Sunrise Calendar App: Free App for Mac, Chrome Desktop, iOS or Android Devices

Sunrise Calendar App is an excellent way to gain access to your Google Calendars across multiple platforms. Recently, Sunrise became available as a stand-alone Mac App in addition to being available for iOS devices, Android devices, and Chrome. The best thing about Sunrise right now is that it’s free. It is easy to use and simply gives you easy access to your Google calendar. You can also connect some social media accounts such as Twitter and Facebook, as well as Evernote. It’s simple interface makes it an excellent choice for a Calendar app across all your devices.

Sunrise Mac App Interface

Here are some other interesting features of the Sunrise Calendar App.

• Compatible with Google Calendar, iCloud and Exchange
• Synchronizes in real time
• Quick Add Event Feature
• Reminders
• Connect to multiple Google Calendars
• Supports Mac notifications
• Offline Mode

If you’re looking for a calendar app for your Mac, Desktop or handheld device, you will find Sunrise Calendar App's simplicity and ease of use reason enough to download it today. For more information about the Sunrise Apps, check out their web site (https://calendar.sunrise.am/).

Using Your Kindle Tablet App and Chrome 'Send to Kindle' Extension to Read Web Articles

There is not a single day that goes by that I don't use my Kindle apps on my iPads. I have indicated many times before that I am a converted e-book reader, and I can honestly say that I rarely purchase a book now in any other format. In fact, for the first time in my life, whether or not there is an e-book version determines whether I purchase the book or not. There are several titles on Amazon's website that I have yet to purchase simply because there is no e-book version.

While being an e-book reader enthusiast means I am a heavy Kindle App user, I have also found some other features of this app very useful as I work on my doctoral degree. As many who have entered graduate degree programs might know, once you enter this level of graduate degree work, the mountains of reading required grow exponentially. Having a Kindle means I don't have to lug around stacks of books or articles to read. Amazon and the Kindle app gives us doctoral students some options that make the reading even easier.

One of these options are Chrome extensions that make getting web articles to your Kindle or in your Kindle app almost as easy as clicking on a button. Two of my favorite extensions that work essentially the same are "Send to Kindle for Google Chrome" and "Send to Kindle" by Klip Me. Here's how they work.

1. You find an web article you wish to have access in you Kindle document library. Click on the "Send to Kindle" extension button on your Chrome toolbar.

2. A drop down menu appears that gives you three options. One is to Send to Kindle, one is to Preview and Send to Kindle, and a third option allows you send text you selected beforehand. Select the task you desire. I often select "preview and send" in order to see the format before its sent.

Send to Kind Chrome Extension Screenshot

3. Once you have selected preview and send, you web article appears without all the ads and other distracting content. Click the send button and the article is on its way to your Kindle app.

4. Open your Kindle app on your handheld device. Go to your documents library and simply download the article from the cloud to your device. Open the document and read. The beauty of opening the web article in your Kindle app is that now you can highlight and make notes to the document right on your device.

Web Article Opened in Kindle App

Having an Kindle account and using both the Kindle App, Chrome Send to Kindle extension makes it quite easy to send those graduate school articles to you handheld device so that you can read them anywhere and still not have a stack of articles to carry around.

ScribeFire: Easy to Use Blog Editor for Educators

ScribeFire is a simple-to-use blog editor that you can use right within your Chrome, FoxFire or Opera Web browser. So far my testing shows that it works more smoothly than other editors I have used, even Windows Live Writer. Often, when I've used Windows Live Writer, I've lost format selections and media inserts when I posted to the web. ScribeFire has some features that make it much easier to user for administrators who want to wade into blogging. For the educator looking for a way to edit blog posts, ScribeFire is a simple, free blog editor.

Here's an overview of some of its main features:

• Publish to multiple blogs at once: This feature allows you to post an blog entry to multiple blogs at once.
• Edit and update existing posts: It is quite simple to edit and update existing posts using ScribeFire.
• Schedule posts for the future: If you would like to schedule a post to go out at a later time, ScribeFire allows you to schedule those posts.
• Categorize your posts using tags: Using tags to categorize your blog posts is easy within ScribeFire.
• Upload images: This feature works only with images posted on the web.
• Available for Chrome, FireFox, and Opera users: You can use ScribeFire with all three of these browsers.

ScribeFire Screenshot

To check out or download the ScribeFire Chrome extension, check it out in the Chrome Web Store.

3 Alternatives for TweetDeck as Your Twitter App

Ever since Twitter updated TweetDeck into its current manifestation, there have been many, including me, who have been disappointed with the new product. I immediately began experimenting with several alternatives, yet none of them have completely replaced the ease with which I used TweetDeck. In my explorations for an alternative, I have used more than just the three below, but these three seem to be the ones I personally have continued to use. It seems, being able to modify Hootsuite so that it has the feel of being a desktop app, makes it my go-to Twitter app for the time being.

