Archive for July, 2010
15 New And Awesome Developer Icon Sets
The icons you get for your computer’s shortcuts are separate from developer set icons. While creating a program, web application, or website developers have to come up with small images for buttons, shortcuts, etc. The icons used here come in the form of developer icon sets.
You can find many free great developer icon sets online. They often come in ZIP files; the images contained in the archives can be used in private projects by the developer; some of the icon sets allow the developer to use them in commercial projects as well. Below you will find 15 of the best developer icon sets you will come across on the web.
You are welcome to share if you know more developer icon set which our readers/viewers may like. Do you want to be the first one to know the latest happenings at SmashingApps.com just subscribe to our rss feed and you can follow us on twitter.
1. Cologne – Download
2. Boolean Icon Set - Download
3. Berlin – Download
4. Macchiato – Download
5. Vector Pictograms / Icons - Download
6. Wireframing Developer Icons – Download
7. Hamburg - Download
8. Project Icons – Download
9. Spirit20 - Download
10. Payment Icon Set for E-Commerce Sites – Download
11. Social Buzz Icon Pack – Download
12. Mobile Icon Set – Download
13. Vector Graph Icons – Download
Or you can alternatively download AI Version here and Download SVG Version here
14. Gesture Icons – Download
15. iPhone App Icon Set – Download
LaunchList Acts Like Great Checklist Tool For Site Developers
Website designers often put their websites through extensive testing and rechecking before they go ahead with the launch. This testing process can turn out to be quite time consuming if the designer feels he is forgetting something. If you are a designer and find yourself in a similar situation, remember to pay a visit to LaunchList.
LaunchList is a free to use website that acts like a checklist for site developers. It offers different options which you should check on your before you go ahead with the launch. Many site creation aspects are covered by the site’s checklist.
Using the site is quite simple. You start by entering your name and email and the name plus email of another person, perhaps a partner, client, or fellow site tester. You can add more people’s name / emails if you want. You also enter the site’s name and website URL.
Next you answer a series of questions that evaluate the readiness of your site.
Any question that does not apply to your website can be marked N/A (not applicable).
If the field is lacking any questions, you can add some of your own.
Finally you submit your answers and have the site determine whether or not your site is ready. But you would have already found that out while you answer the questions on the site.
LaunchList is a wonderful tool and a must-bookmark website for all site creators. You can check out the site Here.
Best 10 Cheap Web Hosting Providers (According To WebHostingRating.com)
If you own a website and have your own domain name registered, chances are that you also have a hosting provider where you have uploaded all the files of your website. It’s very important on the part of bloggers or webmasters to choose a reputed hosting provider for their business.
Using a good web hosting provider ensures that your website is running smoothly and do not face any down times or server side problems.
But before you choose a hosting provider, you must research and compare all the companies out there. The following points should be closely compared while choosing a web hosting company:
- Is the hosting company a reputed one ?
- What other users are saying about the company ?
- What are the different plans available ?
- How is the tech support of the company?
- Which sites are using the same hosting company for their websites?
- What are the user reviews, goodwill and customer feedback of the hosting company?
To accumulate all the data about the different hosting providers is really a tough task. You have to search Google, go to the forums and interact with different people to know the inside details of the hosting company.
One site which makes the research much more easier is WebHostingRating.com. WebHostingRating is one of the world’s largest independent web hosting directory which contains detailed information of all the major hosting providers at one place. You can read the user reviews and customer feedback of all the popular and trusted hosting companies from a single website and don’t have to look here and there and collect information.
The site also has some useful hosting guides which will help you choose the perfect web hosting company according to your needs.
Let’s see the various sections of the website in full detail.
Compare the Plans of Different Hosting Providers
On the home page of WebHostingRating.com, you will see a brief comparison of 10 major hosting providers, as shown below:
The above table compares different aspects such as the basic pricing plans, space and traffic. There is a user rating column which lists a link to reviews page written by real users who are using the same hosting provider for their website(s).
The comparison is very handy and you can compare different companies at a glance. If you want to compare the plans of two or more companies, simply select the corresponding check boxes under the compare section and and hit the “Compare plans” button placed at the bottom of the table.
The result will be something like the following:
No doubt this is useful, because you can compare all the aspects of two hosting companies side by side. It would be a lot more easier on part of customers to first compare the plans, features and then choose the company that suits best.
