Dropbox: More Ways to Use this Handy Application

Dropbox has quickly proven itself to be one of those “must have” applications. Its seamless interface make syncing files between your multiple computers are breeze. While your primary reasons for using Dropbox may be the ones advertised on the site, with some third party hacks and settings tweaks there are some truly awesome uses for your Dropbox account.

DropTunes: Playing audio files from your Dropbox account is already something that can be done. However, DropTunes takes the pain out of clicking each individual file and creates playlists from the music folders that you store in your Dropbox. Additionally, DropTunes give you a nice user interface to adjust volume, pause, and even click forward and back tracks.

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Desktop Organization

Stop for a moment, and clear your computer screen of any open windows to get a good look at your desktop. What do you see? We’d predict the average Unplggd reader keeps a pretty tidy desktop workspace, as we’d assume you’ve got a good sense of organization (or at least aspirations for it). Some say what your computer desktop looks like and how it’s organized reveals a lot about you…

The statistic/infographic geniuses over at Hunch polled their readers and discovered 72% of their readers keep their computer desktops tip-top and tidy, an impressive figure considering the average person’s desktop looks like someone spilled mahjong tiles. What was even more interesting was the conclusions they came to with their desktop organization findings, which may or may not apply to Unplggd readers, but gives insight about how we organize our virtual workspaces. Key findings include:

*Men are more likely to have neat desktops, but are also apt to have too many icons on their desktop (a no-no, since it slows down OS performance).

*The older you are, the more apt you are to have a messy desktop. 12% of those belonging to the 35-49 age category had a mess on their computer.

*The more education and more liberal you are, the more likely you are to have a messy desktop. Hunch’s readers tend to skew to the left, as noted in their findings, but it makes sense those who are more conservative and like order would have neater desktops.

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Unplggd: Spring Clean Your Desk

There are times when we wish our desks could magically declutter themselves, but seeing as we’re still a ways from having robots properly clean our floors, it’s probably a better idea to come up with a simple, reliable organizing strategy and sticking with it. One of our personal favorite methods is organization by function. Notepads go in with the pens. Business cards with clips. Stamps with the envelopes. That way, when you happen to need to do something real quick, everything’s right at your fingertips. Consider it pre-planning at its finest.

Another way is to simplify as you go. Perhaps a single dry erase marker is enough – do you really need 10 different colors? Well, maybe. But if not, just take what you need and try to avoid grabbing what you don’t. It’s an exercise in self-control (although we don’t blame you for falling in love with office supplies)!

What’s your best desk organization tip?

More Desk Organization Tips:
Clear Desktop Space With a Side-Desk Paper Organizer
Do This Today: Purge Your Top Desk Drawer
Kaiju Studios: I/O desk Organizer
Home Office “Staples”: Your Favorites Around the Desk

Images: Ballou Projects

By Anthony Nguyen.

Unplggd: Mac vs PC

Hunch and Mashable released this amusing infographic illustrating the polled difference between self-described PC and Mac users which we found remarkably accurate from a personal perspective. We’re often charged with being Mac-biased, but maybe we’re just a reflection of the type of inherent personality drawn to the operating system/computer.

Honestly, reading the findings, we can’t really argue with the infographic. Sigh, we guess we do fit the profile (or stereotype), Limonata, bahn mi, indie films, Dwell magazine and all.

By Gregory Han

[via Mashable]

Unplggd: Laptop Sleeves

The humble laptop sleeve is a tool that is not often thought about. Most are carelessly thrown in our bags and hardly get a glance. Yet, laptop sleeves are vital to protecting computers from a verity of nasty fates that can befall a laptop in transit. Below we have compiled some of our favorite sleeves, our criteria for selecting them, and why a laptop sleeve is a must.

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Unplggd: Free Up Space on Your Computer

If you’re good to your tech, it will last a long time. Of course, that’s a double-edged sword. If you’re lucky enough to have a computer that lasts six or seven years, you’re also going to have six or seven years’ worth of junk on that machine slowing it down. Luckily, there’s plenty you can wipe off your hard drive. Start with these four folders and collections to get the most space back.

Apps & Widgets
Haven’t used AIM since Facebook and Skype came into your life? Drop it. Don’t need that desktop widget telling you the temperature outside? Get rid of it for good. Do it yourself or use software like AppCleaner (for Mac) or Revo Uninstaller (for PC).

Fonts
You don’t want to delete any of the fonts that came pre-installed with your machine (they’re probably used by your system in some fashion). But if you’ve added any addition fonts over the years, purge the unused ones. Believe it or not, fonts can eat up valuable hard drive space.

Pictures
By thinning out the pictures you have stored on your hard drive, you’ll free up tons of space. Back up the ones you want to keep, then dump everything else. Do it manually by sifting through your library, or use software designed for your machine. A Mac friend of ours swears by Duplicate Annihilator, a program that automatically thins out your iPhoto library by hunting and killing duplicate photos.

Languages
Do you speak English? Type in English? Read in English? Then there’s really no need to keep a bevy of foreign languages installed for your system. Do it manually (here’s a guide for Windows PC users), or find a program to do it for you (Like freeware Monolingual for Mac).

By Taryn Fiol.

Unplggd: Turn Websites into Desktop Apps

As more of our digital lives move towards the cloud, our reliance on native desktop applications has begun to diminish. Where once we depended on native apps like Outlook, today many of us use websites like Gmail. Even games and music have begun to migrate from the desktop to the cloud. What is great about web apps is the ability to access your information from anywhere. However, with desktop apps you have the convenience of quickly launching programs from the dock or through shortcuts. Wouldn’t it be great if you could have both? Well, with Fluid you can!

