Create Great Diagrams Using Cacoo & Google Drive

What do you use when you need to draw a diagram? Do you do the whole thing from scratch? Do you create each and every box with a series of four lines, or do you use a program that creates the box for you? Would you go a step further and use a template? Would you appreciate ready-made images of desk furniture to design your office layout? If you’re anything like me, you’re always ready to make the job as easy as possible. That’s whereCacoo comes in.

If you’ve been contemplating drawing some sort of diagram and have no idea where to start, Cacoo is going to be an app you will love and will never forget. It’s got a huge variety of stencils and templates to get you started, it hooks into Google Drive and it’s ready for you to use for free online or offline on your devices via Drive. In short, it’s perfect.

Cacoo’s Free Usage

Cacoo is free up to a point. You get 25 free sheets of diagrams and three exports before you are expected to use the paid plan. However, you can get another 5 sheets for free if you introduce a friend. That, and if you’re really clever you can make your sheets work doubly hard by adding more tabs to each of them. If you’re a student or you work in academia, you can use Cacoo with a full-featured academic account for free until the end of August 2013. After that, you can go back to a regular free account or a new paid account.

On the free account, you can do a trial export three times. This will be as a simple PNG format only. Paid accounts can export as vectors in a number of formats, such as PDF, PPT, PS, SVG, and PNG.

Using Cacoo With Google Drive

Cacoo is one of many great apps now available to use via Google Drive. To set it up, head to your Google Drive account and click on Create. Then browse through the options until you see Cacoo, then add it. From then on, Cacoo’s Diagrams will be one of the listed options for file types when you click on Create.

Your Cacoo files will be stored on Google drive and backed up to all your devices using the Google Drive app. This also means you can use Cacoo on the go on your mobile devices, which is incredibly useful for people who are out and about a lot.

As with all Google Drive files, you can share with friends and collaborate on your files in real time. This makes your Cacoo documents extremely useful for office diagrams and other things that need to have input from multiple people. As it is real-time collaboration via Google Drive, you can all collaborate while in a Hangout chat by adding Cacoo as an app while you’re in a hangout. Other users not in the chat can continue to work on the document as well.

Cacoo Stencils For Diagrams

Cacoo has a huge amount of stencils available for use immediately. On the right hand side of any canvas, you can see the selection. Under ‘Basic’ you can see people, balloon speech bubbles, images for use on greeting cards, arrows, dimension lines and more. The ‘Office’ section has a variety of office equipment, aerial-view office furniture for doing layouts of office plans, and simple images to represent most nodes on an office computer network. In other sections, you’ll find software flowcharts, wireframe images, graphics to represent iPhones and Android phones, and electric circuit stencils.

If these stencils aren’t enough, you can also search the store for more. Some of them cost a little money, but some of them are free. I found this aquarium stencil set for free, which is really useful if you’re putting together a plan for your aquarium.

If you still can’t find the stencils for your use, it’s possible to save a Cacoo diagram as a stencil, meaning you can use that stencil for your future diagrams. If you’re looking to make a little bit of cash from your hard work, you could also try to sell your stencils in the Cacoo store, where other users look for stencils.

Cacoo Templates For Diagrams

As for templates, Cacoo has free templates, templates available to buy in the store, and it is also possible to save your own diagram as a template for future use or to sell in the store. The free templates include things like organisational charts, Android and iPhone mock-ups, greeting cards, mind-maps, flow charts, and more.

Creating Your Cacoo Diagrams

With all these stencils and templates, you can see how it can be very easy to create your own diagram quickly and professionally using Cacoo. It’s also worth noting that the whole Cacoo experience is simple and straightforward. There are toolbars and floating menus that are pretty self-explanatory when you take a look around. Aside from the tools previously mentioned, there are also basic drawing tools ready for use.

When you start creating your diagrams with Cacoo, you’ll find it all makes sense quickly, and your documents will come to life in no time. If you do run into difficulties with Cacoo, you can quickly refer to the help document for a guide on moving and resizing images or lines, plus a list of shortcuts you can make use of to create drawings quickly.