Know the Complete Details of a Specific Hosting Provider
If you are interested in a specific hosting company and want to know the complete details, simply perform a search at the search box. WebHostingRating.com contains the details of all the major hosting providers, so you will surely find the company you are looking for.
On the company page you will find lots of details about the features the hosting company provides. This includes server information, domain features, email features, site management, scripting, security, ecommerce, site building tools and site statistics.
The page will also list the different pricing plans and user reviews about the company. This is extremely useful because you can read the reviews and know what other customers are saying about the company. After reading the feedback, it would be lot easier to decide why you should choose this company as the hosting provider of your website.
Search Using the Catalog
Another useful feature is the “Search Host Catalog” section placed at the sidebar of WebHostingRating.com. It’s an advanced search which lets you pick certain attributes and then search the website for companies that matches with your chosen attribute. There are two attributes – price range and the location of the hosting provider.
For example: If you want a hosting company from North America and in the price range of 5-10$ a month, you can simply define the attributes in the “Search Host Catalog” section and search for the hosting company which satisfies those conditions.
Hosting Guides
The Hosting Guides section of WebHostingRating.com consists of useful tutorials and articles about Web hosting. If you are facing any problem regarding the technical aspects of your website, these guides will be useful.
In addition to the tutorials, the hosting guides section also consists of articles about the current trends in the web hosting industry. Following these guides and articles, you will find the answer to commonly asked questions and problems.
Video Tutorials
The Video tutorials section is one of the very informative sections of WebHostingRating.com. Sometimes you may have to spend a lot of time fixing bugs, you may mess your website’s settings or get into other problems.There are a lot of tutorials on the web but you have to read long pages of content which might not be the easiest way to find a solution you are looking for.
To make it straightforward for you, WebHostingRating presents a full list of Video Tutorials. There are a lot of categories – from CMS to C panel from FTP to Gallery, from WordPress to Plesk – everything’s under their grip.
All the tutorials are listed in the left sidebar, pick a category and view interactive video tutorials for free.
Submit Your Hosting Company to WebHostingRating.com
If you have a hosting company and want to get listed in the WebHostingRating.com directory, go to the submit page and enter all the details and whereabouts about your company. The team of WebHostingRating.com will review your service and add it to their directory.
It’s a great way to gain exposure and targeted customers because WebHostingRating is the place where lots of clients are coming everyday.
All in all, WebHostingRating.com is a useful source of information for anyone who is interested in web hosting. If you have a website and want to change your hosting provider, make sure you read the reviews about the hosting company at WebHostingRating.com and then come to a decision.
WebHostingRating is one of the world’s largest independent web hosting directory which contains detailed information of all the major hosting providers at one place. You can read the user reviews and customer feedback of all the popular and trusted hosting companies from a single website and don’t have to look here and there and collect information.
Doit.Im: User Friendly Task Management Tool
Are you looking for a simple task management app? Chances are that you have already gone through most of the web has to offer. Unfortunately many task management tools become too comprehensive and form a confusing clutter of tools and features. This is probably why you have not been able to find that simple app you were looking for. Fortunately I have found a greatly user friendly task management tool and am about to share it with you – Doit.Im.
Doit.Im is a free web app that offers task management services. It offers comprehensive options yet packs them into a neat and tidy interface. You create an account on the site and find an item-less dashboard like in the image below:
You can add your tasks in the top bar located right next to the site’s logo.
Each added task shows up in the “Inbox” tab in the left pane. You can edit the task and add details such as beginning and ending time.
Optionally you can set task reminders that will notify you of each task.
When you have added many tasks and set their priority levels, you can choose to put the high-priority ones above using the “Group by” button in the top right of the center pane.
Alternatively you could sort your tasks according to context or project.
In addition to its current features, the site is developing its smartphones apps which will be released soon. Overall, Doit.Im is a great new user friendly task management app that will attract people tired of complex task management tools.
Check out Doit.Im
10 Best Websites To Generate Buttons Online
Are you a developer looking for a great online tool to create buttons? If yes, then I have got a great list for you. Below you will find my collection of 10 best online button creators. Buttons are an important part of our website’s interface and these tools will help you create brilliant buttons.
Give each entry a read and a thorough try. See which ones can make your job easier. You are welcome to share if you know more useful Button Generators which our readers/viewers may like. Do you want to be the first one to know the latest happenings at SmashingApps.com just subscribe to our rss feed and you can follow us on twitter.
