Articles by Patrick Nelson

With the unexpected news that Google's RSS feed reader, Google Reader, is being put outto pasture, many users are scrambling to find new tools for news consumption However, TechNewsWorld has been very much on top of the Android news app meleeover the last year, and we can recommend the top five free news apps still available for theAndroid platform...

Pie Control Pro,a mobile app from Coolace, is available for US$1.99 at Google Play....

The year 2013 is quickly turning into the year of cyberattack awareness, and a commonrouter protocol is one of the latest security holes that urgently demands your attention The UPnP, or Universal Plug n Play, protocol is designed to let networked devices findeach other easily. The idea is that you should be able to plug a networked device into aro...

This week TechNewsWorld takes a look at the top five must-have free entertainment appsfor the Chrome Web-browser based platform Google's Chrome Web browser features three types of add-ons -- Web apps, themes and extensions -- available at the Chrome Web Store....

Looking for an Internet connection when out and about may soon become a lot easier.There's been an uptick in public WiFi availability Recent public WiFi launches include Google's free WiFi project in New York City,starting with parts of Chelsea. London's tube network went hot in 2012 with 92 underground stations WiFi-enabled; Virgin Media is connec...

Slices Pro for Twitter,a mobile app from OneLouder, is available for US$4.99 (no ads) at Google Play.

Microsoft's newest version of its Office product, Office 365 Home Premium, has a number of new features: You can install it on more than one computer; save documents online using tight integration with Microsoft SkyDrive; and store files offline as well as retain cross-device settings and themes via a new sign-in function. Plus, there are new feat...

One of the killer features in the Firefox Web browser is its ability to sync betweendesktops and mobile devices Well, you don't have to stop there. Firefox's desktop Web ecosystem includes add-onsthat will let you sync open tabs across other ecosystems, like over to Chrome; keepfavorite Firefox extensions synced with all your computers; sync passwo...

If you've been in the market for almost anything recently, you've probably noticed price fluctuations. You place a bicycle on your Amazon wish list at one price, only to see it shoot up a hundred dollars more a few days later, then drop to a hundred less a week or so after that. Everything from airplane tickets to apartment rentals seems subject to dramatic price changes from one day to the next...

Storage Analyzer,a mobile app from LeveloKment, is available for free at Google Play.

Office 365 Home Premium, the 2013 Windows 8 version of Microsoft's latest version of its Office product, amusingly remains a suite of applications that run under the Windows desktop -- as in earlier, non-tiled versions of Windows Although Office installs quick launch tiles, each core element, like Word or Excel, is anapplication, not a ballyhooed a...

Forget software, applications and programs. While you're at it, forget utilities -- they'renow called "tools." The future is apps, and Windows 8 is not going to be left out. Windows 8 has beendesigned for touch, yet many of us still use keyboards and mice.

Hurricane Sandy, which struck the U.S.' Eastern seaboard last October, exemplified the use of socialnetworks in disaster communications. Millions of residents were affected. For many, real-timeinformation was provided through independent, citizen-generated Facebook pages like Jersey Shore Hurricane News and Twitter "Harnessing the power of Facebook...

OruxMaps Donate,a mobile app from Jose Vazquez, is available for US$2.62 at Google Play.Have you ever considered becoming a cartographer? It's not as hard as you might think....

The Last Mile has been the challenge of industries immemorial What, you say?...

The introduction of the smartphone can be credited with inspiring many so-called lifestyleimprovements -- not the least of which stems from its ability to multitask. Junk that alarmclock and makeup mirror, and gear up for fashion, shopping and art This week, TechNewsWorld's All Things Appy takes a look at the best iOS apps in the lifestyle category...

There's a little-known electronic gadget -- one that's generally not available alongside the colorful big-screen TVs and bass-pounding sound systems in seductive, sparkly urban consumer-electronics mega-stores -- that can be a life-changing device, nonetheless For some people, it's much more important than the latest 4.7-inch smartphone....

Firefox Browser for Android,a mobile app from Mozilla, is available for free at Google Play.

If there's one area of complication in any direct-current, hobbyist tech project, it's wire. What gauge of wire should you use? How should you terminate it? How can you join wire on a budget? You'll encounter issues like this in any DC-current application project, whether you're working on audioamplifiers or other after-market automotive accessorie...

Here's a look at some of the must-have apps for your kitchen. Apps in this genre bring interactivity, crowdsourcing and reverse searching to the table....