If you are wanting to install Dropbox on Kindle Fire, you are probably already familiar with Dropbox and how it works. It is a great program that can be used to transfer files between computers and other electronic devices.

At the time of this writing, the Dropbox app isn’t currently available from the Kindle Fire App Store, but there is an easy workaround.

Step 1: Change Kindle Fire Settings

To install Dropbox on Kindle Fire, it will have to be done manually, so the first step will be to change the Kindle tablet’s settings to allow other Android apps to be downloaded.

To do this, tap the round "gear" icon in the top right corner of your Kindle Fire and select More. Scroll down the screen and tap Device. Look for "Allow Installation of Applications," then change the setting from OFF to ON by tapping the ON button. A warning will pop up about using applications from unknown sources; click OK.

Step 2: Download Dropbox for Android App

The next step to install Dropbox on Kindle Fire is to download the app from the Dropbox website. Return to your Kindle Fire home screen, then tap Web in the top menu. From there, you can either open this article and click the below link directly or you can type the full address into your Kindle’s web address bar.

Go to https://www.dropbox.com/android and click the blue button to Download App.

Step 3: Install Dropbox on Kindle Fire

When the download is complete, you will see a notification in the top left corner of your Kindle Fire (it will be a number with a circle around it). Tap the number, then tap to open the notification. Download Dropbox.apk by tapping on the file name, then click the Install button at bottom of screen.

Now when you click on Apps from your menu bar, you will see the Dropbox icon in the list. Sign in with the email address and password you used to create an account with Dropbox, and you are done.

Dropbox is the perfect solution when you are wanting to have personal files and documents available on all of your electronic devices. Learn how to open ebooks from Dropbox on Kindle Fire.

Buy your own Kindle Fire from Amazon.com!

Photo: Kodomut

After you’ve learned how to install Dropbox on Kindle Fire, the next question for avid readers is how do you open ebooks from the Dropbox app? Kindle Fire can read all Kindle-ready documents (files with .azw, .prc, .mobi, .pdf, or .txt extensions). Yet in the Dropbox app, when you tap on the title of a book that you know should be compatible, such as a mobi ebook, it says it can’t be opened, then adds, "Please download an app that can open this file."

Some suggest sending the file to your Kindle Fire email address. Others recommend marking it as a Favorite for it to be downloaded and available offline. Both of these ideas will work, but you can also export the books from Dropbox straight to Kindle Fire.

Export Books from Dropbox to Kindle Fire

When you are wanting to export books from Dropbox to Kindle Fire, you will be tempted to tap the title of the book to open it. This is what causes the box to pop up saying the file can’t be opened.

Rather than tapping the book’s title, look to the right of the file and tap the arrow with a circle around it instead. You will then be given the choices: Share, Favorite, Delete, Rename, or Export. You can share the file by sending it to someone (or to your Kindle Fire email address, mentioned above), you can mark it as a favorite, or you can delete, rename, or export it.

Click Export.

On the next screen, tap Save to SD card. When the folder list appears, tap Books, then click the green Export button in the lower right area of the screen.

Where to Find Exported Books on Kindle Fire

Once you have followed the above steps for each book you want to export from Dropbox to Kindle Fire, it is easy to find them. Turn the power all the way off on your Kindle Fire (hold the power button down until you are asked if you want to shut it down). When the screen turns off completely, press the power button again to turn it back on.

The books you downloaded will be in either the Docs folder or the Books folder. If they aren’t located in one, check the other, although they are usually found in the Docs folder. When checking the Books folder, switch the button at the top from Cloud to Device to make it easier to sort through if you have a lot of books on Amazon.

If all has gone smoothly, your books should now be ready for reading.

Dropbox helps Kindle Fire run side by side in the competition against some of the more expensive tablet computers. Buy your own Kindle Fire from Amazon.com!

Photo: Vishraval, via Wikimedia Commons

After a recent update made it impossible to open the WordPress Dashboard and control panel, we learned the problem was an incompatible SEO plugin that shut everything down. Of all the search engine optimization features, meta descriptions are the most important for us. The plugin worked great before the update (and it probably would have been fixed shortly enough), but a website or a blog really shouldn’t be so dependent on a single outside add-on.

With this in mind, we decided to go on an Internet hunt to find out how to add meta descriptions without a plugin to the WordPress script. It is a manual solution, so if you are looking for something to add meta tags automatically, you might want to stick with one of the SEO plug-ins that will create descriptions on the fly.

