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The 8 Best Apps For College Students

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It seems like not to long ago the best mobile resources for a student was a pen and paper. Those days are long gone now. The phrase “there’s an app for that” is more true than ever. There are incredibly powerful tools at the disposal of any student with a smartphone or tablet – and we’ll show you some of the best ones to help you get ahead.

Evernote (FREE)

Not only is Evernote one of the best apps for students, it’s one of the best apps period. Type up notes in class? Type them up in Evernote and have them stored in the cloud across all your devices. Prefer to take notes on paper? Snap a picture of your notebook with the Evernote page camera and Evernote will scan your handwritten text using it’s OCR technology. And that’s just a fraction of what Evernote can do.

Evernote

Quick Graph (FREE)

Remember those giant bulky graphing calculators you used to have to carry with you to class? The ones with the ugly, gray LCD screen that could only graph in 2D? Well, now they’re not neccessary. Turn your iOS device into a 2D or 3D graphing calculator with this easy to use app you can take anywhere, anytime.

quick-graph

Grades 2 (FREE)

Having trouble remembering all your due dates, or just want to keep it all in a central location? Check out Grades 2. It’s got a nice interface that keeps track of all your grades, due dates, and GPA. It will even figure out what grades you need to maintain a certain GPA.

Grades-2

Wunderlist (FREE)

There are more great to-do apps out there for iOS than we can count. But we love Wunderlist because it’s not only free but it syncs across your devices. Download it on your Mac and iPhone and keep your to-do lists in sync. Wunderlist also has a lot of great features to help you keep your to-dos organized.

Wunderlist-icon

Dropbox (FREE)

If you aren’t using Dropbox, you should be. But as a student, there’s one reason you need to use Dropbox – saving your assignments. Save papers and homework assignments to the Dropbox folder on your computer and never worry about losing that research paper you’ve been working on all semester.

dropbox

Mint (FREE)

How much did you spend on textbooks last year? What about how much you spent at bars last weekend? The shoestring budget of a college student isn’t always the easiest way of life, but at least Mint will help you keep better track of your finances

Mint Icon

Wikipanion (FREE)

You may not be able to cite Wikipedia as a source for your research papers but that doesn’t mean that Wikipedia isn’t an incredible resource for students. Download this free app for easy access to all of Wikipedia’s exhaustive supply of knowledge.

Wikipanion-App-Icon

Wi-Fi Finder (FREE)

Prefer working off campus? Sometimes you just need to get out of the library. Use the Wi-Fi finder app to search for nearby Wi-Fi networks.

Wi-Fi Finder

 

Joe Quesada & Alex Trochut at Our Official Wacom Cintiq 13HD Release Party; Tony Santo Recaps at Media Hygiene

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Wacom Cintiq 13HD

Wacom Cintiq 13HD

Earlier this week on Tuesday, May 7th, we were pleased to host the official Wacom Cintiq 13HD release party, a special after-hours event held on the main floor of Tekserve. This exciting event featured presentations by Marvel Comics’ Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada, as well as Alex Trochut, renowned designer of MTV, New York Times, and Rolling Stones fame.

Celebrated art director, illustrator, and designer Tony Santo was in attendance. He recently posted a great summary of the evening to his Media Hygiene blog:

Tekserve hosted the after-hours free presentation for ticket-holders only, including an impressive spread of food and drink that I rarely see at such events. Attendees mingled, munched, networked, and test-drove the Cintiqs and other models on display. Marvel Comics fans were happy to see Marvel CCO and favorite artist Joe Quesada as one of the guests who generously shared his Cintiq workflow with the audience. The standing room presentation was comfortable, as the absence of seats felt informal and flexible. I was close to the stage, but a big screen and other monitors broadcast everything throughout the store, enabling guests to watch and listen from anywhere in the shop.

Tony also commented on Joe Quesada’s presentation, saying:

It was interesting to see Quesada’s workflow. He uses the Cintiq for layout purposes mainly, sometimes sketching concepts directly on the screen, other times working from scanned pencil/pen doodles on paper. He manipulates Google Sketch-Up models of cars, buildings, and other props as desired until he finds the right angle. Then he brings a screen shot into Photoshop to draw over this reference to satisfy his final layout. He often will drop in shading with a big broad brush, and if I understood him correctly, he will sometime ink his work using Photoshop’s pencil tool instead of the brush tool (which he feels is too unpredictable in line quality). Although I was a bit confused with his flow at times, he clarified that he will work the layouts up as pencil on paper drawings for the final art. After that I was unclear if he produced the final black lines in analog or digital form. Quesada mentions that many comic-book artists have not abandoned the pencil and India ink final art pages because of the demand for after-market original art sales they may enjoy. However, since sharing a lot of his finished BW and color art, I gather that Quesada is comfortable using both methods.

