January, 2016 - Softonic English

How to convert PDFs into Word with Free Word to PDF Converter

We are certain that you have needed to convert a PDF to a Word file for editing at some point. Nowadays there are lots of programs to help you convert PDF to Word, but we recommend a free one called Free Word to PDF Converter.

In this video tutorial we will explain you how to use this program in a few simple steps:

How to convert PDF to Word with Free PDF to… por softonic-en

First run Free Word to PDF Converter. If you don’t have it installed, you’ll find it here.
Find the “Input PDF File” option. Click on the “+” icon and look for the PDF file you want to convert to Word. You can also drag the file you want to convert from a folder or the desktop on to the “Select input PDF file” field.
If you want to convert some of the pages in the PDF, select the “Page range” field, here you can enter in what page, to what page, you want to convert.
In the “Word Document Output” option, you can choose the folder you want the converted Word file to be saved. You can also choose the Word format extension – docx, doc, or RTF – and decide whether you want the file to be opened by the end of the conversion.
Finally click on “Start Conversion” to convert the PDF file in to Word. The larger the file, the slower the process will be. If you want to cancel the conversion during the process you can always click on “Stop Conversion“.

Within seconds a window with the converted Word file will open. Now you can make any changes you want to the document.

Seven of the best apps you should have in 2016

It’s safe to say that 2015 was a fantastic year for apps, and 2016 will no doubt follow suit. With mobile technology becoming increasingly advanced, January is an exciting time to ponder on what the coming year may have in store for us. Until then, let’s take a look at what apps we think everyone should have on their phones this year.

Lipp (iOS|Android)

Last year, over 50 million of us couldn’t get enough of creating our own videos using the hit app Dubsmash, which, if you’re unfamiliar with the platform, allows you to record yourself miming along to the famous audio recordings from the world of music and video. This year may see the rise of Lipp – a similar interface that lets you create your own audio for thousands of iconic scenes and music videos.

Periscope (iOS|Android)

Created in 2015, Periscope allows you to explore every corner of the planet through the medium of live video streaming – think Instagram in real time, or a more visual version of Twitter. The app facilitates anyone with a smartphone to transmit their own broadcasts to their followers and to the world (privacy settings adjustable). The interactive map allows you to choose from the various videos currently being aired from locations around the world, but be warned, it gets extremely addictive.

Microsoft Selfie (iOS|Android)

Ideal for all you selfie king and queens out there who, let’s face it, are not going to upload just any old photo of yourself. This clever app not only takes your photo, but detects your age, skin tone and lighting, later offering you various options using corrective filters that bring out the best in you. It’s free, and will give you the floorless and blemish-free complexion your selfies deserve, meaning you’ll always look your best no matter what the day. Rumoured to be coming soon to Android.

Everypost (iOS|Android)

An excellent platform for all social media enthusiasts who struggle to manage their various channels, Everypost enables you to control all of them from one platform in the easiest way possible. This is a great option if you’re planning to focus on your personal branding through the medium of social media, and takes out the repetitive aspect of using all the different channels!

Peak (iOS|Android)

“Brain training” has been around for quite a while since the good old Nintendo DS days, and there are a wide variety of apps available on the market to keep your brain in shape. “Peak” is certainly one of the best currently out there, and offers your daily dose of brain training through 30 dfiferent games which are not just scientifically proven, but effective and fun.

Psyche (iOS|Android)

From the creators of Heads Up!, Psyche is the a brilliant game for friends and family who each play on their own device. Each player is required to invent their own answer to various trivial questions, which are then put together with the correct answer. Players must try and bluff their peers into thinking their answer is the correct one.

Polarr (iOS|Android)

Polarr is an outstanding app for editing your photos (and we all know how many are out there), that has the simplicity of Instagram but the effectiveness of Photoshop. Although it takes a little while to get the hang of, the results can be astounding. The perfect companion for producing top-quality photography on the move.

For more information about the latest and best apps on the market, make sure you keep an eye on our homepage.

WhatsApp no longer to charge annual subscription fee. But, does this mean we’ll get bombarded with advertising?

Almost 1/7 of the world’s population now relies on WhatsApp as a messenger. Since its introduction in 2010, the service has always charged approximately $1 a year subscription charge after the first year of use. Not much considering how often we use it, is it?

However, that’s all about to change. The company has just announced on their blog that they will no longer charge subscription fees, due to the simple reason that they have noticed some of their users don’t have credit or debit cards in order to pay the required annual amount. WhatsApp have acknowledged this and don’t wish their users to suffer in regards to losing communication with those closest to them.

The company have recognized that their users may be worried as to how they intend to keep the service running without paid subscriptions, and whether or not they’ll start introducing third-party advertising in order to pay for the service. WhatsApp say no. Apparently, their plan is to test certain tools that allow users to communicate with businesses and organizations that are useful and of value to them. This would mean being able to communicate your banks, talk to your airlines, mobile phone providers, etc, using a different medium- a medium we’re all very familiar with using.

This will be put into place over the next couple of weeks, meaning that you shouldn’t worry about meeting that next payment deadline! Happy days!

Stay tuned for more information!