Front Page Meta Description

There are 4 main sections that should have meta descriptions. That is the front page, single posts, categories and pages.

If you are wanting to add a meta description without a plugin to your front index page, copy and paste the below code in your WordPress theme’s header.php file, anywhere between <head> and </head>. It might be easier to find if you paste it right below the title codes.

The code:
<?php if ( (is_home()) || (is_front_page()) ) { ?>
<meta name="description" content="Type your main page meta description here." />
<?php } ?>

Change the description to your own, save the file and upload it back into your theme’s main folder. Refresh or reload your main page, then check your source code to see the results.

Single Posts Meta Descriptions

To manually add meta descriptions to single posts on your WordPress blog, it could take a while if you have a large site. If it’s too big, you might want to consider another option, but it does work.

This uses the Excerpt section of individual posts. If you don’t see it when you Edit a post, click Screen Options in the top right corner of your WordPress Dashboard and put a check in the box next to Excerpt. Click Screen Options again to close the open panel.

Edit every post on your site and type a description in the Excerpt box below the post. Click Update each time you’re done.

When you have finished typing descriptions for each post, reopen your theme’s header file, but this time add the next tags (in blue) to the above code.

<?php if ( (is_home()) || (is_front_page()) ) { ?>
<meta name="description" content="Type your main page meta description here." />
<?php } elseif (is_single()) { ?>
<meta name="description" content="<?php echo get_the_excerpt(); ?>"/>
<?php } ?>

Categories Meta Descriptions

In your WordPress Dashboard, click on Categories in the top left Posts section. Click to edit each individual category and, if you haven’t already, type a description for the page. When this is done, you are going to add another tag to the code above in your header file. Add the code below in blue to include your category descriptions.

<?php if ( (is_home()) || (is_front_page()) ) { ?>
<meta name="description" content="Type your main page meta description here." />
<?php } elseif (is_single()) { ?>
<meta name="description" content="<?php echo get_the_excerpt(); ?>"/>
<?php } elseif (is_category()) { ?>
<meta name="description" content="<?php echo category_description(); ?>"/>
<?php } ?>

NOTE: If this adds paragraph codes (<p> </p>) around your description, open your theme’s functions.php file and add the following remove_filter code. You can add it to the very bottom of the file if you prefer. Save and re-upload when done.

Add to functions.php:
remove_filter(‘term_description’,'wpautop’);

Pages Meta Descriptions

For the last update, you can add meta descriptions to an individual page by adding the following code to your header codes above. Rather than calling a description from the script, you will type the description in the actual codes below, as you’d done for the index page. Where it’s written "yourfirstpage," "yoursecondpage," "yourthirdpage," you will change these to each page slug or page ID, then type the description where it says. If you have more or less than 3 pages, you can copy or delete the codes as needed.

Read more about conditional tags.

<?php if ( (is_home()) || (is_front_page()) ) { ?>
<meta name="description" content="Type your main page meta description here." />
<?php } elseif (is_single()) { ?>
<meta name="description" content="<?php echo get_the_excerpt(); ?>"/>
<?php } elseif (is_category()) { ?>
<meta name="description" content="<?php echo category_description(); ?>"/>
<?php } elseif (is_page( ‘yourfirstpage’ )) { ?>
<meta name="description" content="Type the description for your first page."/>
<?php } elseif (is_page( ‘yoursecondpage’ )) { ?>
<meta name="description" content="Type the description for your second page."/>
<?php } elseif (is_page( ‘yourthirdpage’ )) { ?>
<meta name="description" content="Type the description for your third page."/>
<?php } ?>

There is a lot of work involved when you first add meta descriptions manually to WordPress without a plugin, but once everything is set up, all you have to do is add a description in the Excerpt section every time you publish a new post. Consider it as a backup plan if your favorite SEO plugin stops functioning properly.

It’s easy to write meta tags for your HTML website. Find out how.

Photo: alexkerhead

The best way to overcome writer’s block is to simply start writing. This might sound easier said than done when you are struggling for new ideas, but even if you start out writing simple things like "the sky is blue" or "the grass is green," eventually your creative mind will take notice and jump in to join the fun.

Free Writing with a Topic

Many writers are familiar with the technique of freewriting, where you set a timer for a specified time and write freely. Using this same method, write a specific topic on a piece of paper or type it on your computer screen. Sticking with the topic (rather than writing generally), set a timer for 10 or 20 minutes and pen down anything that comes to mind about your chosen subject.

