Content Readers for Android

I'm always interested in getting useful apps for my Galaxy S. So, when Ed Dale tweeted this morning about using Tweetbot on the iPhone/iPad to create a Flipboard magazine, I got to thinking this was something that could be very handy indeed.

Except, of course, I'm not an iDrone.

A quick search of the Marketplace turned up four Android apps that appear to be pretty decent newsreaders. However, before I go any further I must explain something: No matter how hard I try, I cannot find a good reason to have a newsreader on my phone.

The thing is, I don't follow that many specific magazines. I have a CBC news app on my phone to cover breaking headlines. But I honestly don't spend that much time scouring blogs for interesting content.

"But, Steve," I can hear you saying, "how do you stay so hip and current with everything that's going on in the world of awesomeness?!" Glad you asked.

There's a neat little piece of contemporary culture known as "social aggregation" (OK, I don't know if that's a real term...I just made it up, but follow me on this, and we'll see if maybe I can coin a new term for this phenomenon). Aggregators (like Flipboard) collect feeds from sites and blogs all over the world, and can be used to trim these out to your specific interests. You use them to consolidate (or "aggregate") the feed content from your favourite sources and organize them categorically (news, fashion, tech, gadgets, entertainment, food, etc.).

Well, I get updates on Facebook and Twitter. When someone I follow, or a friend, posts something of interest I check it out. This saves me from having to follow a bunch of news feeds, because I know that my friends follow things that are of interest to me anyway. It also saves me from having to read pages and pages of headlines in my readers. So that's it...social aggregation refers to using my existing social networks to aggregate feeds that are of interest to me so I don't have to.

Now, there are several blogs that I do follow. However, once again it's the social network that provides me with posts when they come up. So, when Ed Dale or Sid Savara or Mark McGuinness post a new article on their blogs, I see that right away (in this case, in Twitter). So, for me, Twitter and Facebook actually take the place of a newsreader in my functional workflow (where reading news or blog updates can be considered "workflow," that is).

However, if you're Droiding and if you do follow certain news channels, you may want to check these out. I gave them all a test drive this morning, and I found they've all got fairly similar qualities. They all do the same things too. The major differences appear to be in the design of the cartoons they use for the introductory tutorials.

Taptu

HoneyReader

Pulse News

Feedly

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Free Ways to Increase Your Gas Mileage

Companies are well aware that consumers are desperate to reduce their fuel consumption.  That is why the market has been flooded with products that supposedly increase your gas mileage significantly.  Let’s ignore the fact that none of these products’ claims have been proved by the Environmental Protection Agency for a minute.  It really does not matter either way, because the fact is that there are plenty of ways to increase your gas mileage without having to spend a dime!

It is rather unfortunate that many of these extremely easy ways to increase gas mileage are still unknown by much of the general public.  The gas prices and their constant increases have caused the economy to sputter, and have put a lot of pressure on lower and middle class families.  It is important for these folks, along with everyone else that drives regularly, to know that they can save on their gas costs without making any extra financial investment!

Many of the methods for increasing gas mileage are quite simple.  For instance, did you know that having the proper level of air pressure in your tires can help you to save gas?  It is true!  Best of all, most gas stations and even car washes have free air machines that will help you to monitor and adjust your tire pressure according to whether it is a bit high or low.

You can also increase your gas mileage by avoiding certain things while driving.  For instance, you can avoid using the air conditioning* system in your vehicle, since air conditioning makes your engine work harder, which in turn means that you use more gas.  At the same time, you can drive with the windows up on cold days, which will also improve your aerodynamics, and thus, your gas mileage.  Open windows increase drag, which causes resistance that your car must overcome, after all.

*By the way, if you find you can't go long without A/C, you can manage it for efficiency as well. Use the inside air setting so you cool air that's already been cooled, rather than trying to cool the hot outside air. Once you feel the air coming through is nice and cold, leave the inside air setting on and switch the A/C off. This will save on energy, and the already-cooled air will remain actively cooled for much longer so you don't have to run the air conditioning constantly.

Another great tip for increasing gas mileage without spending a penny is simply to slow down a bit on the highway.  If you stay at the speed limit for most highways 100 km per hour), you will be operating your vehicle at right around the optimum speed for maximum fuel efficiency.  Any faster than that, and you will be sacrificing fuel efficiency to get to where you are going just a little bit earlier.

You should avoid doing certain other things, as well, such as idling your engine while you run errands or buy items at the store.  It is always better for your gas mileage for you to turn off the engine when you are stopped, even if you are only going to be gone for a couple of minutes.  You are wasting gas if you leave your car running, since you have no need for it to be running when you are not going anywhere!  You also do not need to “warm your car up” in the winter, as the only way to truly warm an engine up is by driving.  If you want it to be warm inside when you get in, try to limit the amount of time you warm up the interior of the car, at least.

These are just a few of the free methods for increasing fuel efficiency.  Try these ideas, and see how well they work for you!

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