File compression is still the best way to send a huge bunch of photos to your dearest friend. It is one of the most important operations on almost every operating system, and is, therefore, inundated with a barrage of apps concerning it. On Windows too, file compression comes built-in, and so does on Linux. That said, the default compression method isn't always the best one, and even if it is, there are people who are looking to trying out new tools for the same operation.

For file compression on Linux, as on Windows and Mac, there is no dearth of applications, both closed source and open source, which you can try for free. So, whether you're looking to pack hundreds of photos in a nice zipped file and send it to your friend, or you’re trying to save some valuable space on your disk, there are a lot of nice compression tools you can choose from on Linux. Here’s a list of all the best ones in that genre:

Released in 1997, bzip2 is one of the most common file compression tools for Linux. Though not as fast as other titles on the list, the open-source tool is known for its errorless compression and patent-free nature. Furthermore, thanks to its recovery capabilities, bzip2 can also decompress files that are slightly damaged. One great thing about bzip2 is that since it uses POSIX threads it parallelizes the compression process, a thing that makes it work well with many multi-core processors. Since it’s a command line tool, and a very old one, it’s highly unlikely that you won’t find it pre-installed on your favorite Linux distribution.

Part of the KDE suite, Ark is a popular archiving utility used for zipping up tar, gzip, bzip2, rar and zip files. Once installed, you can browse, create, extract, and modify archives. The latest stable release is 2.17 and is licensed under GPL v2. Neatly integrated with Dolphin, KDE’s default file manager, Ark proves to be a convenient and simple file archiver for Linux.

7-zip is an open-source file compression utility that’s quite popular on Windows. Also available for Linux, the file archiver supports formats like 7z, XZ, Bzip2, gzip, tar, zip, and more. For unpacking files, even more formats are supported including the ones like arj, cab, dmg, ntfs, rar, rpm, and more. Licensed under GPL, 7-Zip comes with support for strong AES-256 encryption in 7Z and zip formats. Their 7Z format offers the highest compression ratio, and is thus used by many users to compress big files.

PeaZip is a free, cross-platform file archiver that presents a unified GUI for other compression tools like 7-zip, FreeArc, PAQ, and more. Once installed, you can create 7Z, ARC, BZ2, GZ, ZIP, RAR and many other types of archive. Also, PeaZip supports extraction of over 130 archive types. Furthermore, the free tool can extract, create, and convert multiple archives at once, create self-extracting archives, split or join files, and do much more. For the security-conscious, it includes support for two-factor authentication, encrypted password manager, secure deletion and many other features.

If you’re moving from Windows to Linux, you might, more often than not, come across files packed in RAR packages. Now, WinRAR, the tool with which you create RAR files is not available for Linux, as yet, and there’s a dearth of any promising alternatives for the proprietary tool. RAR is a software that fills in that need, and makes unzipping and zipping .rar files a breeze. Though free to try, RAR is a shareware, and you’d need to register it after 40 days of use. That fallacy apart, the tool is actually quite good because not only does it work well with RAR files, it also serves as a good archiver for zip files.

Global Positioning System or GPS, has, little by little, become an integral part of our lives. Whether it be finding our way home or checking out the best restaurants in a foreign country, the satellite-based navigation system has been making our lives better since 2007. Not only that, GPS has also made military operations and strategies much more advanced.

Despite the fact that many technologically-challenged people go through a bit of a struggle while using GPS, there are, in fact, many applications that have made that process a whole lot easier. In today’s article, we’ll be touching upon some of the best GPS-based apps that are out there for Android. These apps will not only help you use GPS, but will also let you get the most out of your phone and discover new places.

Waze is a social GPS application that helps you navigate to your destination and also connects you to other drivers. Once installed, the free app lets you lookup real time traffic information and road reports. Furthermore, you get notifications about upcoming police traps, speed cams, and occasional road hazards. The app is well designed, and the GPS integration is good enough to be used as your main navigation tool. In fact, the app also features voice-guided, turn-by-turn directions, so that you won’t get lost in the traffic.

One of the most important, and slightly controversial features of the app is the ability to create or join local driving groups and the ability to carpool with them. Some users might find this helpful, and some of them might find it a bit privacy-invasive. However, overall, the app is great for anyone who travels a lot and is looking to improve his or her overall transportation experience, so it's like one of those handy Android travel apps.

