Feedly, a news aggregator which promised to make the migration from Google Reader — which is being shut down on July 1 — seamless, has already seen an influx of over 500,000 million Reader users.

"More than 500,000 Google Reader users have joined the feedly community over the last 48 hours. We love passionate readers. Welcome on board," said Feedly on its official blog.

And that's not all: Feedly's Twitter account is buzzing with activity, with new users asking about features and new versions of the software, and Feedly's iOS app has quickly become the top free app in Apple's App Store.

To cope with all the new users and their feedback, Feedly has upped its bandwidth by 10x, added new servers and launched a suggestion forum for new features.

Of course, Feedly is not the only alternative to Google Reader, but its example shows how a smaller service can benefit from a big player exiting its space.

Have you tried Feedly out? How do you like it? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, wibs24, composite by Mashable





































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1.Pheed

Pheed is available, for free, from the App Store. An Android app is "coming soon."
Image courtesy of Pheed


2. Sign In

You can sign up with your Facebook or Twitter accounts, or via email.
Image courtesy of Pheed


3. Subscribe

As part of the sign in process you have to subscribe to three channels. Unfortunately at this stage you only get to see usernames and images, but you can spend more time browsing channels once you've gone through the sign in process.

Image courtesy of Pheed


4. Your Channel

You can write a bio and add a background image to your channel...

Image courtesy of Pheed


5. Invite Friends

...Before inviting friends to join you on Pheed.

Image courtesy of Pheed


6. Friend Lists

You can also find friends via your Facebook or Twitter accounts.

Image courtesy of Pheed


7. Find Channels and Content

You can find new channels to follow by hitting the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of your screen.
You can also search for content from the same page on a keyword "hashtag" basis.

Image courtesy of Pheed


8. Settings

Tapping the person icon at the bottom of your screen will take you to your account.
From here you can edit your profile, find friends, change images, manage notifications and view your channel.

Image courtesy of Pheed


9. Manage What You Share

From the "My Account" page, you can also manage what you auto-share from the app.
If you click on "Share Settings" you can tailor exactly what kind of Pheed activity you want published to your Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Image courtesy of Pheed


10. Timeline and Filtering

You can view your Timeline by tapping on the house-shaped icon at the bottom of your screen.

This content can then be filtered by hitting the circle icon at the top, giving you seven filtering options. They are as follows:

All Content - displays all of the content available on the timeline
Block Remixes - blocks all remixes from appearing in the timeline
Text - displays all of the text pheeds available on the timeline
Audio - displays all of the audio content available on the timeline
Photo - displays all of the pictures available on the timeline
Video - displays all of the videos available on the timeline
Broadcast - displays current and previous broadcasts

Image courtesy of Pheed


11. Notifications

The speech bubble icon takes you to your "Notifications" page.

Image courtesy of Pheed


12. Sharing and Keepers

If you see a Pheed you like, you can "Love" it by tapping the heart icon, share it to other social networks or save it as a "Keeper." You can then view your Keepers from the "Your Account" menu.
You can also give "Pheedback" by commenting on Pheeds.

Image courtesy of Pheed


13. Remixes

Pheed calls reposting Pheeds "Remixing." You can "Remix" a post by tapping the arrow icon, this will then appear on your channel page.

Image courtesy of Pheed


14. Creating a Pheed

When you're ready to create your first Pheed, you simply tap the pencil and paper icon.
Pheeds can be text-based, which is the default compose option.

Image courtesy of Pheed


15. Photo Pheed

You can also create photo Pheeds by tapping the camera icon.
You can either upload images from your Camera Roll or take a new pic.

Image courtesy of Pheed


16. Video Pheed

You can make video Pheeds with the camcorder icon, either from saved video in your Camera Roll, or via your iPhone's camera.

Image courtesy of Pheed


17. Audio Pheed

And there's also the option to post an audio Pheed.

Image courtesy of Pheed


18. Copyright

Pheed is big on the issue of ownership of content. All uploaded content is owned by the user, Pheed retains no rights or ownership toward it.

Pheed offers a built-in copyright tool. As you upload a Pheed, hitting the "©" button will add a copyright notification and your channel name to the post..

Image courtesy of Pheed


19. Copyright Notice

You can see the copyright notice on this published photo Pheed.

Image courtesy of Pheed


20. Editing, Sharing and Deleting

Once you've pubished a Pheed clicking on the box at the top right with three dots in it gives you the option to share it to your social networks.

You can't edit a Pheed after it's gone live, so if you need to delete your post, this is also where you'll find that option.