Check out Tony’s full write-up here.

Stay tuned for more upcoming special events at Tekserve.

Adobe Creative Suite Is Dead—Long Live Creative Cloud

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News from Adobe MAX

Adobe MAX, “The Creativity Conference”, opened today in Los Angeles with a big announcement from Adobe: a major update to Creative Cloud (CC), including fully integrated cross-device collaboration, community and publishing capabilities, and the next generation of Adobe’s pro creative desktop applications.

This milestone update to Adobe Creative Cloud simplifies the entire creative process with new versions of desktop tools, services that take publishing content to the next level, and capabilities that make it easier than ever to collaborate and share work on a worldwide basis.

The update also marks a major name-change for Adobe. Adobe’s desktop tools, previously known as Creative Suite (CS) since 2003, are now officially unified under the name Creative Cloud (CC) to reflect that they are an integral part of the collection and have been reinvented to support a more intuitive, connected way of creating.

All of Adobe’s major desktop apps have been updated under the new “CC” moniker—introducing: InDesign CC, Photoshop CC, Illustrator CC, Dreamweaver CC, Premiere Pro CC, After Effects CC, Muse CC, and more. In all, Creative Cloud will now consist of more than 30 tools and services that enable professional-grade content creation and delivery across print, web, mobile apps, video and photography.

With Creative Cloud, your entire creative world gets its own centralized hub where ideas, files, fonts, settings, notifications, and team members are connected and organized. Join group folders to work collaboratively; track updates and comments to shared files; stay connected to work on Behance; get notified when app updates are available and download the latest updates; and access favorite colors, fonts and settings, wherever you are. All files and assets will be automatically synchronized between the desktop, cloud and mobile devices.

What Else?

Today was a huge day at Adobe MAX. Other updates and announcements include:

  • Creative Cloud members will have access to the services necessary to publish highly personalized portfolio websites using Behance ProSite, high-impact digital magazines for iPad using Digital Publishing Suite (DPS) Single Edition, and PhoneGap™ Build to create and publish mobile apps for any device.
  • Photoshop CC’s new Camera Shake Reduction deblurs images that would have otherwise been lost due to camera movement. All-new Smart Sharpen makes texture and detail pop, and Adobe Camera Raw 8 adds even more powerful photographic controls to straighten and perfect images.
  • A new, modern architecture for InDesign CC turbocharges performance, and in-browser editing in Adobe Muse™ CC — a tool for designers to create and publish HTML websites without writing code — allows clients to make edits to a published website, which can then be reviewed, approved, and updated by the designer.
  • Premiere Pro CC integrates powerful color workflows, with the addition of the Lumetri™ Deep Color Engine to easily apply rich color grading looks. A high-impact version of Adobe After Effects® CC brings motion graphics and visual effects artists more creative possibilities and allows them to work more easily in 3D with the new Live 3D Pipeline with Maxon Cinema4D integration.
  • Adobe is also previewing a new workflow from Photoshop CC to Edge Reflow CC that will enable creatives to build web designs in Photoshop that can easily be turned into responsive web sites.

This major update is expected to be available in June. To read Adobe’s press release with complete details, click here. To learn more and request a quote, contact us today.

Cable vs. Streaming: A Beginners Guide to Cord Cutting

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There is a steadily growing movement in this country of people no longer watching video via broadcast television. With the meteoric rise of streaming services like Netflix, Hulu+, and more, “cutting the cord” has never been easier. If you’re unhappy with the price of your cable bill each month, we’ll give you a few pointers on how and where to get your content instead.

Getting Started

First and foremost, you’ll need some way to access all this wonderful streaming content. It’s entirely likely that you have at least one—if not multiple—capable devices already. In fact, if you’re reading this article, you’ve already got one.

You can already use your computer or mobile device for streaming video, but you can also use all major video game consoles, smart TVs, tablets, and even some DVD players to access multiple streaming services. If you’d prefer to watch on your TV rather than a computer or tablet screen, we recommend picking up a dedicated set-top box like an Apple TV or other similar devices. A one-time purchase of $99, an Apple TV is still cheaper than many monthly cable bills and can access hours and hours of streaming content.