• Silver Bird (Twitter Extension for Chrome Browser): Silver Bird offers users access to Twitter by clicking a button on their browser extension toolbar. Users can do everything you can in the other apps. They can receive real time updates. They can choose between three themes for the app. There are even update notification options on the browser button and in the window when receiving a mention. This is a simple, but highly functional app for accessing and using Twitter. Check out Silver Bird in the Chrome Web Store (Silver Bird Page in Web Store).

Chrome Extension Silver Bird Interface

• Seesmic Desktop: Seesmic offers a fairly straighforward interface with this product. It is as easy to use as TweetDeck in my opinion. Users enjoy many of the same features such as realtime updates, adding custom columns, adjusting font size, and customizing backgrounds. There are even desktop notifications. The interface for this app is similar in layout to the old Tweetdeck in some ways, with the input bar at the top, with the columns arranged underneath. Adding a search column for chats such as #edchat is rather easy too. The only issue I’ve had with this product is an occasional unexplained app crash, so it suffers for me just a bit in the reliability department.

Seesmic Desktop Interface

• Hootsuite: When I was experiencing crashing difficulties with TweetDeck, several other Twitter users tweeted, “Use Hootsuite.” I’ve used Hootsuite on all of my devices before, but the one thing I did not like about the app was that it was a browser-based app, and there are times when I close my browser, I like to have the Twitter app running separately. I could have simply opened Hootsuite as a separate tab in its own browser Window, but it turns out you can make the browser-based Hootsuite look like a desktop app by following these simple instructions from Hootsuite. (Making Hootsuite Look Like a Desktop App)

Hootsuite Converted to a Desktop App Look

Out of the three options, I can easily see that by modifying Hootsuite into a desktop like app makes it the most attractive option for me right now.

Clearly from Evernote: Collect Web Content for Your Evernote Notebooks

NOTE: I CAN NO LONGER RECOMMEND EVERNOTE TO USERS. SINCE ITS ACQUISITION IN 2023 BY BENDING SPOONS, THE PRODUCT HAS BECOME RIDDLED WITH BLOATWARE AND NOT USABLE AS IT ONCE WAS. THERE ARE BETTER PRODUCTS AVAILABLE FOR NOTE TAKING.

Clearly from Evernote is yet another one of those quite useful Chrome browser extensions, especially for those who have an Evernote account. One click of the button and a Web article is transformed into a simplified and uncluttered read. Four basic functions make this browser extension and addition to the must-have list for your Chrome browser.

• The basic function of Clearly is to transform blog posts and Web articles into a format that is easy and clean to read.
• By connecting Clearly to your Evernote account, you can make that Web content available on any device either connected to the Web or that has the Evernote application installed.
• Tag articles sent to your Evernote account so that they are easily accessed and retrieved.
• Change the theme  and the font size to make the article or Web page more readable.

Clearly Interface

Evernote users who want to capture Web content without all the distractions and make it available in all their devices, will love Clearly. For more information, check out the Chrome Web Store.

Easy-to-Use Screen Capture Tool: Awesome Screen Shot

Yesterday, I posted about the “Send to Kindle” extension and how useful it was to Kindle users. Amazingly, there are quite a few other extensions in the Chrome Web Store that are just as useful. One of those versatile Chrome Extensions is the Awesome Screenshot Extension. This is another must-have Extension for the Chrome browser user. (Firefox and Safari users can add the extension to their browsers too.)

The Awesome Screenshot Extension is a tool that allows users to do three basic things: 1) capture a Web page image, 2) annotate and edit that image, and 3) save or share that image. Because Awesome Screenshot can be synced with your Diigo account, you can upload those captured screenshots to there and share them with your groups or followers.

To begin capturing a Web page is as easy as clicking on the Awesome Screenshot button located in the top right-hand corner of your Chrome Browser.

Awesome Screenshot Button

Once you click the browser button, you have three capture choices: capture visible part of the page, capture the selected area, and capture the entire page. Once you select what you wish to capture, it immediately appears in another browser window or tab. From this screen, you can edit, annotate, add arrows, and add shapes. Once you are finished annotating, you can either save the map locally on your computer, save it temporarily on your clipboard, or save it permanently in your Diigo account.

Awesome Screenshot Annotation Screen

Awesome Screenshot is another extremely useful extension for your Web browser. It is available for Firefox and Safari browser users too. 

My 11 Favorite Chrome Browser Apps and Extensions

NOTE: I CAN NO LONGER RECOMMEND EVERNOTE TO USERS. SINCE ITS ACQUISITION IN 2023 BY BENDING SPOONS, THE PRODUCT HAS BECOME RIDDLED WITH BLOATWARE AND NOT USABLE AS IT ONCE WAS. THERE ARE BETTER PRODUCTS AVAILABLE FOR NOTE TAKING.

I have not hid the fact that Chrome is my browser of choice, and from the looks of articles like this one, “Google’s Chrome Browser Surging Past Firefox”, it looks many more are beginning to choose the browser as their favorite. One of the features of Chrome that I like are the extensions and the Apps that can be downloaded and used.