Image courtesy of Pheed


22. Live Broadcasting

It's worth noting you can also live broadcast via the Pheed website.

Head on over to Pheed, sign in and click on "Create New Pheed."

The far right tab gives you the option to create a live broadcast.

Image courtesy of Pheed


21. Monetization

While most users will use Pheed purely as a social network, it should be noted there is the ability to monetize your content.

You can charge anything from $1.99 to $34.99 for pay-per-view live broadcasts, or $1.99 to $34.99 for your monthly channel subscriptions.

The Pheed revenue share program pays 50% of your channel's gross earnings a month.
To opt into this program, head to the "Your Account" page of the iPhone app and scroll down to "Monetize."

Image courtesy of Pheed


Have you sent your first "Pheed" yet? Launched late last year, Pheed is a new social media platform that lets you share text, photos, videos and audio. Propelled by teenage users, Pheed topped the App Store's social networking category in late February.

Though the company says the app is not just for teens, Pheed told Mashable the user base is 81% between age 14 and 25.

Pheed's popularity with teens was spurred by several influential teenagers on Twitter sharing that they'd discovered the app. First was Acacia Brinley, followed by Pia Mia, Garrett Backstorm and Colin Ford.
Both a website and a mobile app, Pheed is currently available for free online and via the App Store.

We've taken a first look at the iPhone app, giving you a quick guide to how to get started with the new social service.


































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Ever wondered how Google’s search works? The company launched a new website Friday, appropriately called How Search Works, to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the process from start to finish.

“Here you can follow the entire life of a search query, from the web, to crawling and indexing, to algorithmic ranking and serving, to fighting webspam,” Google Product Manager Jake Hubert said in a blog post announcing the page.

“The site complements existing resources, including this blog [Google’s Inside Search blog], the help center, user forums, Webmaster Tools, and in-depth research papers. We hope the site helps to illuminate the split-second journey from algorithms to answers,” he added.

On the site you can check out an animated explanation of search, as well as take a closer look at Google’s major search algorithms and features. A live slideshow gives you a glimpse at how Google removes spam, and complementing graphs show the spam problem and how Google is fighting it.
Search enthusiasts can also read an included 43-page document on how Google evaluates its search results.

You can check out How Search Works here.



Image courtesy of Flickr, Robert Scoble; Screenshot courtesy of Google































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Toy Story Smash It!

Buzz Lightyear blasted onto mobile this week in a brand-new Toy Story-themed game. In the 3D physics-based game you play the role of Buzz, who is trying to knock down the aliens and stop the evil Zurg with a number of different balls. Throughout the game’s 60 levels, the aliens position themselves in new and unique ways on blocks, toys, and even model trains.



Harlem Shake Creator

Haven’t made a Harlem Shake video yet? A new Android app helps you create the perfect video with step-by-step directions, built-in music and an in-app video uploader so you can send your creation directly to YouTube.



Twitter for Windows Phone

Twitter updated its app for Windows Phone this week, adding support for Live Tiles. Accounts you follow can now be pinned to your home screen for easy access, with live updates appearing on the tiles themselves when they’re posted.

The update also includes the Home, Connect, Discover, and Me tabs found in other versions of the app. The tabs function much like they do in the Android and iPhone versions of Twitter.



YouTube

YouTube updated its iOS app Thursday, adding the Send-to-TV feature it introduced for Android in November of last year. With the update you can use your iOS device to send YouTube clips to Google TV, Xbox or PlayStation 3 and watch them on the big screen.



Waze

Waze released an update this week that enables drivers to report closed roads on the social GPS service, in real time. Enabling them to help others navigate around areas that might be temporarily shut down for obstructions such as a street fair, road construction and even damage from a hurricane or tornado.



Carrot

Have trouble getting things done? Carrot rewards and punishes you based on how many items you complete on your to-do list. When you complete a task, you earn points that can later be redeemed for prizes like jokes and compliments. Don’t finish things on your list? Carrot gets very angry.



Real Racing 3

Love racing? EA launched Real Racing 3 this week. The free game features real tracks, real drivers, and even real cars including Porsche, Lamborghini, Dodge, Bugatti, and Audi.



A new Android app helps you be part of YouTube's latest craze, and a popular racing game is back with a brand new update.

Think we left one off the list? Let us know about your own app highlights from this week in the comments, below.

Image courtesy iStockphoto, scanrail.



































