How To

How to stream your music from the cloud for free

Cloud storage is popping up everywhere lately, and businesses are scrambling to fill niches. While the Amazon Cloud Drive looks like a solid contender to take over the streaming-media territory, its cost (and potential legal issues) drive many users to look elsewhere. MiMedia, which started out as a cloud backup service, has added a simple media player to its 7GB of free storage to create a virtual MP3 player usable on any Web-enabled device. Here's how to get started:

Start a free account with MiMedia and install the application (currently Windows-only, with a Mac version promised for the near … Read more

How to connect your Chromebook to a Wi-Fi network

Chromebooks have great battery life, but without a network connection, there isn't a whole lot you can do with them. Here's how to connect your Chromebook to the cloud over a Wi-Fi network:

Advertised network

Step 1: Click on the network icon, located in the upper right-hand corner.

Step 2: Choose the network you want to connect to from the list of detected Wi-Fi networks. If you don't see a list, make sure that Enable Wi-Fi has been selected. If you choose a secured network, you'll prompted for a password.

Hidden network

Step 1: If you … Read more

15 essential Chrome OS keyboard shortcuts

Google's Chrome OS uses some familiar keyboard shortcuts as well as some unique ones. A few of these access Chrome OS settings and others take the place of missing physical keys on Chromebook keyboards (Page Up, Page Down, Home, End). Here are 15 essential keyboard shortcuts in Chrome OS:

Settings:

Ctrl+? Open help Shift+Esc Open task manager Ctrl+Alt+/ Open keyboard shortcut list Ctrl+M Open file manager

Navigation and text editing:

Alt+ up arrow Page Up Alt+ down arrow Page Down Ctrl+Alt+ up arrow Home Ctrl+Alt+ down arrow End Ctrl+Tab Switch to next browser … Read more

How to integrate Google Tasks with Chrome

Google Tasks is a sweet little to-do app for those who value ease of use over fancy accessories. Google's Chrome Web browser is a fast, sleek application that more and more people are using. Integrating the two is fast, easy, and a real time-saver, especially for folks who want to dash off a quick to-do item without shifting between tabs or windows. Here's how to get started:

If you haven't already installed Google Chrome, do so. It's easy to import settings from most other major browsers.

Now, install the Google Tasks extension. It should take only … Read more

How to create QR codes on the Web

Barcode Scanner for Android

Quick response codes, QR for short, can be used to store many different types of information. For instance, they can store a phone number, a Web address, and even a map location. If you'd like to add a QR code to your Web site or print one on another product (such as a business card or promotional T-shirt), there are free QR generator sites that will allow you to do this. Follow these quick steps to help you create QR codes for personal or business use.

1. Open http://zxing.appspot.com/generator/ … Read more

How to set up Google Latitude on Android

Google Latitude (used with Google Maps) offers another way to keep in touch with friends and family. By sharing locations people can see when it would be easy to grab a quick cup of a coffee together, or when there just isn't time to meet up. Follow these steps to learn how to activate and set up Google Latitude according to your preferences.

1. Open the Google Maps app on your phone or tablet.

2. Press the Menu button and select Join Latitude. If this option doesn't appear, choose More, and then Labs. You will find the Latitude … Read more

How to permanently delete files from Dropbox

Dropbox is one of many great, free (or cheap, if you want extra storage space) options for sharing files across devices or users. That's all most people need to know--but for those who work with sensitive information or who have concerns about shifting privacy policies (or subpoenas, for that matter), ensuring that deleted files stay deleted is essential. Here's how to do it:

Open the Dropbox site in a browser window and sign in. (You can't do this from a Dropbox folder on your computer.)Navigate to the folder that held or holds the files … Read more

How to send pictures directly from your Android camera to your online album

Android has a pretty great photo gallery app --but if you want to send pics to your online album, it can be a hassle. When you're on vacation or at a party and you know you want to send your pics straight to your album, you can tweak your camera app to do just that, and you still get the option to cancel bad or embarrassing shots if you want. Here's how to do it:

Take a picture you want to share.Tap the bottom of the screen to bring up sharing options.

Select "More," then &… Read more

How to take screenshots in Chrome OS

Google's Chrome OS has the native ability to take screenshots, which is useful for support and training, among other things. We'll show you how to take a screenshot in Chrome OS, find it, and move it to another computer.

Take a screenshot To take a screenshot, press Ctrl and the switch window key (the shortcut key in the top row of the keyboard, between full screen and bright down).

Find the screenshot To find the screenshot, press Ctrl+M, to launch the file manager. You'll see a folder named File Shelf. Within File Shelf, you'll find … Read more