What programs do you normally use for diagrams? Have you tried alternatives such asCreately or yEd? Will you be trying Cacoo? Why/Why not?

Note Src:-http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/create-great-diagrams-using-cacoo-google-drive/

Save and Reopen Your Web & Document Sessions With Cupcloud

Ever find yourself with a ton of tabs and Word documents open, but then have to reboot your computer? Whether it’s an update or a new app that requires a reboot, rather than put it off, or bookmark a bunch of tabs you only need for the time-being, Cupcloud will actually temporarily save your tabs, documents and more, and restore them with a simple click of the button.

The free app, which we’ve taken a brief look at in the past, runs quietly in the background until you need to use it. We’ve taken a look at a few Chrome extensions like Tab Bundler andTab Shutter, but Cupcloud goes beyond saving just website tabs in your browser and extends to the desktop itself.

Getting Cupcloud Setup

At the moment, Cupcloud only supports a limited list of applications. You can save tabs from three browsers – Chrome, Internet Explorer and Safari, as well as documents open in Apple iWork, Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint. You can also save all open windows in Windows Explorer and the Mac OS X Finder.

The first step to getting Cupcloud up and running on your computer, is signing up for a free account. Cupcloud is in public beta and signing up is as easy as entering your email, username and password.

You’ll then be prompted to download the free beta software. Cupcloud is available for Windows XP, 7 and 8, as well as for OS X 10.7 and later. After downloading and installing the little app, you’ll be prompted to log into your account.

Using Cupcloud

Once you’re logged in, Cupcloud couldn’t be easier to use. The options for the app are limited – all you really can choose is whether or not you want to start Cupcloud when your computer starts. It makes sense to start Cupcloud as you start your computer since it’s the kind of app that runs quietly in the background, waiting for you to use it when need be.

As you are working, if you decide that you need to save all the tabs you have open in your browser, your Microsoft documents, and your Explorer and Finder windows open, you just hit the Cup button.

Cups are automatically named, using nothing more than a sequence of numbers, but right clicking the Cup will allow you to rename it. There are a few other options that you’ll view in that menu when you right click your Cup, or saved tabs and documents. You can delete the Cup, move it to another folder, or “Uncup” it. When you hit Uncup, it will open up all the tabs and windows that are saved in that specific Cup.

If you want to get really organized with your ‘Cups’, you can also create multiple folders in the side-menu. This is particularly useful if you want to save tabs that are work-related, leisure-related, or even getting even more organized, project-related.

If you tend to need a certain number of tabs open on a regular basis, you can use Cupcloud to save all the tabs that you would normally have open for the task, and get them loaded in your browser with just one click.

Another really cool feature that Cupcloud affords its users is allowing you to take that content with you from one computer to another – whether on a Mac or Windows machine. All you have to do is download and install the free app on all of your machines, and you have instant access to all of your Cups. So if you’re working on something at work and need to pick up where you left off from home, just Cup your windows, then open them up on your other machine when you get home.

Best of all – Cupcloud is cross-platform so if you’re a a Windows user for example, you can still retrieve your saved session on your friend’s Mac.

While Cupcloud is in beta, the free version of the service allows you to create unlimited cups per month, but you can only access the 30 most recent cups. Premium gets you unlimited cups and unlimited access to those cups. Other features Premium users can look forward to include  sharing, extended program support and secure cups. While in beta, all it takes to get premium is to invite two friends to join the service. For every friend who joins, you’ll get 2 free months of Cupcloud premium service, for a limit of up to 2 years. There is presently no paid subscription model.

Another interesting feature is sharing, which has yet to be released. By right-clicking the Cup of your choice,  you can share it to other Cloudcup users. If you email a shared Cup to someone who doesn’t already have the app installed, they’ll be invited to sign up and download it. Once they’ve accepted the shared Cup, it will appear in both of your apps, and any changes to it will be reflected in both accounts.