Finding a Streaming Service

Now that you have the means to watch, it’s time to pick out some services. Where do you start? Here are some of our recommendations:

Netflix – You’ll definitely get your money’s worth when subscribing to Netflix. At $7.99 per month (less than a movie ticket in NYC), you’ll get access to a library nearly triple the size of other services, including thousands of TV shows and movies, past and present. The past year has also seen Netflix aggressively expand its original programming available exclusively to subscribers.

Hulu+ – If you’re the type that absolutely has to see the latest episode of a new show the week it airs, Hulu+ is for you. Release dates are dependent on the network, but most new episodes are available on Hulu+ the day after they air on broadcast TV. Also $7.99 a month, Hulu+ is a smart move for those who watch tons of network programming.

HBO GO - Currently only available to HBO cable subscribers, HBO GO offers all of HBO’s award-winning programming, as well as a rotating assortment of movies. Even though it’s availability is currently limited to subscribers, HBO is considering a model for non-cable subscribers.

Aereo – If you still need a broadcast TV fix, you may want to take a look at Aereo. Currently only available in the NYC area, Aereo provides access to a handful of broadcast channels (CBS, NBC, FOX, ABC, etc.) via a browser or iOS device. A subscription to Aereo will cost you $8/month or $80/year.

Fill in the Blanks

While instant streaming services are great for movies and television shows, not everything is available, and you’re still losing access to live events, news, and sports. Thankfully, there are some solutions to these problems. For whatever shows or movies aren’t available to stream, consider buying a season pass. Most season passes run around $35, and you’ll get each episode of the season as it’s released.

For news, most 24-hour news networks already have dedicated streaming channels. Check out CNN Live, Fox News, or ABC News for your fix.

Sports is a bit more tricky. If you’re really desperate to see your favorite teams, there are always subscription services like MLB.TV, NBA League Pass, and NFL Game Pass—though these tend to be more on the expensive side.

Do the Math

Some people just can’t live without cable, and that’s fine. But if you’re committed to cutting the cord, you can easily save hundreds of dollars per year. A monthly subscription to Netflix, Hulu+, and Aereo will cost you $24 per month in total (plus tax). Considering the average cable bill is around $80 per month, cutting the cord amounts to a savings of close to $700 dollars a year. Even if you were to treat yourself to a few iTunes season passes—or even a sports subscription—you’ll still be saving money in the long run.

Visit Tekserve for more info and help with getting started with streaming video on your devices.

30 NYC Subway Stations Add Free Wi-Fi

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Governor Cuomo announced yesterday thirty new Subway Stations with data and voice cellular service. This brings the total number of stations with connectivity up to 36, with the goal of outfitting all stations by 2016. Free Wi-Fi is available on any device by joining the network “FreeWifibyHTCONE” (because the Wi-Fi service is currently being sponsored by HTC One).  AT&T and T-Mobile customers have voice & data connections in these subway stops now while Verizon and Sprint announced they will also support the project going going forward. I’m pretty thrilled to be able to use my iPhone, iPad, or Mac to let my friends know I’m stuck waiting for the train via Messages and the free Wi-Fi.

Check out WNYC’s handy map of the currently connected subway stops.

Guest Post: Windowfarms: A Clever Solution to Urban Farming

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By Katherine Aul & Hannah Warren of NATIVEscapes design studio 

Gorgeous greens flourish in the front windows of Tekserve

As the city begins to leaf out and green up you may notice an extra abundance of plant life in the windows at Tekserve. Those gorgeous greens you see flourishing are being grown in their very own Windowfarm – the vertical, hydroponic answer to your kitchen gardening needs created by Britta Riley. Compact, streamlined and nearly fail-proof, even the techy technerds at Tekserve are able to grow their own herbs and veggies with ease and success. Windowfarms are not only modern and space-savvy grow-mediums for your city windows, but the food they produce is phenomenally flavorful. The Brooklyn-based company’s strong online presence also encourages communication about the science and best methods of practice, fostering an incredible global community of Windowfarmers.

Even before this community of Windowfarmers came into being, Riley prioritized connecting growers with their food and with each other as one of the main goals of her enterprise. As stated on their website, “Windowfarms is on a mission to revive agricultural biodiversity and to connect eaters with sustainable food production for a healthier future for both humans and the environment.” Now, with a little time and a lot of success the company has grown into something of an Etsy for Farmers. The company’s original open-source R&D model led to the creation of both manufactured and DIY PET bottle versions of the product. After some trial and error and help from the online community, the current-but-still-evolving model is making partnerships between other local companies such as Gotham Greens possible.