Known as the Swiss-army knife of GPS navigation, GPS Essentials is a free tool that lets you navigate, manage waypoints, and much more. The app lets you view data like altitude, declination, climb, sunrise, moon phase and more. Moreover, you can use it as a compass to show the earth’s magnetic field and also as a marine orientation device. The app is composed of widgets, all of which you can drag and drop to your custom ‘dashboard’. GPS Essentials can also be handy in long journeys, wherein you could send waypoints to your lost friends via email or share with them using Dropbox (KML or GPX format).

Google Maps is perhaps the best GPS application out there for Android. Simple, feature-loaded, and stable, the Google-made app turns your phone into a full-fledged GPS device. From detailed maps with 3D buildings to real photos of streets, Google Maps is the perfect app for your every navigation needs. It also comes with a voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation system, which, complimented by the live traffic information, takes you to your destination without having to stop by and ask random strangers for directions.

Sygic is a voice-guided navigation app that displays 3D cities and landscape along with spoken street names. With Dynamic Lane Guidance and Signposts, the app comes with features that most of the other navigation apps don’t offer. You can search for any street, city, or suburb along with looking for maps of most of the major countries that are loaded in the app. Other features include stopwatch, Facebook and Twitter integration, pedestrian navigation, and much more.

Though free to download from the Google Play Store, you have to pay for the app after the 7-day trial period. So, if you are looking for a simple GPS-enhancing application, we will not recommend Sygic; however, if you are in need of a full-fledged, dedicated GPS navigator, this is the perfect choice for you. Sygic has been rated 4 out of 5 stars in the marketplace and has gotten quite a lot of nice reviews.

Ubuntu’s latest release called Precise Pangolin has managed to please its many admirers and silence the naysayers. Unity, the most contentious part of Ubuntu so far has turned out to be a dark horse in Canonical’s race for desktop domination. With new features like the HUD, video lens and more, Ubuntu 12.04 has even had the BBC waxing eloquent about its charm. That said, not everyone is happy with the latest release. There are, as always, some criticisms regarding the lack of a new icon theme and the absence of any major game-changing feature. Of course, the overall outlook towards Ubuntu 12.04 'Precise Pangolin' is positive and there is absolutely no doubt that this is the best release by Canonical so far.

As with every new release, many users are kind of on the fence about upgrading their operating system to the latest version. Fears, doubts, and stability affinity are some roadblocks that a new Linux user faces when he or she hears about the word upgrade. If you too are undecided whether to upgrade or not to, here’s a list of the reasons which will help you pick a side.


Reasons Why You Should Upgrade to Ubuntu 12.04

1. You get the latest of all apps: Yes, the latest Firefox, Nautilus, and Thunderbird are enough reasons to make you choose the Pangolin. With the latest kernel, you have faster boot times, better driver support and more. Also, Ubuntu’s Software Center has been upgraded to the latest version making it much faster than its earlier version.

2. Improved Unity: Unity in 11.10 was, to an extent, a half-baked desktop experience. Applications were not integrated properly, nor was the launcher completely done. With Ubuntu 12.04, you’ll find most of the default applications support quick lists, thus making the desktop much more usable.

3. The Video Lens: Whether you want to explore your huge movie collection or want to discover some cool online videos, the Video Lens on the Unity desktop makes every videophile happy. You can easily browse through or search videos from your own videos collection (files from your Videos folder) and open them up using the default media player.

4. Improved Privacy: For many users, the Dash is more of an embarrassing history reminder than an intelligent desktop search engine. For those who worry about their privacy a lot, the settings let you delete your entire track record or history from a limited time frame.

5. HUD: Replacing the traditional menubar comes HUD, an intelligent and adaptive tool that allows you to perform important application-related tasks without clicking the mouse. Simply press the Alt key and key in the command you want.

6. A Great Set of Wallpapers: Admit it, who doesn't love to dress up their computer? If the aforementioned features don’t interest you much, then at least upgrade for the amazing set of community wallpapers that come with Precise. And yeah, change the wallpaper and you’ll see the login screen adapt it as its skin instantly.

