It's been almost a year since Google launched Allo and Duo, as its primary chatting and video calling applications. While Duo has been an instant hit, the same cannot be said about Allo. There are a couple of reasons why Allo could not match its launch expectations. Firstly, the instant messaging app market is already crowded with some really great apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. And although Allo brings a ton of cool new features (like incognito chat, self-destructive messages, awesome stickers, and more), it also lacks some basic functionalities, which has held the app back. For instance, until recently, there was no desktop client for Allo. Technically, there isn't one even now, but Google has just launched a web version of the app (just like WhatsApp did in the past) which allows you to use it on PC and Mac.

Although it's not the same as having the native desktop apps, still, it is better than having nothing at all. In this article, we are going to show you how to use the web version of the app and while we are at it, we will also give you some tips as to how to convert the web version into a standalone web app for your desktop. So, if you are an Allo user, or someone who didn't consider it just because it lacked a desktop version of the app, read the article to find out, how to use Allo app on PC and Mac:

Things to Know Before Using Allo on Web

Allo has just been released as a web app and you might think that you only need a web browser to access it, but you would be wrong. Right now, even the web app comes with certain restrictions. Currently, the web version of the Allo app can only be accessed if you own an Android phone. However, the support for iPhones is coming soon. Also, the web app is only supported on the Chrome browser. If you use any other browser and don't have Chrome on your desktop, go the link and download and install the app. All right, now that you know these things, lets start the tutorial.

Use Allo on Chrome

Since the methodology for using Allo on Chrome will be the same, irrespective of the OS you are using, there's no point in showing it twice. So, doesn't matter whether you are a Mac or a Windows user, this is how you do it.

1. Open the Chrome browser on your desktop and visit the Allo web app page.

2. Now, launch the Allo app on your Android smartphone and tap on the hamburger menu. Here, tap on "Allo for web" option.

3. Now, scan the QR code present on the browser tab by tapping on the "SCAN QR CODE" button on your phone and pointing the camera to the browser.

4. As soon as scan the code, you will be logged into your account and be able to use the Allo app on your desktop.

Create Allo Web App for Windows

As I mentioned in the introduction, apart from showing how to use the web version of the Allo app, I will also help you create a desktop app which will work as a stand alone app. Now, I should point out that, it won't be a native app and will just use the Chrome browser as its base. But, it will run in its own window and will sport the Allo's app icon too. It is pretty cool that we can do that, as it allows us to use the Allo app without having to open our Chrome browser just for its stake.

1. Chrome natively allows you to create a windowed app version of any website on the Windows OS. To do that for Allo, first, complete the first part of the tutorial and login to your Allo account.

2. Now, on Chrome (while you are on the Allo tab), click on the 3-dot menu present on the top-right corner of the browser and go to More tools -> Add to Desktop and click on it.

3. Now, you will see a popup card where you can rename the app. Before you hit the Add button, remember to ensure that "Open as Window" option is checked on.

4. As soon as you click on the Add button, you will find the Allo app icon on your desktop. You can double-click to open the app, as you would with any other app.

5. Just to be sure that it works, here is a picture of the app working on a different window. You can see that, there's an icon for the Allo app beside the Chrome icon.

6. You can also right click on the icon to add it to either the Start menu or the Taskbar for quick access.

Create Allo Web App For Mac

Chrome doesn't allow you to do the same on macOS due to its restrictions hence we will have to use a third party app to do that. Thankfully, I know just the app for that, so let's get started, shall we?

1. Download and install the "Coherence 5" app (free to create 4 web apps) by clicking on the link. Now launch the app. This is how the app looks after it is launched.

2. Now, fill up the required fields. The name section is where the name of the app goes, and the URL section will host the website URL of the web version of the Allo. For your convenience, I have linked the Allo's website URL here. Just copy and paste it in the required field.

3. Now, before you hit the Next button, click on the "Get favicon" button to get the logo for the Allo app. Conversely, you can even upload your own logo (by clicking on the browse button and selecting the logo file), if you want to.

4. Now keep clicking on the Next button till you reach the screen shown in the picture below. Here, click on the "Standard App" button to create your app. As soon as click on the button, a pop card will inform you that your app has been created.