1. Button Maker
Button Maker is a wonderful free tool to generate the CSS codes for your buttons. You have access to different colors for different parts of the button. Sliders on top of the color choosers let you modify the size and shape of the button which you can see on the left. To obtain the code, you click on the button. Click here to visit Button Maker.
2. Da Button Factory
Da Button Factory offers great button creation tools to you. You can vary the button’s size, text shadow, style, colors, and output type (PNG / JPEG / GIF / ICO). The changes you make to the button get updated as you work. When done, you can click on the button to download it. Visit Da Button Factory by clicking here.
3. Buttonator
Another great button creation online tool, Buttonator will satisfy most of your button needs. You can start off with selecting a particular button style from the right pane. You can then proceed to make changes to the button; changes include modifying color and font style / size. Buttons can be downloaded as GIF files. Click here to visit Buttonator.
4. Free Flash Button Generator
If you are looking for a source to create Flash buttons, then the Free Flash Button Generator will do the job splendidly. You start by selecting a button style. Colors can be changed through the HEX values. The bottom pane lets you add links to the button and the names of the links. Clicking one final button generates your button and its corresponding HTML code. Click here to visit Free Flash Button Generator.
5. Cool RGB
Cool RGB is a wonderful website for creating numerous webpage parts. You can create logos, banners, panels, and of course buttons. The button creation interface has many customization options that range from font selection and colors to transparency and linear gradient. Click here to visit Cool RGB.
6. As Button Generator
With As Button Generator, you can create buttons by editing through a tabbed interface. The customization options cover a lot of ground and will satisfy all of your button creation requirements. The result can be downloaded as a PNG image file. Click here to visit As Button Generator.
7. HTML and CSS Rounded Corner Button Generator
This site is for developers looking for a very simple but 2-in-1 button creation online tool. With HTML and CSS Rounded Corner Button Generator you can create buttons but modifying their colors and obtaining a ZIP archive that contains PNG image file of the button as well the HTML and CSS code. Visit the site here.
8. Feed Icon
If you are looking for a tool to create a simple feed icon for your site, then Feed Icon does the job splendidly. All you have to do is enter your website’s URL and then pick from 3 of the generated HTML codes. The three codes have the same icon shape but different size. Visit Feed Icon here.
9. Adam Kalsey’s Button Maker
This button creation tool by Adam Kalsey has a straightforward interface. You can choose to split the icon by a bar and select the pixel distance between the bar and an edge of the button. Visit Adam Kalsey’s Button Maker here.
10. Button Maker
This tool is quite similar to Adam Kalsey’s with the notable difference that you can choose the separation bar’s placement as “left,” “center,” or “right.” You can also choose a button size from the two sizes available. Visit the Button Maker by clicking here.
Fun Way To Collaborate With Your Friends And Family Online Using Stixy
Some people like to keep things organized on their work desk while others prefer stacks of documents scrambled on their desk. Regardless of the group you belong to, you could highly use the services offered by Stixy.
Stixy is a free to use website that acts as your portable work desk. Basically it is a virtual desk that operates from within your browser. You create an account on Stixy then upload files to your account; you get thumbnail views of each file; these thumbnails can be dragged around or stacked on top of each other, whichever way suits you best. Thus whether it is organization you want or that scrambled documents look, Stixy can help you out.
When you sign up on Stixy, there is an easy-to-follow tutorial provided that clarifies the site’s usage. On the right center pane you place your thumbnail shortcuts to files.
Widgets provided on the site let you access different types of files: notes, images, documents, or videos. When you select a widget, you can upload a file corresponding to the widget’s type.
Customization is a key element in Stixy’s interface. The Notes feature, for example, lets you customize the font style, size, and color of your notes.
Another one of Stixy’s brilliant features is the ability to share your ‘Stixyboard’ with other people on the web.
Since multiple boards can be set up, you can share different Stixyboards with different people.
All these features along with many others the site has to offer make Stixy an amazingly useful website that makes your documents portable. Pay Stixy a visit @ http://www.stixy.com/ and use the comments section to let me know what you think about it.
Intelligently Played Geekiest Scrabble Game
Have you ever played scrabble? If yes, then you must know how creative it is to complete the meaningful board. But normally these types of games do not relate with tech guys who live their geeky lives like coding a site, doing a research, browsing World Wide Web and doing unlimited similar stuffs to stay away from rest of the world. On the other side when you see an image below, you will find that a geek can also do enough without his computer if he wants to do.