7. Improved Multi-Monitor Support: Work with 2 or more monitors like a boss with Ubuntu’s latest offering.



Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Upgrade to Ubuntu 12.04

1. You hate Unity: If you’re using the pre-Unity Ubuntu, then chances are that the new incarnation of the Canonical marvel doesn't appeal to you much. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn't really manage to like the whole Unity thing. In that case, it’s okay; it’s better to stay with your current version. Gnome 2 isn't that bad after all.

2. Your upgrade experience hasn't been good so far: Admit it, the upgrade experience isn't the smoothest of all. There are some small issues here and there usually; however, there are rare cases when the upgrade messes things up real bad. If your computer has been a victim of such circumstances a lot of times, then it’s better to stay with the earlier version rather than upgrade. Also, if you’re on a computer that demands a lot of uptime then it’s better to stick with the older version.

3. You don’t need awesome features: Okay, no matter how much you hate Unity, Ubuntu 12.04 is something that will make you change your mind. It’s stable, fast, and comes with a lot of amazing features that neither Linux Mint nor any other distro have at this moment. So, if you’re on the fence about upgrading, we’d say by all means go to ubuntu.com right now and upgrade!

Google Earth is one of the most innovative software the big G has developed so far. The free tool lets you browse the whole globe without the need for any fancy equipment. Roam freely around the blue planet, explore new places, and augment your geographical knowledge by simply sitting in front of the computer. Google Earth’s magical navigation lets you ‘fly’ to any place that comes to your mind.

Whether it be the architectural marvels of Havana or the ruins of Babylon, Google Earth lets you browse almost any marvel on the planet. Furthermore, the tool also lets you see 3D buildings, imagery, and terrain. You can also find cities, places, and local businesses, thus making Google Earth a rather useful tool for frequent travelers. Other interesting features of the application include the ability to visit art museums, baseball stadiums, world skyscrapers, and soccer stadiums.

That said, despite all its nice features and amazing capabilities, Google Earth comes with its fair share of flaws. Despite being made available on almost all popular platforms, including on our beloved Linux, it has been widely criticized by the Free Software Foundation (FSF). Written in Qt, the Linux version of Google Earth uses the controversial Digital Rights Management (DRM) thus turning the FOSS community against it. In fact, an open-source version of Google Earth has been made a high priority and is included in the list of High Priority Free Software Projects.

Even though the FOSS version of Google Earth is not available yet, there are certainly some great alternatives you can try natively on your Linux box. Despite the fact that these tools don’t quite offer the same amount of features as Google Earth, they do, however, let you browse the earth and come with all the essential features the proprietary tool offers.

Developed by the revered NASA organization, World Wind lets you zoom from satellite altitude to any place on earth. Using Landsat satellite imagery and shuttle radar topography mission data, you can view 3D images of the Earth and increase your geographic knowledge. Written in Java, World Wind is cross-platform, open source, and is developed on open standards. You can browse the globe easily either by using your mouse or by taking advantage of the numerous keyboard shortcuts it comes with.

NASA World Wind requires a 3D video card with the latest drivers, so NVIDIA and ATI cards are generally preferred.

Marble is a virtual globe and a World Atlas that you can use to learn more about the planet Earth. Whether you want to increase your geography knowledge or check out new destinations for traveling, Marble lets you zoom into the remotest corners of the earth. Part of the KDE Education project, the open-source tool not only lets you look up places and roads, it also leads you to links of Wikipedia articles of that particular location.

Marble offers classroom-style topographic maps, a satellite view, street map, earth at night, and temperature and precipitation maps. All maps come with a custom map key that makes it easier for educators to use Marble in classrooms. Marble is part of the KDE suite of application, and looks even more beautiful if you have a K desktop environment installed. In fact, KDE users can take advantage of the marble widget that they can drop onto their desktop.

One great thing about Marble, as compared to Google Earth and NASA World Wind, is that it runs decently even without any hardware acceleration. Moreover, the ability to take advantage of third-party plugins make Marble much more interactive and fun to use. Plugin sources include OpenStreetmap, Wikipedia, KML, and GPX. Quick to startup and easy on the system, Marble is perhaps the best alternative to Google Earth you can have on any platform and not just on Linux. Surely worth a try even if you’re not a fan of KDE-based applications.

