Play Internet Streams on Android with ServeStream

Oct 31, 2013 GMT

It so happens that my favorite radio station is not available via the TuneIn app for Android, and the only way to listen to the station is to use an alternative SHOUTcast stream. The problem is that none of the media apps on my Android device support streaming via m3u files. A quick search through the Google Play Store yielded a few apps, including ServeStream, an open source app that can handle Internet streams with aplomb. ServeStream is decidedly a one-trick pony: it plays streams and nothing else. It does, however, support playlists in popular formats like m3u, pls, and asx, and can handle the HTTP, HTTPS, MMS and MMSH protocols. The app also sports a couple of creature comforts like...

Simple Explorer: No-Frills File Manager for Android

Oct 30, 2013 GMT

Despite its name and lightweight interface, Simple Explorer packs all the essential features for working with files on an Android device. Besides the standard set of features -- such as create, move, copy, and delete files and directories -- Simple Manager also allows you to perform actions on multiple files and directories. You can move, copy, delete selected items as well as share and pack them as ZIP archives. The file manager can come in handy when you need to unpack ZIP archives, too. The bookmarking feature in Simple Explorer allows you to bookmark often-used directories, and you can use the file manager to add shortcuts to specific directories to the Home Screen for faster access....

Push Tabs with Firefox Sync

Oct 29, 2013 GMT

Firefox for Android has lots of nifty features, but there is one tool I find particularly useful. As you may know, the browser boasts a synchronization feature aptly named Firefox Sync. Usually, it sits in the background and quietly syncs bookmarks, history, passwords, and tabs across multiple devices. The clever part is that Firefox Sync integrates with Android's sharing functionality, which lets you push the currently opened website to another linked machine or device. You can put this feature to many practical uses. I use it as a "read-it-when-you're-back-home" tool. When I'm on the move, and I stumble upon an interesting web page, I push it to my production machine at home....

XnRetro: Vintage Photo Effects on the Linux Desktop

Oct 22, 2013 GMT

While there is no lack of image processing and photo retouching tools for the Linux desktop, your choices are somewhat limited when it comes to applying vintage effects to photos. digiKam allows you to emulate vintage effects to some degree, and there are a handful of GIMP plugins that can simulate a few popular retro looks. But if you are looking for a dedicated application which offers a wide range of vintage effects and tools in one easy to use package, then you might want to give XnRetro a try. While this application is not released as open source, it runs smoothly on Linux, and requires no installation. Grab the latest release of the application from the project's website, unpack the...

Whip Up Websites with HTML KickStart

Oct 21, 2013 GMT

Building even a simple website requires not only time, but also some design skills. Those of us who are short on both will appreciate HMTL KickStart, a simple solution based on HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript for rapid development of websites. This package comes with everything you need: from a basic page template to a variety of web elements like buttons, navigation menus, message boxes, tabs, and other goodies. Using the provided elements as building blocks, anyone with modest web skills can quickly deploy nice-looking and functional websites. Being relatively simple, HTML KickStart is easy to master. Download the package from the project's website, unpack it, and move the files in the...

Litewrite Notes App for Firefox: Perfect Mobile Litewrite Companion

Oct 17, 2013 GMT

Litewrite is a genuinely useful note-taking and drafting tool that has a lot going for it. The application has an unobtrusive interface which provides a distraction-free writing environment right inside your browser, you can easily manage multiple documents, and sync them across multiple machines via the remoteStorage-based protocol. The only fly in the ointment is the fact that Litewrite doesn't run well in Firefox for Android (or any other Android browser for that matter). Fortunately, the Litewrite notes app for Firefox solves this problem, which means that it's now possible to use Litewrite on Android directly from within the Firefox browser. To install Litewrite notes on Firefox for...

KrISS Feed: Self-Hosted RSS Reader

Oct 14, 2013 GMT

NewsBlur is undoubtedly an excellent open source RSS aggregator, but deploying it as a self-hosted solution is not for the faint of heart. In fact, if you want to host your own RSS agreggator you'd probably be better off opting for something less complicated both in terms of installation and functionality -- and the KrISS Reader fits the bill perfectly. Since the entire application consists of a single PHP file, deploying the application on your server is as easy as it gets. Grab the latest index.php file from the project's website and copy it into a separate folder (e.g., krissfeed) in your server's root directory. Make the directory writable using the chmod 777 -R krissfeed command and...