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1. Benchwarmer

What if the first tab in your browser every morning was a healthy shot of inspiration? Benchwarmer is a neat extension for Chrome that replaces the "New Tab" screen with six shots from Dribbble. Dribbble is an invite-only, high-quality community of designers who share what they are currently working on, in the high altar of pixel-perfection.

Once installed Benchwarmer defaults to the latest top-rated shots; however, you can customize this view using the gear symbol. Hovering over a shot shows its number of likes and who posted it. You also can enter your own Dribbble username to display the work of users you follow.

The extension is open-sourced on Git Hub, if you are looking to contribute.



2. ColorZilla

When ColorZilla launched for Firefox over seven years ago, it was one of the first browser-based color pickers available. This official port for Chrome proves equally useful and includes a color picker, eye dropper and gradient generator, along with additional advanced color tools. You can get a color reading from any point in the browser (and save these colors in custom palettes), make edits on the fly and paste the output (in CSS, Hex, RGB and more) into other apps.

The ability to analyze DOM elements on a webpage and inspect its palette of colors is a particularly valuable feature. You can also pick colors from Flash Objects at any zoom level, and generated or sampled colors automatically copy to the clipboard.




3. WhatFont

The days of right-clicking to "view source" are long over. WhatFont identifies all the fonts used on a webpage and gives in-depth details, such as the font family, font size, along with the color, weight and line height (you can even tweet this information). Apart from native web safe fonts, it detects the services used for serving the font and supports Typekit and Google Web Fonts.

It gives you the fall-back string, and if a font called for is not installed, it's striked-through, showing the actual font used. It's important to remember it only works for online pages, not locally. Once activated, hover on text and a pop-up displays all the selected fonts information.



4. Screen Capture

An official Google extension, Screen Capture quickly captures visible objects, whole pages, visible sections of pages and drawn selections as PNG files. Each snapshot can be edited and annotated (before being saved), and highlighting, lines, arrows and redacting and adding text are fully supported. It intelligently detects floating objects on a page to avoid repeating the capture of the same objects if the whole page requires scrolling.

It works quickly, even when capturing large pages, and will also scroll the page horizontally if necessary. Share the snapshots on Picasa, Facebook and Imgur for instant collaboration.

Also of note is Awesome Screenshot, which boasts a rich feature list for capturing and annotating webpages.


5. Evernote Web Clipper

When we spend most of our time using a web browser, storing and cataloging information effortlessly becomes essential. The Evernote Web Clipper for Chrome makes it quick and easy to store just about anything you find on the web in your Evernote account, including selected text, articles, links, PDF's, images and even entire webpages. Tag each snapshot when saving and select an Evernote notebook in which you'll store the snapshot. The "intelligent," context-aware functionality is impressive, with the pre-selection of notebooks (and tags) based on website content.

There is virtually no limit to the ways in which you use it; for example, you could collect inspiration for a particular design project you are working on, and have access to it whenever you need, even if the original is removed.


6. Pixlr Editor

Pixlr Editor is a fully featured photo editor available directly in your browser. Sharing interface similarities to Adobe Photoshop, the learning curve is low and it boasts a wealth of capabilities you would only normally find in a desktop application. The fast, intuitive, thoughtfully organized interface means quick edits are a breeze. It includes editing, filters and adjustment tools and even opens PSD files.

Accomplish image editing entirely in the cloud using Pixlr Editor -- open images from Facebook, Picasa or Flickr, edit them and then save back to the cloud.


7. MeasureIt

With MeasureIt, draw out a ruler which shows the alignment and exact pixel width and height dimensions of any selected element on a webpage, an especially useful tool when designing and developing websites. To use the extension, just click and drag out the ruler to find an element's dimensions quickly and easily.

While not as feature-rich as its Firefox counterpart, it is especially useful when tweaking CSS, where accuracy down to the last pixel is necessary. MeasureIt works on local installs of most CMS's but does not work on local HTML files.


8. Palette

Colors play an important role in design, and it can be challenging to create the "perfect" palette. Having an extension such as Palette at easy reach within your browser can make this particular task much more efficient.

Palette for Chrome can create up to 64 color palettes and is useful for grabbing ideas and inspiration for color palettes from images around the web. The interface is intuitive and easy to use; simply right-click on the desired image, select "Palette for Chrome," and choose the number of colors you want the palette to generate. A new tab will open, displaying the image and resulting color palette.

The extension was recently updated to fix several bugs, and the code is now open-source and available on Git Hub.


9. Yet Another Lorem Ipsum Generator

When testing content or typography, dummy text can be useful. For those who don't use alternatives, try Yet Another Lorem Ipsum Generator. It will generate text (paragraphs of variable length), titles, dates and dummy email and web addressees, with other options available via the toolbar button. You can configure the date format and choose specific dates or generate a random date.