Windowfarms creator Britta Reilly shows off a plant grown in a Windowfarm

You may be asking yourself, “Yeah. But how does it work?” Well to begin with, by definition, “A Windowfarm is a vertical, indoor garden that allows for year-round growing in almost any window…In the hydroponic system, nutrient-spiked water is pumped up from a reservoir at the base of the system and trickles down from bottle to bottle, bathing the roots along the way. Water and nutrients that are not absorbed collect in the reservoir and will be pumped through again at the next interval.” Ordinary, soil grown plants expel tons of energy in the hunt for water and nutrients.  However, the hydroponic system, comprised of a base of clay pellets and coco coir, allows for a more efficient use of space and energy–a shrewd choice for urban farmers. All you have to do is refill the reservoir once a week and the system does the rest.

Still need more convincing? You’ll get tons of fresh, home-grown greens year-round. While the upfront costs are a tad steeper than your average potted plant you’ll end up saving a significant amount of money in the long run. And you’ll waste way less, because you can snip, cook and eat as you go. No more throwing away 5/9ths of that packet of herbs from the green grocer. Also, they are really beautiful on their own- the LED lights give you an automatic color and light parade, and the greens regrow at lightening speed, performing amazing curving and cascading feats of gravity. Best of all, you get to join a community of like-minded folks who are passionate about making a greener and healthier planet and dinner plate, while also learning about the science behind these remarkable, innovative systems.

About the Authors

NATIVEscapes Design Studio is a multidisciplinary firm focusing on landscapes, horticulture, floral arrangements and events. We believe in employing sustainable design practices in re-greening the urban environment. Our passion for native plants and habitat restoration combined with our ever-adapting aesthetic ensures that our designs will suit a variety of needs, functions and styles.

Learn more about them at http://nativescapes-designstudio.com/

Green Thumbs: 4 Great Apps for Gardening

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Springtime means time to stop and smell the flowers. Or get started growing the flowers. Tekserve’s own resident gardener Rachel runs down her four favorite apps for gardening, plant care, and nature information. Take it away, Rachel:

Vegetable Planting Calendar (FREE)

This nifty little app has lots of typical fruits, veggies, and herbs to choose from! Once you pick the one you’re interested in, it gives you planting instructions for how to get your little plants started from seed or transplant. Included in the notes are soil specifications and the best times to embark on your planting adventures. The app is also free!

Leafsnap (FREE)

A free app that is like Shazaam for trees! Backed by a team of volunteers and the Smithsonian Institution, Leafsnap helps you identify what kind of tree you are looking at by using visual recognition software. Take a picture of a leaf and find out what species it is! This also serves as a great pocket guide when you’re checking out mother nature. The high-resolution leaf images currently include trees of the northeast USA. They are working to make this a continental US tree guide, so look out for updates.

Koubachi (FREE)

Paired with the Koubachi Plant Sensor, this is like a baby monitor – but for your plants! After you get the device calibrated with your plant(s), it will send helpful reminders to your mobile device about when your plants need fertilization, misting, watering, etc. If you forget about your greens, this little app will surely remind you. It is free from the app store and works great as a stand-alone houseplant guide, but is really meant to pair with the monitor for full functionality.

Garden Plan Pro ($9.99)

Design and execute the garden you’ve always dreamed of! With this app, you have drawing tools to get creative with your garden-bed designs. Works on iPhone, iPad, and your Mac or PC; this app has first-class email support by real people who want your garden to flourish! Sends planting reminders and crop rotation suggestions, too.

Tek Tip: Getting Started with iCloud, Pt. 4 – Does iCloud Back Up My Mac? What Else Should I Know?

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In short, no; iCloud is not a backup solution for your Mac. While it can be used to recover some data in the event of a hard drive failure, only a small number of your files will be retrievable. Additionally, iCloud is primarily meant for syncing, not for recovering from data issues.

This means that if the reason you are looking at your iCloud backup is to recover a file you have accidentally changed or deleted, iCloud will not be of any value to you. For Mac backups, we highly recommend you make a Time Machine or SuperDuper backup, and invest in a dedicated online backup solution such as CrashPlan. Check our website for more information about backing up.

What About My iOS Devices? Does iCloud Back Those Up?