Tired of Shuttleworth's bold endeavors? Find Fedora, Mint, and other Ubuntu alternatives relatively insipid? If yes, then it’s time you put in a little time to create your own custom spin that looks and works as you want it to. Oh, but before you imagine yourself typing in cryptic commands in a dark corner of your room, stop worrying. Creating a custom Linux live CD is not as hard as it sounds. Thanks to an amazing set of tools, you can create your own custom Linux live CD or USB in about an hour.

So, if you’re itching to showcase your Linuxian invention to the world, here’s a small how-to article on that:

Ubuntu users can benefit from a cool customization tool called Ubuntu Customization Kit, which, once installed, lets users create custom Ubuntu Live CDs according to their needs. The great thing about UCK is that it’s very easy to use, and anyone with little computing experience can create his or her own distribution without any major hassles. Moreover, since the application comes with a nicely designed GUI, you can swiftly move through all the complex tasks. That said, the app doesn't just cater to the needs of new users, it also allows experienced users to customize their distro with some cool scripts along with the possibility to customize root filesystem.

To get started, simply install UCK by typing in or pasting the following command in the terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T):

Open the launcher (Super key) and type ‘uck’ without the quotes. Then once the application shows up, follow the instructions and create the distro of your dreams.

Also, if you get stuck, How-To Geek has a detailed guide about using UCK.

If you’re known among friends as an expert tweaker, then Remastersys will help you share your expertise with your friends without the hassles of cryptic coding. The application, once installed, will help you backup your whole system on to a live CD or USB, which can then be installed as a distro on a separate computer. Since Remastersys blacklists NVIDIA and AMD proprietary drivers, installing your custom distro on a different computer won’t be such a big issue. The maximum size of the ISO is 4GB, which, in our opinion, is more than enough for any Linux user to showcase their distro-making talent.

For Fedora fanboys and fangirls, Revisor is a popular tool that helps them create customs spins of their favorite distribution. Users can customize the packages and personalize the distro any way they want. Then, once you’re done customizing your respin, you can load it onto a USB stick or a DVD and share it with friends. Furthermore, if your respin appeals to a certain user group, you can submit it to Fedora Spins project page and watch it grow. In fact, some of the spins like Electronic-Lab were created specially for people who need all the packages related to their work.

To install Revisor, simply enter the following commands in your terminal:

SUSE Studio is quite similar to the aforementioned Fedora Spins project; however, SUSE Studio is much more easy to use as it lets users create their Live CDs/USBs online. Once you’re done customizing, you can export your custom operating system as a virtual machine, Live USB disk, CD/DVD image, hard disk image and more. Moreover, you can build and deploy directly to cloud services such as Amazon EC2. Finally, once you’re done with your masterpiece, simply upload it to the SUSE Studio gallery where new users can try out your work.

The way we travel has evolved a lot over the years. In the early days, people used to walk around with giant folded maps, asking for directions to random strangers. Not that anything is wrong with that, it was just that those methods weren't as great as the ones we have now. For example, not only is using GPS devices more convenient than carrying maps and guides, it’s also much more time saving.

These days, all the things you need for your journey are packed neatly into your tiny smartphone, thus fitting a whole bag full of accessories right in your pocket. Furthermore, there are a variety of applications that help us take care of the smallest of hassles we encounter in our voyage. Today, we’ll take a look at five handy apps that makes an Android smartphone or tablet a perfect companion for travelers.

TripAdvisor is a free app for Android that allows you to browse through over 50 million reviews and opinions by travelers about the best places to eat, sleep, and visit. The intuitive app helps you find hotels, restaurants, attractions, and more with tight map integration. Moreover, you can also find out more about places by browsing through thousands of photos uploaded by other TripAdvisor users. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars, the app is freely available for download from the Play Store.

Co-founded by Reddit co-creator Steve Huffman in 2010, Hipmunk helps you find the best hotels and flights for your trip. Competing directly with Google’s flight search service, the free app shows you the cheapest and the most hassle-free flight. So, for example, you’re flying from New York to Seattle, not only will Hipmunk find you the cheapest deal, it will also take into consideration factors like travel time, number of stops, and more, so that your journey is as comfortable as possible.

