Month: June 2010

It’s nice to see Excel put to more entertaining uses that boring old spreadsheets and number crunching. That’s exactly what the developers of Excel Soccer World Cup 2010 Planner have done to help you track and follow the event.

Excel Soccer World Cup 2010 Planner is a cleverly designed free spreadsheet created by a group of football enthusiasts that allows you to track the latest scores and standings in the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. It isn’t just a single spreadsheet though, it’s a highly advanced Excel spreadsheet that allows you to input and track results, view current standings, check fixtures and get information about the venues and stadiums.

In fact, it’s so rich in detail that you’ll need to read the quick guide that accompanies it just to work out how to use it. While the look of the interface is naturally limited by the constraints of Excel, navigation is easy using the icons at the top of the page.

The Results section (first picture above) contains a list of all the matches from the group stages through to the final, for you to add the full-time and half-time scores for each as the tournament progresses. You can view current group standings and check the overall progress of the knockout phase. Remember, that everything is calculated based on the results you enter yourself, so if you make a mistake when typing scores in, this will affect the other permutations.

The Predictions area of Excel Soccer World Cup 2010 Planner lets you set up up to four leagues of up to 32 different teams each. Here you and your friends can compete against each other to guess the scores of all the matches, predict who will win the tournament. League tables are kept of each player’s performance.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that Excel Soccer World Cup 2010 Planner is just a spreadsheet. It’s incredibly rich and complex and will appeal to all die-hard football fans with the patience to enter all the data themselves.

How are you tracking the World Cup?

After four years of waiting, the World Cup is finally underway in South Africa. Predictably, after such a long it now feels like there is just too much football to keep up with! If you find that you’re already losing track of the tournament, or if you simply want to have a bit of fun in between matches then it’s worth revisiting some of the excellent World Cup articles we’ve posted over the last few weeks.

Having problems finding somewhere to watch all the matches? Then find out how to watch all of the games for free on your computer, with our guide to streaming World Cup matches onto your computer.

Of course, not all of us have the time to sit at home with our feet up watching football matches. If you’re missing the action because of work or other commitments then be sure to read our posts about the best World Cup apps for iPhone, and for Android phones.

There’s plenty of footy fun to be had in between the matches, too. Facebook addicts should check out our pick of the various games, schedules, fantasy leagues, and the like that are available as Facebook applications. We also told you of how another internet giant, Google, has also entered into the spirit of the World Cup by offering users a way to tour the stadiums in South Africa using Google Maps and Google Earth.

If you’re not satisfied with the way your team is playing then go play FIFA Online for free. The new version of this classic football sim lets you take control of any country in the World Cup and try to go for glory. I’m off to replay England v USA, with a different goalkeeper…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxspfInbLV8[/youtube]

When it comes to screen capturing, most of the content editors here at Softonic use SnagIt. It’s a powerful, reliable tool we’ve grown to love over the years. But that doesn’t mean there are other interesting alternative apps, like Screenpresso – a free, handy screen capturing tool I stumbled upon a couple of days ago.

Screenpresso is a bit different from SnagIt. It doesn’t feature as many capturing modes or editing tools as Techsmith’s tool. But  it also has some clear advantages: it’s free, it doesn’t require installation and it works perfectly fine for most people’s basic capturing and editing needs.

When you launch Screenspresso, you can choose between installing the program or simply running it. In either case, Screenpresso icon in the system tray with direct access to the program’s capturing modes and a history of captured images.

The Region capture mode lets you grab any area on the desktop, but as it detects window edges, you can use it to capture active windows and applications as well. Also, if you have a transparent visual theme (like in Windows Vista and Windows 7), Screenpresso cleans the background for a perfect result.

Once you’ve captured the image, you can edit it in the program’s built-in editor, and add arrows, textboxes, several predefined shapes, borders and shadow effects. The best thing is that Screenpresso also lets you export the image directly into other editors, like Paint, Picasa – or SnagIt itself, if you have it installed.

Continue reading “Screenpresso: small yet powerful image capturing tool”

There’s a distinct choice for smart phones

Android 2.2 is on its way, with a bunch of new features. There’s Flash support, it’s up to five times quicker, can turn your phone into a wi-fi hotspot, and allows apps to push messages to your phone.

On June 21st, iOS4 is being rolled out to all compatible Apple devices, bringing with it iBooks, multitasking, folders, playlist creation and a unified email inbox, among other things.

Both look pretty cool, and while lots of people will argue one or the other is better, I think it’s a matter of personal taste and what you’re looking for in a device.

What’s right for you?

1: Appearance. The first point is certainly one of taste. If you don’t like the look of the iPhone, there’s nothing you can do! Go for Android, which has an ever-expanding range of devices, so there’s sure to be one that fits your style.

2: Ease of use. iOS4, like its predecessors, certainly has the edge when it comes to usability. Anyone can pick it up and use it pretty much without hesitation. Android feels a bit more IT-traditional, as there’s more to learn. However, it’s still an excellently designed OS, and it doesn’t take long to get the hang of.

3: Geek Friendly. If you like to be able to mess around under the hood of your smart phone, stay clear of iOS. I think it works great and does everything I want it to, but if you disagree, you’re stuck. Android is more open, and you have more freedom to use it how you want.

4: Compatibility. Android now supports Flash, so the mobile web will look pretty much identical to the desktop version. Of course, it will also eat your battery and your 3G connection. While Flash support is a hot topic, I’ve been surprised how much I don’t miss it on the iPhone. The iOS also tethers you to iTunes and the App Store, which not everyone will be happy about.

5: Updates. As I said, iOS4 is shipping to all devices on June 21st, but for Android 2.2 you may have to wait. HTC and Sony, for example, ship their Android devices with branded skins. When Google update Android you have to wait for HTC or whoever to upgrade their skin before letting you have it. And then you might still have to wait for your carrier to send it out. I have no idea who designed that system, as it sucks! With iOS, you’ll always be up to date – there are no middlemen.

Both Android and iOS offer a fantastic smart phone experience. iOS comes as a complete and extremely user-friendly package, but isn’t as flexible or customizable as Android. Which do you prefer?

(Disclosure – I prefer iOS)