5. Now, as you can see that the Allo app lives along side other apps on my Mac. It will just behave like a normal app. You can search for it in the Spotlight, find it inside the application folder, and so on. Launch the app, as you normally do.

6. When you launch the app, you will have to login into it before you can use it. Just scan the QR code with your Allo app (just like in the Chrome tutorial). This is how the app looks on my desktop.

Use Allo on PC and Mac

Although the web version of the Allo app is not fully functional (as it works only with Chrome and Android), this is a step in the right direction. Also, till Google launches the desktop apps, you can use the methods mentioned above to create one for you. It is not much different than using the WhatsApp on your PC or Mac, as that too feels like a port of its own web version. Let us know your thoughts about the Google Allo app in the comment section below. Also, now that it has a web version, are you more likely to use it than before? Drop down your thoughts on the subject below.

Apple is slowly bringing lots of file management features to both iOS and iPadOS. It can be viewed as Apple’s renewed push to make its devices much more productive and useful. With iOS 13 and iPadOS 13, you can natively extract ZIP files on your device and that is simply amazing. And that is not all, you can also create ZIP files right from the Files app. So, in this article, we bring you a straightforward guide on how to compress and extract ZIP files on iPhone and iPad. We have also mentioned another method that lets you deal with other archive formats as well as use it on iOS 12. With that said, let’s go ahead and learn about the steps.

Compress and Extract Archive Files on iPhone and iPad

As mentioned above, you can manage archive files natively through the Files app on iOS 13 and iPadOS 13. However, it only supports two archive file formats (ZIP and RAR) and there are a few limitations for compressing files. So, if you want to uncompress other file formats such as TAR or 7z and without any restriction then you can use use the Shortcuts app method which we have discussed below. Further, if you are on iOS 12, you can also use the Shortcuts app to zip and unzip files seamlessly.

• For iOS 13 and iPadOS 13

iOS 13 has native support for uncompressing both ZIP and RAR files. However, you can only compress a folder to the ZIP file format. For most purposes, it’s adequate and works pretty great. In case you want more options, you can move to the next section. With that said, here are the steps to follow.

1. To uncompress a ZIP or RAR file, open the Files app on your iPhone or iPad and find the file you want to unzip. Now, tap and hold the compressed file and you will find a few options. At the bottom, tap on “Uncompress” and a new folder will be created right there with all the content.

2. Similarly, to compress a folder on your iPhone or iPad, tap and hold the folder you want to compress and select “Compress” at the bottom. A ZIP file will be created then and there.

• For iOS 12 and Other Archive Formats

1. Open the Shortcuts app and tap on the “+” button on the top-right corner. After that, search for “zip” and tap on “Make Archive” for compressing files. Similarly, you can add “Extract Archive” for uncompressing files as another shortcut.

2. Next, tap on the edit icon on the top-right corner and enable the toggle for “Show in Share Sheet”. Further, you can give a name to your Shortcut as well.

3. After that, change the format to “Ask When Run” so that you can choose your preferred archive format. Having done that, tap the “Done” button on the top-right corner to save the Shortcut.

4. Now, just share the file with the Shortcut app and choose the particular Shortcut.

5. You will be prompted with a “Save” dialog box. Here, you can change the file format and then tap on “Done” to finally compress the file. You can find the compressed file in the Files app.

Unzip Files on the Fly on your iPhone and iPad

So that was our quick guide on how to compress and extract ZIP files on iPhone and iPad. If you have updated to iOS 13 or iPadOS 13 then the process is a breeze as the system now supports these features natively. However, if you want more flexibility then you can use the second method. Anyway, that is all from us. If you liked this simple guide, do comment down below and let us know.

Unless you’re a perfectionist whose files are all diligently labeled and organized, chances are you’ve had to search for a file at least once in your life. If you’re a new Linux user, you might be wondering how to find files on Linux. The good news is there are several ways to do it, which means that everyone can choose the method that suits them best.

Generally speaking, there are two types of apps that help you find files and folders on Linux. The first are those that search the live filesystem every time. The second type are apps that build an index of files, then perform searches on the index. In this article you’ll find a balanced mix of both, and you can combine them depending on your needs.

