GeekwithEnvy

Apps

How To Open Windows 8 Style Apps in Desktop Mode

by Leave a Comment

 

Windows 8 is unlike any other Windows OS we’ve seen and although the new “tile system” is pretty cool. The look and feel of full screen applications on Windows 8 are also a big departure from what we’re used to, but not everyone is enjoying it.

ModernMixSS

If you’re one of those people who have a few favorite apps that are exclusive to the new Windows 8 style UI (metro) and would much rather have them open up on the “classic desktop”  in a regular window, then you’re in luck.

There’s a great app from Stardock called ModernMix that does all of this for you and isn’t just a change of appearance either. These are fully functional windows that can be resized, pinned to the taskbar, and completely closed using the familiar “X” button.

Sounds simple enough, and if you’re not enjoying the new style of  Windows then this could be a perfect solution.

You can try it for free for a month and the application is only $4.99 to purchase.

Hack Makes Chat Heads Persistent Throughout iOS

by Leave a Comment

Chat Heads was recently brought to iOS but it wasn’t quite the same as the Android version which allowed for the ‘Chat Heads’ to be visible even when the Facebook app isn’t open. Facebook mentioned that they couldn’t do the same for iOS due to it being too locked down.

It didn’t take long though for someone to Jailbreak hack this thing apart and make it happen, well sort of. It’s a bit buggy at the moment but appears that having ‘Chat Heads’ be persistent throughout iOS is possible if you have a Jailbroken phone and the people at the Verge show us how.

Featured App: Whims

by 2 Comments

Whims is a social media app similar to Instagram, except instead of photos, you create text.

Whims Detail

You start off by signing up and making a profile. Then you pick a style sheet, they give you so many to choose from. A style sheet has a theme based on people, such as Harry Potter style. There are two types of font in that style and three color options. You can choose which specific words you want to change to the second font choice, if at all. Other options are, alignment, text size and text spacing.

Afterwards when you click “create” there is another option called “add texture”, this will give your background a different look. You can choose from no filter, crumpled, rust, stationary, vintage, water spill, and notes. These can be layered all together and the more you click, the more intense the texture becomes.

Once you have perfected your design, you can add a comment or tags and share on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, text message, and email. This will post to the Whims page, but there is an option to save as a “Private Whim” which will only save the image to your phone.

I love this app because it has so many beautiful styles for free, unlike other apps that make you pay for packages and different fonts.

Download for free from the App Store

 

Potter Stylewhims styles

Awesome New Way To Experience Google Street View

by Leave a Comment

 

An amazing little project by Teehan+Lax changes the way we use Street View by creating incredible “Hyper-Lapse” video from the images in google’s Street View database by stringing them all together. The end result is just plain awesome to look at.

hyperLapseSS

 

Even better, you can make your own version, although it will be a slightly lower quality version. All you need is a browser that supports WebGL, like Goole Chrome, Safari, Opera, or Firefox and then you can simply head here to set a start and finish point and make your “Hyper-Lapse” video.

Hyper-lapse photography – a technique combining time-lapse and sweeping camera movements typically focused on a point-of-interest – has been a growing trend on video sites. It’s not hard to find stunning examples on Vimeo. Creating them requires precision and many hours stitching together photos taken from carefully mapped locations. We aimed at making the process simpler by using Google Street View as an aid, but quickly discovered that it could be used as the source material. It worked so well, we decided to design a very usable UI around our engine and release Google Street View Hyperlapse.”

To Enable WebGL in Safari on the Mac (Safari 5.1 and Up):

  • In Safari, open the Safari menu and select Preferences.
  • Click the Advanced tab in the Preferences window.
  • At the bottom of the window, check the Show Develop menu in menu bar checkbox.
  • Open the Develop menu in the menu bar and select Enable WebGL.

Firefox (4 and Up) WebGL is on by Default

For Internet Explorer you can use this plugin.

Featured App: InstaQuote

by Leave a Comment

As most of us know, Instagram is a great app thats allows you to create and share your photos with people around the world. It has some filters and borders, but thats about all the editing you can do with it. Lately I have seen many add-on apps that work with Instagram to enhance its use and creativity. The one I recently found, is InstaQuote.

InstaQuote

With InstaQuote, you can add text to your photos, and share your favorite quotes or song lyrics. There are options to change fonts, backgrounds, and colors.

I love this app and it’s very easy to use. I tried a few others like it, but this one was by far the best.

This version is free, but there is an option to upgrade to InstaQuotePro for $1.99, which has more fonts and backgrounds for you to choose from.

 

Instantly create beautiful text images for Instagram.

Have you ever wanted to add text to a photo? Or share words on Instagram? Now you can!

✭ 19 beautifully designed styles
✭ Choose backgrounds from high quality background packs
✭ Use your own photos for backgrounds
✭ Export to Instagram or your camera roll
✭ Use As Background feature to layer different fonts
✭ Customize your words – font size, color, alignment, position & line spacing
✭ Tap on words to add emphasis
✭ 50+ beautiful fonts

Download at the App Store