Web

Keepsy has been offering Instagram users the ability to create a true photo album using their favorite Instagram photos for some time now.

Recently, Keepsy rolled out the ability for users to create a photo album using their friends' Instagram feed, instead of their own. Right on the heels of that, Keepsy also rolled out a new product; a calendar.… Read more

Are you getting ads in your Google search results or in Gmail that you'd rather not see?

To give you greater control over the ads you see, Google has begun rolling out the ability to customize your ads, including blocking specific advertisers, adding relevant categories, and even opting out of personalized ads altogether.

Here's how to customize the Google ads you see in search and in Gmail:

Blocking specific advertisers

Step 1: Click on one of the "Why these ads" links next to ads in a Google search result or in Gmail.

Step 2: When the … Read more

Google has rolled out the new version of Google Reader with not only a new interface--consistent with the Google Calendar and Gmail redesigns--but also with Google+ integration. Here's how to share items to Google+ with the new version of Google Reader:

Step 1: When you find an item you want to share, click on the +1 button, located under the item.

Step 2: In the small box, click on the area that says, "Share on Google+."

Step 3: When the Google+ share box appears, enter a note and choose the circles you want to share the item … Read more

If there's one important feature missing from all the major browsers, it's the ability to know at a glance when you're being tracked, and with a single click by whom.

That would make the free Ghostery program the one extension you need whether you use Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Safari, or Opera.

As I mentioned in my post on "do not track" options, a key source of revenue for Web services of all types is the sale of the Web activities of their users. Data about when people use their services and how they … Read more

You don't need expensive graphics software to edit photos like a pro. In fact, you don't need graphics software on your computer at all. All you need to edit photos like a pro is an Internet connection and a Flash-enabled Web browser.

Pixlr Editor is a free, Web-based photo-editing tool by Autodesk that looks and works a lot like Photoshop. It has many of the same tools as desktop photo-editing programs; tools like crop, smudge, red-eye correction, and spot-healing are all there. It even supports layers, history (for undos), and has a fair amount of filters to choose … Read more

The ability to create filters for spam messages in Gmail can sometimes lead to filtering e-mail from real friends.

Besides going "filter happy" on your spam messages, Gmail may accidentally mark a friend's e-mail as spam simply because it mentions certain phrases or products. For situations like these, you can add a whitelist to your Gmail. This will help messages from people you know land in the inbox, and not the trash can.

Step 1: Log in to your Gmail account.

Step 2: Click on the Settings cog in the top-right corner and go to Mail settings.… Read more

Tout is an awesome 15-second video service that allows you to share moments, not movies.

By getting to the important part of your message (the 15 seconds), the video file is small enough to upload quickly to Tout's servers for sharing. The wide range of ways you can access its service makes it fun and easy to use, especially if you want a break from "wall" posts and 140-character tweets.This service can be used with: Webcams, file uploads, Android, and iOS. This How To will mainly focus on the mobile version of Tout.

Step 1: Create … Read more

When Siri for the iPhone 4S was announced, downloads for Vlingo, a voice command app for Android, shot up 50%. Why? Because voice command, especially with artificial intelligence, can complete tasks more efficiently than our own fingers.

The act of talking to our gadgets is still in the awkward stage, but pretty soon we'll all be voice-commanding our phones, forgetting that we ever lived without artificial intelligence.

Voice command (and speech recognition) isn't just available for phones. Check out our guides on getting these services on any of your gadgets:

Android

QR codes are everywhere, and for good reason. They're easy to make, easier to scan, and are terrific for delivering info quickly and broadly (or narrowly, if you like). It seems likely that they're evolving, but they're still superuseful right now, and smart folks are uncovering all sorts of cool ways to make the most of them.

Before we get to the tricks, make sure you check out Nicole Cozma's great post for a smart overview and handy guide to creating your own QR codes.