Furthermore when it comes to finding hotels, Hipmunk shows you a nice map of all the best ones around your area. Above each hotel’s marker, you’ll find the pricing, rating, and a small picture of it. If you’re more meticulous about the hotels you choose, you could also browse pictures of the rooms right from the app. Overall, Hipmunk is undoubtedly the best and the most useful travel app in this list.

KAYAK lets you compare hotels, rental cars, and flights right from your Android device. Once installed, the free app lets you track your flight status, look up baggage fees, manage itinerary, access airline numbers and more. Rated 4.3 out of 5 stars, KAYAK is freely available for download from the Google Play Store.

Hotel Tonight will help you find great deals on hotels while planning your next big trip. Limited to U.S cities only, this free app can save you up to 70% on hotel bookings. Hotel Tonight is especially made for frequent travelers who are forced to book hotels at the last minute. Once installed, the app will make sure that you’re not stranded on the airport after your delayed flight.

Expedia Hotels is a free app that helps you book from over 130,000 hotel rooms without picking up the phone. Optimized for tablets, the app shows all available hotels in your vicinity on a nice map and then lets you book from any of them. You can then narrow down to the ones you need by using filters based on price, distance, hotel name, and traveler rating. If you’re on the fence about the booking, you can browse through reviews of millions of other Expedia users, thus making the process quite transparent. Finally, when you’re ready to book, you can securely reserve your room without having to worry about security issues. Rated 4 out of 5 stars, Expedia Hotels is freely available for download from the Play Store.

It's been quite a long time since Microsoft first unveiled Windows Media Center. The entertainment tool catered to a special group of users who wanted to convert their computer into a full-fledged media center. And though Redmond's ambitious endeavor never really got the expected response, the idea of having a media center on a computer appealed to many users.

This fledgling interest in entertainment software gave birth to many Linux-based media center applications and distributions. Some of them took off, and some of them never hit the limelight; however, one thing was clear, the concept was quite fascinating, so much so that Apple TV, Google TV and even Ubuntu TV are very much inspired by these media centers. For example, Boxee, which is based on XBMC -- which, we’ll cover later in the article -- has gained quite a lot of popularity as an Internet TV box. Thus, there is very little doubt that these media center software are quite important and, to an extent, indispensable for some.

So, if you too are looking to revamp your computer into a complete media center, here are some of the best applications that will help you do that:

Moovida, formerly known as Elisa media center, is one of the best cross-platform media centers out there. Moovida supports a variety of file formats, making it easy to play all media files on your disk. Not only can it play files on your hard drive, it can also detect networked computers along with connected devices like portable media players. With its simple interface and intuitive controls, you can browse your entire movie or music collection without getting out of your comfy sofa. And, if you’re bored with all the stuff on your computer, you can install some cool plugins like YouTube, Flickr, Shoutcast, Grooveshark, and more to get more stuff from the Internet. Moovida is completely free and open-source and can be downloaded directly from the Ubuntu Software Center.

For the terminal junkies, here’s the command for you to paste or type:

Plex is a software designed to bridge the gap between your computer and home theater. The application comes with a stunning interface that is both easy to use and intuitive. Plex media server, which runs seamlessly on Linux, Windows, and Mac, connects Plex clients with local and online media. Written in C++, the server can also run on any compatible Network-Attached Storage device (NAS). Furthermore, Plex also offers Bonjour-based discovery, a feature that depends on Avahi. Though the stuff is still in Plex Labs, that is beta, you can download one that suits your distro (the choice also includes a ppa for Ubuntu users).

Even though you can fetch the required files from the download page, you can also try out the beta builds (comes with DLNA and WP7 support) by typing in or pasting the following commands in your terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T):

XBMC is perhaps the most popular media center application for Linux. The free and open source software that inspired successful commercial applications like Boxee has made its place in the hearts of many entertainment enthusiasts. XBMC recently saw the release of Eden; successor to Dharma, which is the software’s 11th stable release.

For starters, XBMC is an award-winning FOSS media center application for Linux, Windows, and Mac. The software allows users to browse through their media, organize it, and play it just like you would on a home theater. Thanks to online integration, the software automatically downloads the movie descriptions, box covers, and fan art from the Internet. Furthermore, XBMC is so stable and versatile that it can play files in almost every format, even the ones inside Zip or RAR archives.

