to http://www.docspal.com/viewer and you can then choose any file from your computer or the web and view it.

Why I Like DocsPal
DocsPal isn't just limited to Documents, Videos and Audio, but it can also convert ebooks from one file format to another which your device can support. And that's why I call it an All-In-One converter. Sometimes, you have to download some Archives (in .tar.gz) which you can't extract if you're on Windows, but using DocsPal, you can convert that Archive to a Compatible file format such as .ZIP, so that you can extract it on your Windows Machine. You can do the same with any Archive File. Overall, what I like about DocsPal is that you get all types of converters in one place. No need to download trial Converters anymore. Just point your browser to http://www.docspal.com/ and you'll be downloading the converted file in the next few minutes. Go try it out now!

Try Out The New YouTube Interface [Cosmic Panda]

YouTube, undoubtedly the the best online video sharing portal owned by Google is now ready to get a Facelift. After GMail and Blogger, its time for 3rd most visited website of the world will now get a new look.

If you're a YouTube fan, then you might be knowing what YouTube Test Tube is. Well, now on TestTube, you can try out the new YouTube UI. Google is now updating all it's service with the new interface, and its time for YouTube. Want to know how the New YouTube looks like? Here is a comparison between the new and the old one:

The New YouTube

The Old YouTube

The New YouTube lets you view the video without any distractions. With the new UI, the YouTube Player has also changed it's color from grey to black. The ads are placed very smartly in the new UI. So, what are you waiting for? Go try out the new UI :

First, Go to http://youtube.com/testtube and you'll find 'Cosmic Panda' written there. Under the description of Cosmic Panda, click on "Try It Out!" Link and then the new interface will be activated! You can go back to the older version by following this link and then clicking on "Go Back To The Older YouTube" link.

Google Plus Open For Signup, But NOT For Those Under 18

Google Plus is now open for signup to everyone with a Google Account, but Google is not allowing those under 18 to sign up. One of Google's employee said that Google is still working on privacy options and that's why the signup is restricted to people of specific age.

If you're under eighteen, and want to signup, then you can't! And if you just switched to another tab to change your age in Google Accounts, then don't waste your time! Because there's no option to change the age. To test, I signed up for another Google Account, but I was amazed to see that there was no option to select Date of Birth or Year of Birth or any thing similar which can make Google know our age. If you can't set your age in during signup, and if there's no option to select age in Google Accounts, then how can Google know how much years old is a person with a Google Account?

I have found many people in Google Forums saying that they are above 18 (some are 45!), but still they are not allowed to Signup on Google Plus + . Well, this proves that the ages set by Google aren't accurate at all! Here is post by a Google Account user who complains that Google is blocking him from using Plus, but he is over 18!

Is My Age in My YouTube Account Same as My Age in Google Account?
Well, if you have a YouTube Account and the age you have set your age as above 18, then also you can't sign in to Google Plus. Many people say that if YouTube is Connected to Google, then Google will take your age in YouTube as the your original age. If this is how Google Works, then why didn't Google allow me to sign up for a Google Plus Account when I created a new Google Account, and set the age in YouTube Account as 25?

So, What To Do Next?
You can't do anything to change your age. All you can do is sit back and wait for Google Plus + to be fully launched and then only you can sign up. If you are facing the same problem then do drop in your comments.

Google Blogger Released The New Interface

My Favorite Blogging Platform, Google Blogger (Here's why) has got an interface update! Read on to know more about it.

Well, I was waiting for the day when Blogger will release its upcoming new interface. And today, when I logged into Blogger In Draft, I was amazed to see the new blogger interface. Today, Blogger has released its new interface to all the blogger users. All you need to do is that point your browser to draft.blogger.com and you'll now be able to use the new interface. Here is a screenshot of the Blogger Dashboard:

Blogger Dashboard

The new interface looks promising and is very easy to use. The stats section remains the same, but the links (including Stats, Monetize, Settings) which were located on the top are now in the sidebar. Take a look at them:

The Earnings Tab is till under construction

And here's the new Blog Editor, redesigned to match the new interface:

New Blogger Post Editor

One thing I like about the new Post Editor is that it's distraction free. All you can see on the screen is the Blog Editor and nothing else. The new Post Editor also gives you more space to write than the older one.

So, what are you waiting for? Go to draft.blogger.com to experience the new Google Blogger!

Google To Upgrade Gmail's Look

Recently, Google Search got a new look and it's awesome. And now it's time for GMail. Today, Google has added two new themes, which you can find under Themes Tab in Gmail Settings, named "Preview(Dense)" and "Preview". These are actually the previews of the new Gmail Look which you can try out now! Here is the Preview of the new Inbox:

Image By Google

 And here's the preview of the Conversation:

Image By Google

It seems like Google has started to upgrade all it's services to this new Google Look! At the end of the official post, it is stated that Google Calender will soon be updated.

If you're using Gmail and want to switch to this new look, then follow these instructions:

[1]Go to Gmail and Sign in.

[2]Now, click on the Settings Button (Top Right corner of the screen) and under it, click on "Mail Settings".

[3]Next, Click on the Themes Tab and under it you'll find two new themes (at the end): "Preview" and "Preview Dense".

[4]Select one according to your need and click on save.

Hey Google, I am still waiting for Google Blogger's New Look!

The Official Blog Post [Gmail Blog]