How to Find Files in the Terminal

Yes, I know…you’re not a fan of the command-line interface. That’s cool – keep reading and you’ll discover apps that are more to your liking. However, don’t think you can escape the commands. Most of the apps on this list are just graphical interfaces for find and/or locate, so you’ll still be using them, only not directly.

find

Let’s start with the most important command. Find is one of the essential Linux utilities. It looks for a string in the directories you’ve set according to parameters ("switches") that you’ve included. This example:

find /home/username/Documents -iname "writ*" -type f

means that you’re performing a case-insensitive (-iname) search for files (-type f) in the Documents folder, and their filenames begin with "writ". As you can see, find supports wildcards, and you can also use them to find files by their extension (for example, "*.pdf" to find all PDF files in a folder).

You can search for empty files with the -empty option, or find files by size and modification time. Find supports regular expressions, and if you want to search file contents, you can combine it with grep. To learn more, check the official documentation (or just type man find in the terminal).

locate

Locate uses a different approach. It relies on the updatedb utility which creates a database of your files and periodically updates it via cron scheduling. This lets locate know which files are currently present on your filesystem. You can also update the database manually whenever you want.

Locate can search for files by name, and you can use wildcards and regular expressions in your query. For instance:

locate -ei grub.cfg

will list the paths to all existing (-e) files called "grub.cfg". The -i option stands for "case-insensitive". If you don’t know the full name of the file you’re looking for, just type a part of it, and locate will display all files with the word in their name.

whereis

This command has a very specific purpose, so you probably won’t use it every day. Whereis shows you the location of the source, binaries, and user manuals for a given application. This means you won’t run whereis when you want to find a random text file. You will, however, use it when you need to check where GIMP or Firefox keep their configuration and executable files.

You can run whereis without any options to get a list of all files, or add switches for their respective functions (-b for binaries, -s for source, and -m for manuals).

How to Use a File Manager to Find Files

Most file managers for Linux can filter files by name or perform basic searches. If you don’t need any advanced parameters, this is a quick method that does the job.

Nautilus

Access the search function (highlighted in green on the screenshot) by pressing Ctrl+F or by clicking the magnifying glass icon in the toolbar. The search is case-insensitive, so you don’t have to worry about capitalizing your queries. You can filter files by type and location, although the latter is somewhat limited in terms of what you can adjust.

Dolphin

Dolphin’s search responds to the same keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+F), or you can open it from the Edit menu. It lets you filter files by name, content and location (current folder or the whole filesystem). If you have enabled file indexing with Baloo, Dolphin will be able to find files by type and modification date.

Krusader

Krusader is popular among KDE users as a Dolphin alternative thanks to its abundance of advanced options. Krusader’s file search functionality is two-fold: it works as a GUI for both find and locate commands.

The former lets you tweak many details, such as file type, included or excluded directories, size, ownership, and file permissions. Krusader can search for keywords within files and even archives (like ZIP and TAR), and you can use regular expressions to customize your query. If you’ve never tried Krusader, now is the time to give it a chance.

Thunar

Thunar integrates with the file search utility called Catfish to provide fast yet detailed results. You can filter files by type and modification date, and search file contents as well as their names. Catfish supports fuzzy (incomplete) filename matching, so you don’t have to know the exact name of the file you’re looking for.

How to Search for Files with Launchers

Launchers are usually used for, well, launching apps. However, you can also use them to find files by enabling various plugins. They’re quick and practical – you just start typing and the results pop right up. There are many launchers for Linux; we’ll focus on just a few examples.

Kupfer

Kupfer is a simple launcher available in the repositories of Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, and Arch Linux. It comes with a bunch of plugins that let you find files with the locate command, and it can create its own catalog of indexed folders.

Kupfer is an action-based launcher. After typing in your search keyword, Kupfer will list actions that you can perform on/with the results. These depend on the plugins you’ve enabled, and you can activate them by selecting them in the drop-down menu.

KRunner

KRunner is the default KDE launcher that you can configure in the System Settings – Plasma Search dialogue.

Like Kupfer, it supports numerous plugins that help you not only find files, but also interact with other Linux applications and parts of the Plasma desktop environment. KRunner can search YouTube and Wikipedia, show your recent documents, find files by type, and much more.