Fluid is a free application that aims to address the biggest downside to web apps: multiple steps to launch just one web program. With Fluid, you can create a site-specific browser for any website. What this does is take any URL and converts it into a native Mac application. This application then resides in your Dock and Applications folder for easy use. It is really that simple.

While there are other similar programs out there (such as Mozilla Prism), one of the best aspects of Fluid is its deep integration with Max OS X. For more advanced users, Fluid supports client-side scripts for manually tweaking features and formatting. Additionally, quite a few plug-ins exist that add more functionality for advanced users, and enhance the experience of the newly created native apps.

To add to the fun, there is an entire Flickr group dedicated to creating icons for use with Fluid. If you find yourself going to the same sites all of the time (say, Unplggd) then be sure to give Fluid a try and let us know what you think.

By Jesse Leikin.

Unplggd: Notebook and USB

The Pinetti Quattrogiga Leather Journal looks like an unassuming modern notebook from the outside. But upon closer inspect, one will note the detachable silicone strap closure hides a technophile’s secret: a 4GB USB flash drive! It’s a beautiful duet of analog and digital storage in a single form factor. Available in two sizes.

Details: $85.00, Jenni Bick Bookbinding, small journal measures 5 1/2″ x 7″ and large journal measures 6″ x 9″, refillable blank pages, detachable silicone strap holds the book closed and features a 4GB USB storage drive, pocket flaps inside hold the insert in place, and can also be used to store notes & receipts, can be personalized with embossing

By Gregory Han.

Unplggd: Make Your Own Screensaver Using Flickr

A few months back we showed you how to make a your own screen saver in iPhoto using other people’s pictures from photo blogging sites (like Flickr) with an RSS feed. I tried making a more personal screen saver using my Flickr favorites, but unfortunately when I followed these steps I found that the pictures weren’t high-resolution (which didn’t work well with my 27” monitor). With just one extra step, you can turn those low quality Flickr photos into a high-res feed for your screen saver.

1. Copy your Flickr favorites RSS feed. Go to your Flickr favorites page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/(USERNAME)/favorites/. On the bottom left, you will find a “Subscribe to your favorites” link. Right-click the link and select “Copy Link Location.”

2. Create a high quality RSS feed of your favorite Flickr images by going to Flickr Feed Image Re-Sizer. Paste the RSS feed you just copied into the first field, then select a resolution by typing “Large” or “Original” into the next box. Click “Run Pipe.”

3. Right-click “Get as RSS” and select “Copy Link Location.”

4. Subscribe to RSS in iPhoto. Open up iPhone and press (command + U) to open the subscribe window. Paste your new high-res RSS feed by pressing (command + V).

5. Set the Screen Saver in System Preferences. Once it’s all loaded up, go to your System Preferences and select “Flickr Feed Image Re-sizer.” And you’re done!

By Vivian Kim

Unplggd: Organize Your Email

For most people, email is a form of communication that is used all day, every day of the week. Hopefully that means your inbox is in good condition and organized with each email in its right place, clearly labeled. If that’s not the case (which is more likely than not!), here are some easy habits and helpful tools to keep in mind when it comes to maintaining an efficient inbox.

Although we’re not a user of Gmail’s Priority Inbox, they recently rolled out “smart labels,” which we’ve tested out and concluded that for certain users it can be very helpful, depending on the type of emails you receive. However, it is also easy to stay organized without the help of a smart system, here’s how:

Habits

Sort as emails come: The best way to stay organized is to start from the get-go. Don’t let emails pile up throughout the week only to try and find rhyme and reason over the weekend. As emails start to flow in, organize them with labels.

Labels: If you choose to, you can go into the Labs tab in Gmail settings and activate “smart labels” which will automatically label incoming bulk, notification and forum messages as such. Just as how we felt with Priority Inbox, we don’t feel the need to activate smart labels because we like to label our emails ourselves, but for those of you who receive mass mail newsletters or personally statements, smart labels could be helpful.

Color Categorization: Another simple way to organize but is extremely helpful is color categorization with labels. If you’re someone who works different gigs or have different groups of friends, oftentimes each gig or group you have can be associated with a color. We find categorizing labels with an associated color definitely helps in quick association.

Filters: After you’ve created labels, you can then assign emails to go directly into each label with filters. In the Settings menu, select Filters and click on “Create a new filter.” Here you’ll have to input the sender’s email address you want to filter, for example Chase Banking or LivingSocial.

Assign Actions: Next step is to direct these emails to the right labels. To avoid an inbox filled with unread messages, select both “Skip the Inbox” and “Mark as read,” and then click “Apply the label” to select the appropriate folder.

Tools

Gmail offers a wide range of tools that help you stay organized and efficient with your emails. Here is the top four we find most useful:

“Got the Wrong Bob:” We probably all know at least two people that have the same name. In order to avoid confusion, activating this trick will prompt Gmail to make sure you’ve got the right person.

Drag and Drop files: Instead of manually clicking “Attach a file” simply drag and drop files directly into the message.

Apps search: By activating “Apps search” you can extend your searches beyond the inbox into Google Docs and Sites.

Offline Gmail: Compose emails even without internet connection.

If you’re not a user of Gmail, OtherInbox, taskforce, mailPro and xobni are email efficiency tools worth checking out.

By Julienne Lin