To see Cupcloud in action, check out the video below:

Our Verdict

It’s incredibly easy to use Cupcloud. The app is simple to use and performs its primary function very well. Such an app helps address a small but annoying problem when you’re trying to pick up your work where you left off. It has us left wondering why someone didn’t think of this before.

Of course, it’s still in the beta stages of development so you’ll find there are some kinks to be worked out. Future releases which allow sharing to other users, together with a much-needed expansion of the types of files, folders and apps that Cupcloud can save to its sessions, will make Cupcloud truly indispensable.

Download: Cupcloud for Mac & Windows (Free)

What do you think of Cupcloud? Can you think of any other ways you can take advantage of the free app? Let us know in the comments.

Note Src:-http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/save-and-reopen-your-web-document-sessions-with-cupcloud/

Create Great Diagrams Using Cacoo & Google Drive

What do you use when you need to draw a diagram? Do you do the whole thing from scratch? Do you create each and every box with a series of four lines, or do you use a program that creates the box for you? Would you go a step further and use a template? Would you appreciate ready-made images of desk furniture to design your office layout? If you’re anything like me, you’re always ready to make the job as easy as possible. That’s whereCacoo comes in.

If you’ve been contemplating drawing some sort of diagram and have no idea where to start, Cacoo is going to be an app you will love and will never forget. It’s got a huge variety of stencils and templates to get you started, it hooks into Google Drive and it’s ready for you to use for free online or offline on your devices via Drive. In short, it’s perfect.

Cacoo’s Free Usage

Cacoo is free up to a point. You get 25 free sheets of diagrams and three exports before you are expected to use the paid plan. However, you can get another 5 sheets for free if you introduce a friend. That, and if you’re really clever you can make your sheets work doubly hard by adding more tabs to each of them. If you’re a student or you work in academia, you can use Cacoo with a full-featured academic account for free until the end of August 2013. After that, you can go back to a regular free account or a new paid account.

On the free account, you can do a trial export three times. This will be as a simple PNG format only. Paid accounts can export as vectors in a number of formats, such as PDF, PPT, PS, SVG, and PNG.

Using Cacoo With Google Drive

Cacoo is one of many great apps now available to use via Google Drive. To set it up, head to your Google Drive account and click on Create. Then browse through the options until you see Cacoo, then add it. From then on, Cacoo’s Diagrams will be one of the listed options for file types when you click on Create.

Your Cacoo files will be stored on Google drive and backed up to all your devices using the Google Drive app. This also means you can use Cacoo on the go on your mobile devices, which is incredibly useful for people who are out and about a lot.

As with all Google Drive files, you can share with friends and collaborate on your files in real time. This makes your Cacoo documents extremely useful for office diagrams and other things that need to have input from multiple people. As it is real-time collaboration via Google Drive, you can all collaborate while in a Hangout chat by adding Cacoo as an app while you’re in a hangout. Other users not in the chat can continue to work on the document as well.

Cacoo Stencils For Diagrams

Cacoo has a huge amount of stencils available for use immediately. On the right hand side of any canvas, you can see the selection. Under ‘Basic’ you can see people, balloon speech bubbles, images for use on greeting cards, arrows, dimension lines and more. The ‘Office’ section has a variety of office equipment, aerial-view office furniture for doing layouts of office plans, and simple images to represent most nodes on an office computer network. In other sections, you’ll find software flowcharts, wireframe images, graphics to represent iPhones and Android phones, and electric circuit stencils.

If these stencils aren’t enough, you can also search the store for more. Some of them cost a little money, but some of them are free. I found this aquarium stencil set for free, which is really useful if you’re putting together a plan for your aquarium.

If you still can’t find the stencils for your use, it’s possible to save a Cacoo diagram as a stencil, meaning you can use that stencil for your future diagrams. If you’re looking to make a little bit of cash from your hard work, you could also try to sell your stencils in the Cacoo store, where other users look for stencils.