Albert

Albert is inspired by the Alfred launcher for OS X. Although it looks simple, Albert has plenty of options to play with. It also has – you guessed it – plugins, with "Files" being the most important here.

This plugin lets you create an index of directories that Albert will monitor and rely on. You can enable fuzzy (incomplete) matching and choose which types of files should be indexed. To find files, simply run Albert by pressing the designated keyboard shortcut and start typing your query.

Mutate

Another Alfred-inspired launcher for Linux, Mutate doesn’t have as many options as Albert. Still, it features multiple search types, including file search. You can look for files by name and by file extension. The Preferences dialogue is somewhat unusual, because it shows which scripts Mutate is using, but doesn’t let you configure much apart from keywords and keyboard shortcuts.

Finding Files with Specialized Linux Apps

So far we’ve covered mostly simple file search solutions. They’re great for everyday lookups, but not so useful when it comes to complex queries and file contents search. If you need something more powerful, consider the following suggestions.

GNOME Search for Files

In case GNOME Search not installed on your distribution, look for the gnome-search-tool package in the repository. GNOME Search is powered by locate, find, and grep commands, and supports wildcards as well as partial filename matching. You can combine multiple search options by choosing them from the drop-down menu and clicking "Add".

KFind

KFind is the KDE equivalent of GNOME Search with a few extra options. It can search for filenames or file contents, and if you’ve enabled file indexing on your KDE system, it can search the index to speed up the process. The options are divided into tabs, and the last tab ("Properties") lets you find files by size, modification date, and ownership. Apart from regular expressions and wildcards, KFind supports the question mark as a stand-in for a single character in your query. For example, searching for "no?es" will find files named "noses", "notes", "nodes", and so on.

Unity Dash

Ubuntu users faithful to the Unity desktop will be familiar with the Dash. Unity Dash is capable of finding your files and folders according to several parameters (filename, modification date, file type, size). To extend its functionality, you can install various Unity Scopes and Lenses. They integrate external services into Dash, enabling it to search for your browser bookmarks, Google Docs files, web history, and more.

SearchMonkey

SearchMonkey is a relatively old, but still completely functional desktop search app. Regular expressions are its main focus, and it has a "Test Regular Expression" tool that helps you build them. SearchMonkey supports all the essential search parameters (filenames, modification date, size, and file contents), plus the option to restrict the recursive search depth to a selected number of folders.

You can also save search results as a CSV file and limit the amount of results for every query.

DocFetcher

DocFetcher is a desktop search engine for people who often need to search for file contents instead of just filenames. Think researchers, students, and other users who work with large collections of text-based files. DocFetcher first builds a database of files and folders that you choose. This database is automatically updated whenever DocFetcher detects that you’ve modified the files.

When searching for files, you can filter them by type and size, or use regular expressions for fine-grained queries. DocFetcher can search within PDF, EPUB, HTML, RTF, and Office files, as well as within archive files (ZIP, TAR, 7z...) and even Outlook emails.

One great thing about DocFetcher is that it has a portable version, so you can carry your database and the app on a USB stick and use it anywhere.

Recoll

Recoll is probably the most powerful desktop search engine for Linux. It’s similar to DocFetcher: you use it to search through file contents. On first run, it will prompt you to create an index of files. You can select which directories and file types will be indexed, and limit files by size. Recoll will then set up an update schedule so that the index is always synchronized with the actual files. If you want, you can create multiple file indexes and search for files only in one, or in all of them.

You can look up files by name or search for keywords within files. Recoll lets you filter results by several criteria. It can also show related or similar files, search for phrases within files, and recognize word forms thanks to support for stemming. This means that you can search for "work", and the results will include files that contain "working", "worked", "workers"…

Supported file formats include regular text files, logs, man pages, HTML, PDF, CHM, RTF, DJVU, and EPUB files, Libre and Microsoft Office files (including Excel and Powerpoint documents), TAR, RAR, 7z and ZIP archives. Note that external libraries or helper utilities might be required for some of them.

Since most file search tools support the same options, choosing one is largely a matter of convenience, or deciding what works best for your typical workflow. This list might seem long, but there are more file search utilities for Linux. We’ll mention ANGRYsearch, a new project that strives to be the fastest search tool. And what about you? Do you know any other apps for finding files on Linux? What do you use – and can you share some tips? Let us know in the comments.