Copy text to the clipboard for use in other apps; the extension itself is extremely lightweight as it doesn't include any external libraries or require access to other online resources.


10. Pendule

Pendule complements the built-in developer tools of Chrome and makes website edits easy, such as viewing CSS, disabling styles, reloading CSS (without having to reload the entire webpage), viewing JavaScript and much more. The extension itself is unobtrusive, quick and responsive, featuring an extensive toolset. The the ability to switch off both images and CSS is particularly useful when designing and developing websites.

There is also a color picker, display ruler, link checker and several script validators, with each feature neatly arranged into groups. The option to change the display resolution, for checking how your website renders on multiple screen resolutions, is neat, and you can even set keyboard shortcuts for the extension from the Options menu.


As a designer you may have used Google Chrome for some time already, but are you using the browser to its full advantage? Chrome features a robust extension system that deserves to be explored and tested. It's one reason Chrome can now claim to be the world's most popular browser.

We've gathered 10 of the best Google Chrome extensions for web designers and, when used in combination with the chrome extensions for developers, you could have a fully customized, powerhouse of a browser, completely suited to your individual requirements.

Have we missed any great extensions you love and use on a daily basis? If so, please share your recommendations with other readers in the comments below.

Homepage image composite via iStockphoto, Kameleon007































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You can access plenty of service online when learning to code: Codecademy, Skillshare, Treehouse, Code School, Learn Code The Hard Way, Udemy, General Assembly, Udacity and the list goes on. Some charge per class or by monthly membership, while others are free or accept donations.

But still, learning anything outside traditional education requires personal initiative. For many people, it will involve setting aside time outside of a regular day job in which you do something other than programming. But as our world is more and more influenced by what we're able to accomplish with code, being a maker of such programs gives a person an advantage in nearly any industry.

Here are a few apps made by people who had just learned to code. Some have gone on to do greater things, while others might stick around and build their basic prototype into a full-fledged product. At least one is generating enough revenue to make a living on apps he built.

Have you tried to learn to code? What would you want to build? Tell us in the comments.

1. SimpleTax


SimpleTax is a program to help people in Canada file their taxes. Right now, you can sign up with your email address to be notified when the program is live — but while you're waiting, try out the tax calculator, which is already functional. This app is being built by Jonathan Suter, who learned to code with Codecademy.

2. Sworkit

Sworkit is a mobile app that gives users circuit training workouts they can do anywhere. Some example workouts target core, upper body or stretching, and the app also includes cardio workouts and yoga.

Army veteran Ryan Hanna built Sworkit in 2012 as a project to help him learn programming. He used Codecademy lessons to teach himself to code.

3. Open Office Hours



This app lets anyone post office hours along with where they'll be, whether it is a physical location or on Skype. It's also a great place to browse interesting people you might want to meet — and if they are available, you can easily set up that meeting.

Nate Westheimer, executive director at New York Tech Meetup, built the app after learning to code. He explains in a blog post how frustrating it is to work at startups as the product person without being able to build prototypes yourself.

4. BrideBook

This app helps soon-to-be brides keep track of the important things while planning a wedding. Once signed up, you can put in your fiancé's name, the wedding date and other details, including the budget, a guest list, tasks alongside timeframes and businesses, such as the caterer or floral arrangement shop you plan to use.

BrideBook was built by Manuel da Costa, who learned to code through One Month Rails on Skillshare, Michael Hartl's tutorial and Codeschool. Right now the app is tailored for use in the UK, but even without logging your "real" location — features such as the wedding countdown and task lists are still useful. Da Costa is getting user feedback and testing the business model now, and will consider expanding internationally in the future.

5. Reminder Apps

After learning to code through Treehouse, Jordan Garn built three iOS apps, all paid, and now earns $2,000 each month from sales.

One app helps users create an exercise or diet plan, with reminders. Another is focused on good habits, and allows you to track progress (after all, it takes 30 days to build a habit). The last is more general — for any kind of reminders.

6. Major Finder



This app isn't quite finished, but we can already tell it could become quite useful. For anyone who took months, or years, to finally pick a major: What if there was a place to browse and ask people, at schools from all over, what studying for their major was like?

Major Finder was built by a One Month Rails Skillshare student.

7. BusNear.me

This app will ask permission to check your location, and assuming you're in New York, it can indicate which buses are nearby. It's simple, designed for a mobile browser and laid out very simply.
BusNear Me was built by Jonathan Werbell, who took a class at Skillshare and works at Bloomberg Philanthropies.