Cacoo Templates For Diagrams

As for templates, Cacoo has free templates, templates available to buy in the store, and it is also possible to save your own diagram as a template for future use or to sell in the store. The free templates include things like organisational charts, Android and iPhone mock-ups, greeting cards, mind-maps, flow charts, and more.

Creating Your Cacoo Diagrams

With all these stencils and templates, you can see how it can be very easy to create your own diagram quickly and professionally using Cacoo. It’s also worth noting that the whole Cacoo experience is simple and straightforward. There are toolbars and floating menus that are pretty self-explanatory when you take a look around. Aside from the tools previously mentioned, there are also basic drawing tools ready for use.

When you start creating your diagrams with Cacoo, you’ll find it all makes sense quickly, and your documents will come to life in no time. If you do run into difficulties with Cacoo, you can quickly refer to the help document for a guide on moving and resizing images or lines, plus a list of shortcuts you can make use of to create drawings quickly.

What programs do you normally use for diagrams? Have you tried alternatives such asCreately or yEd? Will you be trying Cacoo? Why/Why not?

Note Src:-http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/create-great-diagrams-using-cacoo-google-drive/

Pause Google: 8 Alternative Search Engines To Find What Google Can’t

On the information superhighway, we are at the helm of piloting a browser through the lanes and alleys of the web. To be a good driver, you need to be a master at the wheel. Would it be an apt metaphor to describe Google Search as that wheel which steers us from one lode of information to the next? With the power of advanced search operatorsat our command, we can navigate the strands of the web with a bit of Boolean logic. We probably know all the Google search tricks, but there are still things that Google can’t tell us at first glance. Google’s a Hercules, but we shouldn’t be shortsighted not to spot the midgets.

Yes, if you really want to go into those little hidden lanes of the web you need to keep a roster of alternative search engines close by. Here’s a roll call of some search engines which can grab for you what even Google can’t.

Attrakt

Curate your favorite links and search through them.

Attrakt works on two levels – it helps you search the web and collect your favorite links in one centralized location. Attrakt then gives you the ability to search through your collected links. You can think of Attrakt as your own customized search engine for curated content. The Italian company calls it a customizable search engine with a social layer. It is an extension of the way we use our bookmarks. Attrakt takes the idea forward by allowing you to make “Boxes” to house your curated links and then searching through them. Attrakt is still trying to reach a critical mass of users that will allow it to expand its index, but till then it is a nice concept which we could do with on Google.

CompletePlanet

A search engine for the Deep Web.

We have talked about the Invisible Web before. Though, some of the search engines mentioned in the hyperlinked article have fallen by the wayside, the CompletePlanet has stuck it through. It remains a very good resource for searching databases Google hasn’t been able to index so far. As you can make out from the screenshot, CompletePlanet queries highly specific and topical databases (i.e. Dynamic Searchable Databases). Information from these “Deep Web” databases can only be retrieved by a direct query. This is where CompletePlanet comes in. The site says – approximately 70,000+ of the estimated total 200,000 Deep Web sites and about 11,000 of the estimated total 45,000 “surface” Web search sites are presently listed on CompletePlanet.

Quixey

Describe your need and get the app you want.

Quixey is one of those search tools you need desperately by your side. Why; because Quixey is a search engine for apps. I did a detailed review of Quixey and the title of that article describes it perfectly — Quixey helps you “functionally” search for the right apps based on what you want to do. Google does allow you to search for apps in the usual way and also with the help of its specific search tools. Quixey is backed by Eric Schmidt (Google’s chairman), so you know that it has a serious chance of being a success. The semantic app search engine mines app information from review sites, blogs, social media sites, and additional sources. The function based search allows you to describe your need for a particular app, and it goes to work.

Shodan

A hackers dream or a cybersecurity tool?