Image credits: Mutate screenshot, DocFetcher screenshot

Origin is Electronic Art’s digital distribution platform, which is widely used by people for around the world for purchasing video games in addition to online multiplayer gaming. As physical media is dying, digital distribution platforms like Origin and Steam focus on convenience by letting you buy your favorite games, right from the comfort of your home. However, there are downsides to using these platforms as well, because you’ll have to wait for the whole game to download, before you can start playing. If you have a poor internet connection, you might have to end up waiting for days to download a game. Having said that, what if the platform you’re using is throttling the download speed, even when you have a high-speed internet connection? Well, Origin is infamous for throttling the download speeds, as reported by numerous users across the globe. However, there is a solution and it’s all about running Origin in R&D mode. So, without delaying furt her, let’s take a look at how you can use R&D mode to increase download speed in Origin:

Creating Configuration File For Origin R&D Mode

Origin’s desktop client is available for both Windows and macOS operating systems. If you haven’t installed it already, you can simply download the latest version of the client from here. You’ll need to create a configuration file in order to get Origin R&D mode to work. Simply follow the steps below to get it done:

Note: I’m showing this method on my Windows 10 laptop but the process should be similar on the Mac as well.

• Open Notepad on your computer and type the following lines exactly how its shown below:

     [connection]       EnvironmentName=production       [Feature] CdnOverride=akamai

• Now, simply click on File -> Save As in order to save what you’ve typed in. We’ll be saving the file under a different name and format as well.

• For the file name, type in “EACore.ini” as shown below, and make sure you choose “All Files” for the Save as type as shown in the screenshot below. You have to save this INI file on your desktop.

• Once done, open the Origin desktop client. You will receive a pop-up on your screen asking if you’d like to “Use Configuration File On Desktop”. Click on Yes.

• Now, you’ll be taken to Origin’s Sign In page. If you’ve done the above steps correctly, you’ll notice that Origin is now running in R&D mode production by simply looking at the top of the Origin client’s window.

Well, that’s all to it. What are you waiting for? Go ahead and download your favorite games to notice the difference in speed right away. You will now be able to download at the highest possible speed that your internet connection can handle and will no longer be restricted to Origin’s throttled speeds.

Download Speed in Origin: Before vs After

Well, we wanted to show you how much of a speed improvement we were experiencing and it’s quite noticeable to say the least. At our office, the WiFi speeds usually hover between 8 – 16 Mbps. Well, that’s not necessarily a high speed internet connection, but the results will vary from person to person. Well, before we used R&D mode, we were trying to download Battlefield 1 CTE at about 215 KB/s. Obviously, we couldn’t handle it, as the file size was almost 47 GB and it was a pain to watch. So, we restarted Origin after setting up R&D mode and immediately noticed a huge improvement in speed. We were now downloading at approximately 1.5 MB/s, which is close to 7 times improvement in speed, compared to what we were getting without the R&D mode. Unlike us, if you have a high-speed internet connection, you might notice way better improvement in your download speeds.

                     SEE ALSO: How to Increase Download Speed On PS4

Download At Full Speeds in Origin using R&D Mode

We’re pretty confident that once you start using Origin in R&D mode, there’s no turning back. Who wants to face sluggish download speeds in the first place? We really hope that EA doesn’t render this tweak useless, by fixing it in Origin’s future updates. So, have you tried out and enjoyed using the R&D mode? Do let us know how this article has helped you in improving your game download speeds by simply dropping a few words in the comments section down below.

Android is a platform for various developers to come out and showcase their ideas that aim to enhance the ability of the system. If you’ve ever used a custom ROM, or GravityBox on your rooted and Xposed-infused Android device, surely you must have come across a brightness slider that allows you to slide your finger across the status bar to adjust the screen’s brightness. The feature is simple and nifty. It’s disheartening that such a feature is not available on stock Android. Cue – Display Brightness. This app allows you to modify your screen’s brightness with the help of a brightness slider without the need to go to the quick settings option.