Don’t think, just write.

When you are done, read over what you’ve written. It might not make much sense at first, but the more time you spend free writing (try 10 minutes at the same time everyday), the easier it will become and the better it will work.

Tip: By limiting yourself to a certain timeframe everyday, you are training your mind to expect these few minutes as your time to freewrite. You’ll find that you feel even more creative as new ideas compete to fit into the new 10-minute slot.

Benefits of Free Writing

"When we freewrite, things are allowed to tumble out uncensored," Amber Lea Starfire says on Writing Through Life. "Thus, freewriting clears the mind and emotions of clutter, relaxes some chaotic part of us, and allows us to then address important issues with a clear head. When used as a writing exercise, freewriting helps us find our natural rhythm and voice."

Beyond clearing the mind of clutter and helping to find one’s voice, a few other freewriting benefits are:

How to Freewrite for Ideas

Freewriting is sort of like fishing. You get your line ready (grab your pen and paper), bait the hook (write your topic), then start fishing (writing). You might throw some back into the water, but it will be worth it when you finally reel in the big one. And it will be fun trying.

To freewrite generally for more ideas, there are no limits – although it might take some practice. Without a topic already in mind, you would think it would be easier, but with such a wide open field, it’s natural for your mind to go completely blank. When you don’t know where to start, that is when you should just write anything.

Set your timer and start writing about everything from the color of your computer to the color of your curtains. Write about how you don’t know what to write about, how you feel about it, what you should do now, and so on. If something else pops into your mind, go with it and write that down, too. As mentioned above, don’t think, simply keep writing.

This is how you find new ideas by freewriting. When you read over the things you’ve written, the parts that felt like tangents while writing are the ones that are most likely to catch your attention. Without realizing it, you could have a treasure chest of ideas inside of you just waiting to be discovered.

If you still need help to overcome writer’s block, try these tips for new writing ideas.

Have you ever wanted to check on your pets while you were at work? EyeSpyFX makes it easy with My Webcam Broadcaster. You no longer have to wonder what is going on at your home when you’re not there. Now you can simply turn on your computer camera with the My Webcam Broadcaster software, then view it either through the EyeSpyFX website or with an app on your Android, Blackberry or iPhone (iPad, too).

What is My Webcam Broadcaster?

According to their website, "My Webcam is a service that lets you view your webcam anywhere in the world, via both the Internet and on your mobile phone."

The software supports all USB and built-in webcams, control of some pan and tilt USB webcams, multiple cameras on one single account, snapshots taken every 5 to 35 minutes (archive is limited to 288 images), and the option to share the camera with everyone or keep it private. Windows users can also add most IP or Network cams.

Check out this video from EyeSpyFX to see it in action:

How to Set Up My Webcam

You won’t find easier instructions for setting up your webcam as a security camera. Go to EyeSpyFX.com to download My Webcam Broadcaster, then install the software. Open the program and register the camera on your computer or laptop. That simple and you are up and running. Point the camera in the direction where you want it, and you’re done.

If you would like to set up multiple cameras on one computer, click the arrow next to the name of your first camera (on the main screen of My Webcam) and select "Click to add another camera."

If you would like to set up multiple cameras on different computers, download the software to each computer, laptop or netbook, then sign in using the same account information.

Keep Your Camera Private

Because some people may not be aware of certain things with My Webcam Broadcaster, we wanted to add a couple tips concerning privacy issues.

On the main screen of My Webcam, you will see an asterisk * next to your camera name. Click that button to view options for the Broadcaster, Archive, and to view All Cams on that individual computer.

On the Broadcaster tab, beneath Broadcast Name and Category, there are 4 boxes that you can check or uncheck. The two most important options are "Show in Live List" and "Password Protect."

• Show in Live List: If you will be using the EyeSpyFX website to view your camera(s), this will need to be checked in order to find it with the Broadcast Name you typed. If you will be using an app on your phone or tablet computer, however, you can uncheck the box to be completely anonymous and not be listed on the Live List, which is public.

• Password Protect: Everyone should add a password, but especially those who will be using the website. With a password, if you are listed on the Live List, your camera will be locked to others. You can leave it unlocked without a password if you are wanting to share your camera with the world (audio isn’t included); otherwise, protect your privacy by adding a hard-to-guess password.

As a side note, if you notice a frozen picture when you view your webcam online, make sure Display Thumbnail on this same screen is unchecked.