For iPhones, iPads and iPod touches, iCloud will backup the iOS device settings – including favorites, mail, and calendar settings; home screen and app organization; messages; ringtones; visual voicemail; your camera roll; most saved passwords; and other preferences.

This means that if you lose or replace your iPhone or iPad (e.g., through a warranty swap at Tekserve under AppleCare+), you will be able to quickly make your replacement device look and work just like the old one.

Check the iCloud preferences on your iOS devices to select which Apps back up their data and sync to iCloud.

Is There a Limit to How Much I Can Store in iCloud?

iCloud includes a 5GB limit for free.

If you discover you need additional storage, you can purchase up to 50GB from the iCloud panel in System Preferences. From there, you can also see what is using the space you have available in your account and delete anything you no longer need (but be sure about it – you cannot undo this action).

Photos and videos in your iOS devices’ Camera Rolls will eat up this 5GB the fastest. If you use iCloud Photo Stream to get all your photos onto your computer, and set iPhoto to automatically add those to your computer’s iPhoto collection, you will see the most recent 1,000 photos in your Photo Stream (which doesn’t count against the 5GB limit), and you can delete them from the Camera Roll, saving backup space.

Is There Anything Else iCloud Can Do?

iTunes also takes advantage of iCloud. All of your past purchases (so long as Apple is still selling them) can be re-downloaded at any time.

For music, you can go even further and sync your entire music library – even things you haven’t purchased from iTunes – using the iTunes Match service. This $25-per-year add-on to iCloud allows you to sync music and playlists over the Internet without needing to plug in and move any files by hand.

Where On My Hard Drive Can I Find iCloud?

We’re not telling. Not because we don’t think you can handle the information, but because hidden files are hidden for a reason. iCloud data should be accessed through the application using it. Making changes to iCloud data in other ways can result in problems (check out this TUAW blog post for an interesting tale of woe).

Know that the data is there – which is why you can still access it even when offline – but unless you really know what you’re doing, it’s best to stay away from the iCloud folder on your Mac.

This concludes our “Getting Started with iCloud” series. Looking for more tips and tricks for your Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch? Stop by Tekserve to pick up your copy of the brand-new iOS FAQ and the 12th Edition of the Tekserve Mac FAQ – both available now!

Tek Tip: AppleCare+ Demystified

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For the legal nitty-gritty, check apple.com/legal/sales-support. But here’s the scoop in English:

AppleCare for iPhones and iPads is now AppleCare+. You generally must purchase it when you buy your iDevice. In addition to free phone support and doubling the hardware warranty, AppleCare+ adds two incidents of accidental damage coverage, at a $50 repair cost for each. So, if you drop your phone and crack the screen—or even drop it in the toilet—come to Tekserve, pay $50, and we’ll swap your cracked or water-logged device for a like-new model. It usually takes about 10–15 minutes.

The third time? Well, let’s just say it’s not a charm.

Check out Tekserve.com for more information about AppleCare+ service at Tekserve. And, for more tips and tricks for your favorite iOS device, stay tuned for the Tekserve iOS FAQ, coming soon!

Tek Tip: Save Money on Your Time Warner Cable Internet Bill

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If you’re a Time Warner Cable subscriber (as many of you in the NYC area likely are), you may have noticed your monthly bill increase by a few dollars late last year. That’s because Time Warner recently announced that they would begin charging a new $3.95 monthly rental fee for using the cable modem they supplied you with.

Unfortunately, this isn’t new. Many other popular ISPs like Comcast and COX already charge a modem fee. Luckily, there’s another option for you cost-conscious Time Warner subscribers out there – buy and activate your own cable modem. Seriously. Time Warner gives you the option to purchase and use any modem supported by their network.

With cable modem purchases starting at $80, if you do the math, you’ll quickly realize that the modem will end up paying for itself in two years’ time.

Motorola SURFboard

The Motorola SURFboard is our favorite Time Warner compatible modem.

Time Warner Cable is popular in our area, so we brought a great modem into Tekserve for you TWC customers looking to avoid rental fees. Of the list of modems that will work in the NYC area, we recommend the Motorola SURFboard. Available for both DOCSIS 2.0 & DOCSIS 3.0 connections, the SURFboard is fast, reliable, and cost-effective. And did we mention it’ll pay for itself in just under two years? So, if you plan on sticking with Time Warner, you may want to consider picking up a SURFboard.

For more information and to purchase a Motorola SURFboard modem, head over to the Tekserve website or visit our store.