What makes the Display Brightness app even more awesome is that it’s completely free, doesn't even require root access, and unlike custom ROMs, you can use this brightness slider on any edge of your screen. So, if you’re interested in getting this feature on your device, read on as we discuss how to easily adjust your device’s brightness with the help of a brightness slider on status bar.

Get Brightness Slider on Status Bar in Android

• To start off, you need to enable installation of third-party APK files. To do so, simply head over to the Android Settings and tap on the "Security" option. Once there, make sure that the "Unknown Sources" option is checked.

• Next, you need to download and install the Amazon Underground app from here.

Note: You need to have an Amazon account to proceed

• Now, download the “Display Brightness” app from Amazon Underground and install it.

• Once you open the app, you can customize various features of the brightness slider such as select the size, adjust the transparency, alter the overall length of the slider, change the bar type and much more. Furthermore, you can also select the screen position to relocate the brightness slider to best suit your preferences.

• Lastly, simply drag the slider to adjust the brightness of your device. For example, I’ve placed the brightness slider in the top center, which is the status bar, and when I adjust the slider to change the screen’s brightness, the brightness percentage is also displayed in the center of the screen.

Control Your Device’s Brightness With Brightness Slider

The Android developer community has always come up with new and interesting features, that should be a part of the stock Android. Display brightness is a perfect example of one such app, that certainly deserves the fame. Despite the app being outdated, it still works flawlessly, and successfully ports the brightness slider feature in status bar from many custom ROMs to every Android device. Share with us how you feel about this app and how you intend to use it in the comments section below.

Recently, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 was announced. The new Note device from Samsung comes with a plethora of new features such as Edge Lightning, Air Command, Live Messages, and much more. It also brings some new updates to the In-call UI, Samsung Keyboard, Gallery, and other system apps. While these new apps might sound great, they might not justify the $930 price tag. Well, fret not, because if you own a Samsung device running Android Nougat, you just might be in luck. A developer at XDA has figured out a way to port all the new Note 8 apps and features on any Samsung device. So, if you’re interested in getting all those new features, read on, as we bring to your guide on how to install Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Apps on any Samsung device running Nougat:

Install Note 8 Apps on Your Samsung Device

Note: The following method only works on Samsung devices running Android Nougat (7.0) or above. Also, it requires a custom recovery like TWRP or CWM to be installed on your device, as well as root access. I tested the method on my Samsung Galaxy S7 running SuperStock ROM 7.0, as well as on my Samsung Galaxy S8 running Stock ROM based on Android 7.0, and the method worked just fine.

• To start off, download the flashable ZIP file containing Galaxy Note 8 apps from here, to your device.

Note: The link is to a download folder that will be updated periodically. Make sure to always download the latest version.

• Next up, download Root Uninstaller (free). Open it up and grant it root access.

• Once you’ve downloaded Root Uninstaller, open it up and use it to uninstall Samsung Browser/Internet and Samsung Calculator. After they’ve been uninstalled, restart your device to proceed.

• Once you’ve done that, head over to the custom recovery on your device. From there, flash the ZIP file you downloaded earlier.

• And that’s it. Once you’ve completed flashing the ZIP file, reboot your device to enjoy Samsung Galaxy Note 8 apps on your Samsung Nougat Device. For example, I tried using the Live Messages feature on my device, and here’s how it worked:

And here’s the Live Message that was later exported as GIF:

Live Message made using Live Messages feature on Samsung Galaxy S8

Along with Live Messages, many other features were also ported, including an updated Gallery, In-Call UI, Calendar, Messenger, Browser, Clock and more. Also, the port brought about Edge Lighting, which basically adds a colorful glow to the edges of your device whenever a notification arrives. The port also brings about an updated fingerprint service that allows for faster fingerprint recognition. Additionally, users having a Samsung Galaxy Note device running Android Nougat will also be able to make use of S-Pen specific features such as Air Command, Air View and more.

Note: Although Air Command and other S Pen features were installed on my S7 as well as on my S8, I could not make use of it since my devices do not support the S-Pen.

Get Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Apps on Your Device

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 comes with a ton of new features and updates. If you own a Samsung device that’s rocking Android Nougat, the above tutorial should work well to aid you for experiencing the latest that Samsung has to offer. Tell us about your favorite app from the Note 8 device in the comments section below.