View Your Webcam Away from Home

Now that you have everything set up, you have an option to view your camera through the EyeSpyFX website or through an app on your mobile device. If you will be using a mobile device, do an app search for "My Webcam" and install it on your phone or tablet. Sign in using the same username and password that you used for the program. If you will be logging in through an Internet browser, you can go directly to their website and search through the Live List for your camera. It will be listed as the name you typed for your Broadcast Name.

Buy a Webcam

Most computers today come with a camera installed, but if you don’t have one, many have a fairly low price. Nicer ones, such as Logitech HD cams, can run anywhere from $50 to $100. You can purchase a webcam from Amazon or at your nearest electronics store. Wal-mart, Target or K-mart should have them as well.

If you have ever wanted to keep an eye on things at home while you are away, using a webcam is the easiest and cheapest solution. My Webcam Broadcaster makes it even easier.

What is the easiest way to transfer files from one computer to another? The short answer is Dropbox. If you’ve never heard about it before, trust us when we say, your life is about to get much, much simpler.

What is Dropbox?

Dropbox is a small program that does big things. Once installed on each of your computers, it creates a folder where you specify, such as in My Documents, then transfers everything placed inside that folder between your computers, laptops and tablet computers.

You can also upload or download files by logging into your account at the Dropbox website. Even better, if you delete a file by mistake on one of your computers, you can restore it at their website as well. Click on "Show deleted files," then highlight the file and click arrow to restore. It’s that easy.

According to the official About Dropbox page, "Dropbox is a free service that lets you bring your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and share them easily. Dropbox was founded in 2007 by Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi, two MIT students tired of emailing files to themselves to work from more than one computer."

If you’re tired of emailing files to yourself, too, learning how to sync files with Dropbox could be the answer you are looking for.

Why Do I Need Dropbox?

In today’s time, we have cell phones, iPads, laptops, Windows or Mac computers. Suppose you have files at home that you would like to access from your laptop or tablet computer (even your iPhone) on the road. You would simply put those files in your Dropbox folder at home, then open the Dropbox folder on your traveling computer and view the files.

FYI: All of your computers or tablets don’t have to be online at the same time, but to upload or download files, that individual computer does need to be online, either by ethernet cable or wireless.

For ebook lovers who have learned to add other books to your Kindle or transfer books to your Nook, you would put your new books in the Dropbox folder, then open them on any of your computers (providing you have an ereader program like Mobipocket Reader installed).

On iPad, you would download the Dropbox app, sign in to your Dropbox account, and the books or your choice of files would be right there. When you tap on your book’s title, look for the icon that looks like a small box with an arrow inside of it in the top right corner of the iPad’s Dropbox; click that, then open the book in your Kindle app or in iBooks for the Nook’s .ePub files.

How Do I Get It?

To install Dropbox on your own computers, go to Dropbox.com (this link will give you an additional 250MB of space) and create an account, then follow the instructions to download the software. If it shows an option to Run or Save the file, click Run; otherwise, click Save and be sure to notice where the file is saved, usually in a Downloads folder on your computer. Once download is complete, double-click on the file to install.

You will need to download and install the program on all of the computers with which you are wanting to transfer and share files. However, you only have to sign up with Dropbox one time. You will use the same login information for each computer, laptop or tablet.

Dropbox is completely free for the first 2GB of space, which should be plenty for most basic users. For more space, you can invite others to Dropbox (up to a limit of 8GB) or you can upgrade your account to one of the paid options – Pro50 for 50GB, Pro100 for 100GB, or try the new Teams feature for 1K+GB shared between a group of friends or co-workers.

Whatever your interest might be, whether to share files/folders between your computers or between your friends, Dropbox is certain to be just what you need.

As it turns out, the "mystery" could actually be your own data usage throughout the day or week that took a little longer to be displayed.

On the AT&T website, it says on the records usage page, "There are delays in reporting and processing data records. It may take up to two to five days for airtime usage on the AT&T wireless network to show up in any Data ‘Used’ category. Additional delays may occur due to technical difficulties. Further delays may apply to roaming usage, which is based on usage records received from other carriers. A delay of a minimum of two to ten days for roaming usage is usual and up to 60 days or longer is possible. During the time your invoice is being processed, you may not be able to view your usage or you may experience additional delays in reporting of usage. This usage information is only an estimate and, regardless of what is shown, your next invoice will be determined by the information contained in our billing system, not this usage information. Hawaii Text/Data Users: The time stamp for your unbilled data usage may be off by up to 4 hours."