8. Instacurate

Instacurate uses a hashtag or Twitter user to generate a Pinterest-style layout of links — curated, if you will. When you're looking for the latest news on a trending topic, it might be a fun way to browse.

The app was built by David Bauer, who completed Codecademy's CodeYear. After initially signing up, he took a six-month break before returning to the coding lessons. With his project, he says that the community at Github was helpful with the trickier portions of the app.

9. Worst Best Hairy Chest



Remember the old grade school fable: "First the worst / Second the best / Third the one with the hairy chest"? Well, one Skillshare student, Joshua Beckerman, built an app that passes judgement on who or what is good, bad or plain weird. Right now the site shows a few examples but doesn't seem to be accepting new ones.
Mashable composite. Images via iStockphoto, leluconcepts









































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For the last year or so, Java seems to have spawned a never-ending flow of security bugs, partly because of the software environment's invisibility to end users and partly because of the system access it allows.

In January alone, two different Java vulnerabilities were attacked by widespread browser exploit kits. At least one of those Java flaws led to the recently disclosed network penetrations of Apple, Facebook and Microsoft, and may have also been involved in the compromise of 250,000 Twitter accounts.

Because of these dangers, many security experts recommend that users disable Java browser plug-ins, or even to take the more drastic step of uninstalling the underlying Java Runtime Environment (JRE) entirely.

Those recommendations may make sense for many, but they are not blanket solutions for all users with Java installed on their machines.

Caffeinated World

The problem is that Java, in one form or another, is still used for a lot of things that people want and need to do. It might be an essential element of running programs that you never considered.

If, for example, you are one of the millions of people who enjoy playing Minecraft or RuneScape, you'll need Java installed on your machine. If you play "World of Warcraft," getting rid of Java might leave you without the use of the game's launcher.

If you're a creative professional, Adobe's Creative Suite, which includes applications such as Photoshop, Illustrator and Premiere, relies on Java to exchange information among applications. If you're a user of free office software like OpenOffice and LibreOffice, both programs use Java.

None of those applications normally access websites, so leaving Java installed on your computer while disabling it in your Web browsers will let you use those pieces of software while minimizing your exposure to malware.

Unfortunately, that isn't possible with many web-facing business applications that absolutely require that Java plug-ins be active in a browser, such as web-conferencing software like Citrix's GoToMeeting or Cisco's WebEx.

Let's Be Careful Out There

For some people, turning off Java in the browser is simply not a realistic option. So what can you do to mitigate your risks when using Java on the Web?

The first thing is to follow information-security best practices, which will make it harder for malicious code to infect and damage your system.

"Use anti-virus, anti-malware software and a firewall," said Ross Barrett, senior manager of security engineering at Boston-based Rapid7. "Browse with a user account that does not have administrator privileges.”

There are also some basic Java security precautions that you can take to make sure that you are limiting your risks.

"Java users should stay up to date with patches and software revisions. When an update comes out, apply it immediately. This drastically lowers your surface of exposure and ensures that you have the latest built-in protections," Barrett said.

"Turn up [Java's] security settings," he added. "This will mean that you'll get frequent warning messages and alerts while you browse — don't ignore them."

Twice the Fun

End users may want to try a "double browser" strategy.

“If you do rely on websites that require Java, consider installing a second browser and turning Java on in that browser only," said Richard Wang, senior security manager at the British anti-virus firm Sophos. "Use it for your Java-based websites only, and stick to your Java-disabled main browser for everything else."

For businesses, people who work at home or anyone with an abundance of sensitive data to protect, a beefier version of this strategy can keep Java security problems from becoming system-wide issues.

“You should make a list of all the tools you use on a regular basis and that require Java. Then, run these tools in a virtual machine or other isolated environment," said Tim Erlin, director of IT security and risk strategy for San Francisco's nCircle, referring to software-based computer emulators that essentially "live" inside other computers.

"If you find that you need Java for many of your routine tasks," Erlin said, "it might be time to consider evaluating alternate tools that don't require Java."

Will these strategies be a silver bullet that will protect you from all of the security problems that have been plaguing Java on the Web? No, but in IT security there are no guarantees. You can only mitigate your risks and take reasonable precautions.

After all, Java is not the only browser plug-in that can be exploited to install malicious code. If you uninstalled or disabled every possible risk, then the Web would lose the majority of its functionality.

Practical security is about playing the odds and getting the best possible protection without putting everything on lockdown.











































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