Shodan is a search engine that’s not for everyone. It took me some time to get my head around the highly specialized nature of this search tool. It is a search engine that hunts for computers and peripheral devices connected to computers. As more and more devices get connected to the Internet 24×7, a search tool like Shodan can pinpoint their geographic location. What’s scary (as this CNN article describes it) is that it can play a Jekyll and Hyde role in detecting vulnerabilities in these devices. Unsecured devices can prove to be a backdoor for hackers. On the positive side, it is a valuable ally of cybersecurity experts. The search engine’s prowess also underlines why we must set strong passwords for all our devices.

FindZebra

The search engine for rare diseases. The term “zebra” is a medical-speak for a surprising diagnosis.

FindZebra is a specialized search engine for diagnosing rare ailments with the help of information mined from medical articles on rare and genetic diseases. The search engine has so far indexed data sourced in 31,000 documents covering rare and genetic diseases from 10 reputable sources. The interface is intuitive and minimal and from the looks of it, should be equally responsive on mobiles and tablets. When it comes to rare diseases, Google might fail in giving updated accurate results, but FindZebra could be more direct with it.

Find The Best

A search engine which tells you what to buy.

Google gives us a lot of data to sift through, but it is not a decision making tool when it comes to comparing two or more sets of information and choosing the best among them. Try out Find The Best for making your purchase decisions easier with the ready-made data the search tool throws up. Find The Best has collated retail data on all sorts of products and organized them under nine broad product categories. When you search for a product, the results page gives you visual results supported with filters. You can narrow down your buying decisions by comparing the results across different brands and products.

Ohmygodlol

A search engine for some laughs.

After searching for serious illnesses, it’s time to lighten the mood. Ohmygodlol seems the right fit. The “serious” search engine actually searches for funny pictures on the web. I know Google can also do it with the right combination of keywords, but Ohmygodlol seems kind of easier than mixing and mashing those keywords. Though, behind the scenes it is just a custom Google search. Type a single one in, and the search engine returns funny images from across the web.

Wacko Search

Find out with a search!

We continue and end in a lighter mood. Wacko Search as the name says returns completely zany and completely false results. Give it a question and see why ducks get a bad name. Don’t forget to read the About page of the site for some interesting behind the scenes information on the search engine and the wacky duck. The result pages are genuine enough, except they are totally unrelated to the original query. Google doesn’t do this (thankfully)!

It’s not only the force of habit which makes us stick to Google and the regulars. Maybe, you can use neat search tricks and loads of patience to find all the information which these alternative search engines dig up with trusty Google; but then why not keep these specialized search tools bookmarked for the times when Google falls short. And fall short it can. Give its algorithm a break, and try out these eight search engines instead. I won’t need a search engine to trawl through your comments because they will be right below – your views, opinions, and also your personal picks for the best alternative search engines out there. Pause Google.

NoteSrc:-http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/pause-google-8-alternative-search-engines-to-find-what-google-cant/

Bing Makes Search Easier With Smarter Auto Suggest Features [Updates]

Bing Search just got a big improvement with the introduction of seven new autosuggest categories. The seven new categories to help you complete your search queries cover brands, movies, albums, places, software, sport teams, animal species and more. The new categories arrive on top of the already existing People Autosuggest which was introduced in May. The autosuggest cues are powered by an underlying technology Microsoft calls Satori. The search algorithm allows the search engine to “recognize” and make distinctions between the different meanings derived from a single keyword.

Bing explains it with an example of the search term “pitbull”. Bing doesn’t know whether you are searching for the artist (a person) or the dog (a breed). To speed up your search, Bing will show you a list of autosuggestions as a hint for possible searches and also display thumbnails for both the dog breed and the person. You can use the autosuggestions to narrow down to a specific search. All that’s left for you to is click through the search you want. The Satori engine is speedy; it serves up the results in milliseconds.

With the Satori technology, Bing attempts to understand the relationships between search entities and tries to give you the appropriate results. Improving the way we search is a constant endeavor for both Bing and Google, so expect more changes in the coming months. Bing is getting better and better, so you can expect it to be a counterpoint to Google Knowledge Graph. Try out a few Bing autosuggest aided searches and tell us if it’s holding its ground against its main rival.

Source: Bing Blog