For the eye-candy fanboys, XBMC comes with a fabulous selection of skins that can help you dress up your media center any way you want. Moreover, you can add various features like online video integration and more using the feature-filled plugins that the software offers. The latest stable release of XBMC comes with features like UI improvement, Apple TV compatibility, AirPlay support and more.

To install XBMC 11 on your Ubuntu box, type in or paste the following commands in your terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T):

If you’re using any other distribution, follow the instructions given on this page.

Wi-Fi, thanks to its easy setup and widespread use, has made itself popular in many households. The wireless technology connects multiple devices, including computers, phones, and tablets, thus making it easier for them to ‘communicate’ with each other. So, for example, you want to control your living room computer whilst sitting comfortably in your bedroom, thanks to Wi-Fi, you can do that simply by installing a few remote control apps on your smartphone. Moreover, you can snap a picture of yourself, send it to your laptop, and then send it to your printer for a nice printed pic. The possibilities are endless; however, they’re not without risks.

These days, more and more wireless networks fall prey to intrusions, hacking, and unauthorized usage due to the user’s failure to adopt necessary security measures.

Here at TechSource, we've compiled a nice list of all the essential steps you must take in order to secure your wireless network.

This is the first and the most important of tips. Never, and I repeat never keep your Wi-Fi network open. In your router’s wireless settings section, you’ll find a bunch of options that will help you encrypt your network. Here’s some information about the different protocols you’ll need to choose from in order to keep the intruders at bay:

WEP: Wireless Equivalent Privacy, or WEP is a security algorithm that was introduced by IEEE in 1999. Recognizable by the key of 10 or 26 hexadecimal digits, WEP has, since its introduction, been criticized for its flaws. Consequently, another security algorithm known as WPA was introduced, thus making WEP obsolete. Despite its widely publicized fallacies, WEP is still widely used, thus exposing the network to unwanted attacks. If you’re setting up a new network, it’s strongly recommended that you stay away from WEP and go with WPA2 instead. Furthermore, if you’re using WEP, be it your office or home network, it’s important that you switch to WPA2 as soon as possible.

WPA: Wi-Fi Protected Access or WPA is a security protocol designed to address the security fallacies in the aforementioned WEP protocol. Introduced in 1999, WPA wasn't completely adopted until early 2000s, since many routers faced compatibility issues whilst upgrading. WPA did, to an extent, address the many issues WEP faced; however, WPA too had a few vulnerabilities of its own. Soon, in 2004, IEEE introduced WPA2, which has, since then, become the most secure protocol of the lot. Since 2006, WPA2 has been made mandatory for all new devices, thus there’s very little chance that you won’t have the protocol in your newly purchased router. So, in short, if you’re creating a new wireless network, simply go for WPA2, as it is the strongest of the bunch.

If you’re surrounded by basement-dwelling hackers and perpetual snoops, here’s a nifty little tip that will help keep them away from your network. Simply name your network’s SSID something like <> STATE POLICE, <> OFFICIAL MILITARY NETWORK, FBI Protected Access, Skynet, the list is endless. Just use your creativity and it might help you ward off those hackers for good.

The recently revamped Google Play Store is one of the most frequented application stores on the Internet. Competing head-on with the iTunes Store, the free marketplace lets you browse, download, and purchase variety of applications without any hassles. And though the store suffices the needs of almost every app-hungry user, it doesn't, however, provide access to apps that violate Google policies. Furthermore, modders and rooters are always ready to try out variety of new apps, many of which aren't available in the Play Store.

So, if you are looking for some great alternatives to the traditional Google Play app store, here is a list of some great replacements for the revered marketplace (previously known as Android Market):

While it might seem a bit weird for a big company like Amazon to invest in an alternative to the Google Play Store, it does, in fact, help the retail giant cater to the needs of its huge user base of Kindle Fire consumers. The Amazon store isn't that different from the Google Play Store; it doesn't offer any banned apps, nor does it provide any special apps of its own. The only advantage that the Amazon app store has over Play Store, and also other competing app stores, is the fact that it gives away one app for free everyday. This makes the store a perfect choice for all the users who are always on the hunt for freebies.