Chrome Apps Page

For those not familiar with Chrome extensions and Chrome apps, the difference between the two is that Chrome Extensions run within the browser window from a button located in the upper right hand corner and a Chrome app is an application that runs in its own browser window, usually accessed through an icon on the apps page within the browser. While Firefox offers its users the same experience, I have grown to appreciate the reliability and functionality of the many apps and extensions within my Chrome browser.

While I have posted my favorite Chrome Extensions and apps before, my list of favorites has changed a bit since then. Here's my latest.

Quick Note: Quick note is another one of those apps that make it possible to be paperless. With Quick Note, users can quickly add and edit notes. Notes that are added are fully searchable, and if you have a Diigo account, you can sync those notes to the cloud. That means you can use Diigo’s Web and sharing capabilities to both access your notes and share them with your Diigo groups. Those developing the app indicate in the Chrome Web Store they may integrate the app with other Web tools like Evernote and Dropbox in the near future. Quick Note is a simple to use note taking tool located right in  your browser.

Quick Note

Kindle Cloud Reader: About eight months ago, I became an avid e-book reader. I own two Kindles, and I have the Kindle app on every PC I use and on my iPad. I even have the Kindle app on my Android phone. With the Kindle Cloud Reader, I can access my growing Kindle e-book library even on machines that do not have the Kindle application installed. In addition, the Kindle Cloud Reader has a sleek interface and is so easy to use, there are times when I simply use it to read my books. Currently there are three things I wish I could do in the Kindle Cloud Reader that I can’t do: 1) Highlight text, 2) Enter reading notes, and 3) Access my newsstand items. I can see text I’ve highlighted in other Kindle Apps, but I can’t highlight. Also, there are times a thought occurs to me while reading, and I love being able to attach it to the text. As far as accessing my Newsstand items? I would love to be able to check out my newspaper and magazines from the Kindle Cloud Reader too. Still, reading from the Cloud Reader is a pleasant and easy experience.

Kindle Cloud Reader

Read Later Fast: I’m just learning about the power of this app. I’m always stumbling across a Web article that I just don’t have time to read. With this app, I can post an article to my Diigo account for future reading. I can even include the graphics. Read Later Fast integrates entirely with my Diigo account and adds another level of flexibility to an already versatile web tool. I can open these Web articles using this app and read according to my schedule.

Read Later Fast

Offline Google Mail: This app basically gives me an interface for my Gmail account and allows me access email offline. You can also compose email which is stored and later synced with the Web. Offline Google Mail is an excellent email client right in your Chrome Browser.

Offline Google Mail

Tweetdeck: Tweetdeck also has a Chrome app as well. This app works pretty much like the separate Tweetdeck app. Twitter recently updated this interface to look exactly like its desktop Tweetdeck app. Twitter users will find this app works as well as the other Tweetdeck products.

Here is a list of my favorite Chrome Extensions.

Evernote Clearly: This extension takes a blog post, article or Web page and transforms it into an easy-to-read format and then places it into your Evernote account. That means you can later access these articles with any device running an Evernote app. This is one of the must-have Chrome extensions. I was even able to convert an article to a PDF and send it to my Kindle to read there.

Evernote Clearly Interface

Diigo Toolbar: This extension is one of my most used. I have posted about it before. It allows users to highlight, bookmark, add a sticky note, or share a web page with basically the click of a button. Diigo users will love adding this tool to their browser. An excellent extension that adds even more functionality to your Diigo account.

Diigo Extension Toolbar

Awesome Screenshot: This tool allows users to take snapshots of Web pages and the screen, annotate them, then save them either on the desktop or into your Diigo account. This is a very useful extension for capturing graphics for later sharing. It is also another extension to add functionality to your Diigo account.

Awesome Screenshot

Evernote Web Clipper: There are many times I stumble across a Web page that I might want to share or use later. The Evernote Web Clipper allows users to clip those pages and place them directly into one of their Evernote notebooks. This extension adds functionality to your Evernote account.

Twitter Share This Page: There are quite a few times I find a Web article that I just have to Tweet out. This extension puts a button in my Chrome browser that allows me to do just that. When I find a page to share with my PLN, I can click on this button, edit the outgoing message and just Tweet it out. URL’s are automatically shortened too. Must have extension for Twitter users who use the Chrome browser.

Send to Kindle: This extension allows users to send any Web content they find to their Kindle for later reading. For example, suppose you stumble on an article of length that you would like to spend some time reading later. You can use the Send to Kindle extension to put it on your Kindle.

As more and more Chrome apps and extensions become available, my favorite list grows. Chrome apps and extensions are ways to get the most out of both the browser and your favorite Web tools.

New Google Chrome Extension Gives New Start Page Option

Google Chrome is my browser of choice. Today, I learned of a new Google Extension that allows you to alter the start page that you see when you open a new page in your browser. This new background gives you some more options on customizing the Start Page in your Chrome Browser. You can download the extension here.

New Chrome Start Page Using Chrome Extension

You can also change the background of that Start Page too. See Below.

Chrome Start Page with Custom Background