Due to the airtime usage delays, what looks like hidden activity on the iPhone is simply the system grouping earlier Internet/Media Net usage.

Because we wondered about it, too, we gave them a call and one nice AT&T representative suggested that it might also be open apps running in the phone’s background. This wasn’t the case for us, but, still, it was a good tip for learning how to close open apps on the iPhone.

To turn off open apps, follow the three easy steps below every night before you go to bed, then on the next day or the next (depending on the airtime delays), go to the AT&T website and check your data usage to see if it makes a difference for you.

Step 1: Double-click the home button on your iPhone to reveal your most recently used apps on the bottom of the screen.

Step 2: Press and hold one of the revealed apps until the app icons begin to wiggle.

Step 3: As the icons are wiggling, you will notice a red circle with a line at the top left of each icon. Click that circle for each app until all are gone. This simple action will close open apps running in the iPhone’s background, much like closing a Windows program by clicking the red X.

It is definitely a nuisance to have to do these 3 steps everyday, but you can decide whether closing the apps affects your Data Plan or not. Disabling "Fetch New Data" in your Mail Settings (go to Settings, then tap Mail, Contacts, Calendars and select Fetch New Data to switch Push to Off) can also help to keep your phone asleep when you are.

Look for the button that says Facebook Settings; click that, then uncheck all of the boxes on the Facebook Settings screen and click OK.

This will disable all of the Facebook integration on IncrediMail.

Here are a couple snapshots to follow (click to enlarge):

Uncheck these boxes…

Tip: How do you create a new group in IncrediMail?

Photo: Kodomut

Did you know your Amazon.com Kindle can open books from other online stores and websites? As long as the ebook is in one of Kindle’s supported formats, it is easy to transfer books from your computer or from a disc to your favorite ereader.

Formats supported by Kindle are books that end with any of these extensions: .azw .prc .mobi .pdf and .txt

Suppose you bought a CD of books that are listed as Kindle-ready. Put the CD in your computer drive and open the disc to view the files. For Windows users, right-click and "Select All" of the book titles, then right-click on the highlighted books and click Copy. For Mac users, click your Command key with the letter A to select all of the files, then copy the books by pressing the Command key with the letter C.

Once you have copied the books, plug your Kindle USB cable into your computer. (Your Kindle should be turned on.) Open the folder called "documents," then paste the books you copied into this folder. Windows, right-click in white area and paste. Mac, press Command key and the letter V.

When you are done, unplug USB cable and look on your Kindle for the new books. If you don’t see them immediately, give them a minute to show up. Wireless doesn’t have to be on for this.

For books you downloaded that are on your computer and not on disc, simply open the folder where the files are located (such as ebooks copied to your Dropbox folder) and follow the same instructions above to copy the books and then paste them in your Kindle’s documents folder.

It might seem a little complicated at first, but after a couple tries, you will be a pro in no time. Enjoy your new books.

Note: You can convert incompatible ebooks for Kindle from other popular formats with programs like Calibre or Mobipocket Creator. You can also send the book to your @Kindle email address and it will be converted and sent to your Kindle automatically for .10 per book.

Have a Nook instead? You can also transfer ebooks to your Nook.

Photo: Orbmiser

It is easy to transfer books from other online stores or websites to your Barnes & Noble Nook. Simply make sure the ebook is in a supported format (books that end with the Nook extension .epub or others that end with .pdf), then follow the instructions below.

Locate the ebook(s) on your computer or on CD (or books in your Dropbox), then get ready to copy them onto your Nook via USB cable.

With the book location open: For Windows users, right-click and "Select All" of the book titles, then right-click on the highlighted books and click Copy. For Mac users, click your Command key with the letter A to select all of the files, then copy the books by pressing the Command key with the letter C.

Once you have copied the books, plug your Nook USB cable into your computer. (Your Nook should be turned on.) Open the folder called "my documents," then paste the books you copied in this folder. Windows, right-click in white area and paste. Mac, press Command key and the letter V.

When you are done, unplug USB cable and look on your Nook for the new books. Go to My Library, View My Documents, and Check for New Content. (For the new touch Nooks, go to My Library, change drop-down menu to My Files, tap My Files folder on the next screen, then tap Documents).

Just like that, your new books are ready to be viewed and enjoyed.

Note: You can convert incompatible ebooks for Nook using a program like Calibre or any program/app that will convert books to epub, Nook’s format extension. You can also convert to epub online.

You can add more books to your Kindle, too. Find out how.