In this completed scrabble board game, you will see that how smart the guy was who creatively used so many meaningful words from the tech industry. He used Linux, IE, GEEKS, Hacker, Cyber, NOOB, Internet, Web, Email, Java, Virus and many others that seem perfect match on this board.
Thumb up to Fatseth for this intelligently played scrabble game via The Geekiest Scrabble Game Ever!
Manage & Clean Up Your Twitter Friends With ManageFlitter
Twitter is a social network that lets you make friends and follow their updates. If somebody is updating their status too frequently, their updates can hijack your news feed hiding updates from others. On the other hand, if somebody has stopped using Twitter, he / she is taking a spot in your friends and followers list for no reason. For these and a number of other reasons, you might want to clean up your Twitter friends list and unfollow some people.
If you try to do this manually you will have to make observations on who is tweeting too frequently or not tweeting at all. Needless to say this manual operation will be very time consuming if you have many Facebook friends. A much better cleaning option is ManageFlitter.
ManageFlitter is a free web service that can be integrated into your Twitter account to clean up your Twitter friends list.
Before you start using ManageFlitter you will have to authorize its Twitter access.
After it has been authorized, ManageFlitter analyzes all your Twitter data to provide detailed statistics later.
With the information catalogued, ManageFlitter can show the tweeting frequency of your Twitter contacts.
The simple diagrams quickly display who is using Twitter how frequently. Additionally you can see people who are not following you back and people without profile pictures (these are possible spam accounts).
Overall, ManageFlitter provides a valuable service for Twitter users with many people in their friends list. You can check out ManageFlitter @ manageflitter.com
WWW Is Not A Child-Friendly Zone But Kido’z Makes It Safer Than Ever
Today many jobs require employees to operate computers. If you want your children to success in today’s world of extreme competition, then it is best to have them learn computer usage from an early age. Of course you will need a safe way to do this because children might delete your important files and because the internet is not exactly a child-friendly zone.
A solution to all this is presented by a wonderful tool named KIDO’Z.
KIDO’Z is an installable application based on AIR hence cross-platform – you can run it on Windows, Mac, and Linux. After you download and install KIDO’Z you set up a parent account; while you set up this account you assign KIDOZ a password which will required whenever the settings need changing. The final step is to add your child’s name to the KIDO’Z interface. Having done all this KIDO’Z will be ready to be used by your child.
The browser covers up the entire screen thus things on the desktop and outside the browser will not distract your son / daughter. The main controls of the browser are located at its bottom. The first button is for games.
A number of interactive and enjoyable games are available. All your child has to do is click on them to play them. “Websites” is the next button.
Through this button children can access websites of their favorite cartoon characters by clicking on their thumbnail shortcut.
The “Videos” button brings up a similar thumbnail view.
Over here children can watch their favorite cartoons.
The buttons “Mail” and “Places” contain interactive features which let children better familiarize themselves with the mouse and keyboard.
Overall, KIDO’Z is a great freeware targeted at very young audiences. You can get KIDO’Z from Here.
Fanurio (Time Tracking And Billing For Freelancers) Giveaway
Fanurio is running a contest, where winners will get 10 licenses (worth $59 each) and its life time subscription. Well, you guys know what Fanurio is. Lets say it once again for n00bs.
Fanurio is a time tracking and billing software application, highly appreciated by freelancers for its intuitive interface, flexible timer and ability to produce detailed invoices.
Whether you need to round time, use multiple currencies or create invoices with your own layout, Fanurio has the right tools to help you get paid.
Fanurio provides multiple methods to help you track time with little effort. You can track time manually or using the timer. It also has a few reminders to help you start, resume or stop the timer automatically.
It has a few reminders (including idle time detection) to help you start, resume or stop the timer. Instead of relying on your memory and attention to control the timer, you can use these reminders. We are calling this feature smart timing.
Fanurio is built using Java technology which enables it to run on Windows, Mac OS X including Leopard, Linux and other flavors of Unix.
This contest will run from July 15, 2010 to July 23, 2010 and we will select the winners randomly by running MySQL query. Result can be announced any day before July 25, 2010 so keep visiting here or subscribe to our rss feed to get the latest updates. To participate in the contest and win free license of Fanurio, All you have to do is just :
1. Just leave a comment.
2. Use valid email ID in the email box.
3. Not necessary, but you can subscribe to our rss feed and follow us on twitter as well. (To track this contest and for future updates)
4. And thats it!
So what are you waiting for now? Let’s participate in the contest and good luck!