GetJar is perhaps the biggest app store on the Internet. Founded in Lithuania in 2004, the store provides more than 350,000 applications for Android, Blackberry, Symbian and other devices. GetJar, thanks to its versatility, is quite popular amongst developers as well as users. The site sees about 3 million downloads a day, which is quite an achievement for an independent app store. The store can easily be seen as a replacement for the default Play Store.

AppBrain is one of the most frequented alternative stores for Android. Rather than being yet another app store, AppBrain serves more or less like a website for discovering and sharing new Android apps. Once you download an app, it gets added to your custom wish list that is then stored on your AppBrain account. Since AppBrain doesn't distribute apps, purchase of paid apps happens via the Play Store itself.

The most important feature of AppBrain is its discovery engine, which lets users stumble upon new apps. Also, each app’s page has a detailed description of the title, something that you won’t find on all apps in the Play Store.

Installing of apps can be done via two methods: you can either use the link leading to the Play store and install it from there, or you can use AppBrain’s fast installer. The Fast Web Installer is an application that lets you push applications to your smartphone just like you do in the Play Store. To get started, all you have to do is install the Fast Web Installer application on your phone.

Overall, AppBrain is one of the rare marketplaces that can be used as a viable replacement for the original Play Store. A must try even if you’re not willing to quit the Play Store.

SlideME is an app store that is more lucrative for developers than end users. While Android Market keeps 30% of your app price and gives you the remaining 70%, SlideMe offers much better payouts so that developers can benefit the most. As for the applications, users can browse through thousands of titles, or they could just search for an app they like. To install a particular application, simply click on the Download button and save the .apk file to your computer. You can then transfer this file to your Droid and install it from there. Also, you can send this .apk file to your friends so that they could also install the app on their phones. Overall, the variety of apps offered in this store is nothing compared to what we have on AppBrain; however, it’s still a great place to publish new apps and download apps from.

Android is one of the most popular mobile operating systems around. In just a short span of time, this Linux-based OS has soared to popularity thanks to its amazing features and ease of use. When pitted head-to-head against its archrival, that is none other than Apple’s iOS, Android usually gets the upper hand thanks to the freedom that it offers to users.

While iOS requires iTunes and a Windows or Mac operating system, an Android device can be managed from any device, be it Linux, Mac, or Windows. Moreover, managing the device, or transferring songs, videos, and documents, doesn't take much effort at all; all you have to do is simply plug in your smartphone or tablet to the computer and drag and drop. That said, not all are comfortable with that method of 'softwareless' management, especially people who switch over from other devices -- mostly Nokia-based and iOS devices -- feel that they need a dedicated software for managing their phones and tablets.

So, if you’re a Linux user, and just purchased an Android device, here are some tips that will help you manage your brand new Droid with ease:

First plug in your Android device using the cable provided in your box. Then, on your device, turn on mass storage mode, which will then pop up the device on your computer. Simply open it with your file manager (Nautilus, Dolphin, or whichever you use) and create separate folders for the files you want to put. For example, you want to transfer Excel spreadsheets, create a folder called Documents, and in there, create another folder called spreadsheets wherein the file will go. It is important that you keep everything organized into proper folders because over time the file system tends to get overly crowded as different apps create their own folders.

When it comes to transferring music, simply open Rhythmbox or Banshee on your Linux desktop. The device will show up in the left pane wherein you could drag and drop all your songs. Sometimes, however, the files show up in folders other than the main Music folder, in that case, you can safely drop them to the designated folder without losing the playlists you created on your device.

AirDroid is one of the best Android-managing tools out there. Though not a complete Linux-based software per se, it works perfectly well across all platforms, as it needs nothing but your web browser. With AirDroid you can wirelessly transfer files, manage SMSes, apps, and media right from your desktop. You can also copy and organize your music, and even set a song as your ringtone. The software is incredibly easy to use, even easier than iTunes. To get started, all you have to do is pair your device with the web-based version of AirDroid.

QtADB, as the name suggests, is a Qt-based Android manager for Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X. Written in C++, the application can be used for managing files, apps, and more. Furthermore, you can use it for taking screenshots, flashing bootloader, boot recovery, Nandroid backup, and more complex tasks. Though the app is more suited for rooters and advanced users, enthusiasts can use it for managing files and apps. The application requires Qt 4.7 libraries to be installed on your computer (libqtgui4, libqt4-network and libqt4-declarative).