Source: WhatsApp

Man uses Photoshop to get ridiculously rich, and it worked (kind of)

A man in the United States recently used Photoshop to pass himself off as a millionaire….and quickly received more than 118,000 likes on his Instagram – even after he admitted it was all a hoax.

The man in question is Erik Bragg, who posted this image after the Powerball numbers (lottery in the US) were revealed. The jackpot for this particular draw was a staggering $1.5 billion. It’s quite obvious his winning ticket was the result of a bit of Photoshop experimentation, however he should still receive points for effort.

The internet has managed to put this man in his place, however he still continues winning in terms of internet fame. He hasn’t become rich in terms of money, but he has now got a wealth of Instagram followers, so I suppose he has won…in his own way.

Source: Mashable

Netflix soon set to block all possible access to catalogs from other countries

The days when you could use proxy servers to access the Netflix catalog from other countries, will very shortly come to an end, as Netflix confirms that it will soon block the common methods of access. They have not yet mentioned how or if it will punish their users for attempting.

In case you didn’t know, Netflix has a different catalog in each country, mainly due to the different licensing and distribution agreements across the globe. This means that certain movies and series are sometimes not available in all countries. Until now, users have been using various techniques to deceive Netflix in order to enjoy their full catalog of entertainment.

Although I understand Netflix’s decision, as a user, it does slightly worry me. A few days ago, the company announced that it was now available in over 130 countries (albeit China), which means the company is even more susceptible to various legal issues.

The good news is that the company are apparently working on a way to universalize its catalog. Now wouldn’t that be great?

Source: PC World

9 optical illusion GIFs that will blow your mind

Everyone loves a good optical illusion, and when it’s small enough to keep on your phone to share it with friends- it’s even better!

Here are nine of what we think are the best optical illusion gifs on the web. Enjoy!

1) Stare at the centre of this image for about one minute and then look away!

2) Which way is the train going?

3) Can you work out how this works?

4) If you stare at the green dot in the centre, the yellow ones disappear.

5) This one is just crazy. Apparently no special effects have been involved.

6) Stare at the dot in the centre, later you’ll be shown a “black and white” photo.

7) This floating square will have you baffled!

8) Zooming out on what looks like a neverending skyscraper.

9) The impossible chair!

Will you change your Facebook profile picture after reading this?

It’s no secret that many managers and recruiters nowadays use Facebook to investigate the candidates applying for jobs in their companies. They’re even known to make their final decision based on the candidate’s profile photo, or at least that’s what a recent study is claiming.

The research was conducted at Ghent University in Belgium by Professor Stijn Baert who comments: “The candidate with the most favorable Facebook profile picture received approximately 21% more positive responses to his application in comparison to the candidate with the least favorable profile picture.”

He also added: “”The difference in the chance to be immediately invited to a job interview amounted to almost 40 per cent.”

Here you can see an example of the study:

These two profile pictures:
have a much higher chance of getting employed than these two:
So what’s the key? Try to look approachable, stable, outgoing and open, and sure, why not, attractive.
Will you change your profile photo after reading this?

Harry Potter star Alan Rickman dies at 69

This week saw another sad loss of a great star.

British actor Alan Rickman, best known for his portrayal as Professor Snape in the Harry Potter movies, sadly lost his battle with cancer at just 69.

Rickman appeared in all eight of the films, and was also known for his roles in Love Actually and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves to name a few.

Here’s a collection of scenes showing exactly why we loved him as Professor Snape.

Can’t see the video? Click here.

Sadly the news comes just days after David Bowie’s death, who also died aged 69 of the same illness.

It’s is indeed a sad, sad day for Potter fans across the globe, but his spirit and talent will continue to live on through the wonderful characters he has brought to our screens over the years.

iPhone 6s Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+: Apple’s undeniable victory in 2015

iPhone 6s Plus, the most recent smartphone from Apple, was voted the best mobile in 2015 in terms of performance. That was the conclusion that the AnTuTu reached – an independent study which each year analyses the smartphones currently on the market and creates a top 10 list.
In 2015, the iPhone 6s Plus won with 132,620 points, followed by Huawei Mate 8, which scored 92,746. This indicates that the iPhone is a staggering 42% faster than the Huawei’s best model.

To find Samsung (Apple’s biggest rival), you have to travel a little further down the list to fourth position, where you’ll find the Galaxy Note 5, and fifth, where you’ll find the Galaxy S6 + Edge.

This is the first year that AnTuTu includes the iPhone in its rankings, as their study is usually focused on Android devices (as the app that is used to measure the performance was only available on Android… until last year when it became available on iOS). Who knows- maybe the iPhone could have come up tops in the previous rankings.

It’s not always about power

We must clarify that the AnTuTu study is only refers to the performance of these devices, ie, the capabilities of their processors. For this reason when we say “the best”, we only mean on these terms; there are many other variables that make up a good phone, one thing is its performance, but there’s also their available apps, extra functions, and their operating systems and overall design to take into consideration.

What do you think? Which smartphone do you believe should top the charts?

You will never spy on you ex’s Facebook again after watching this video

Raise your hands if you regularly check out your ex’s Facebook profile. Yeah, just as we thought- a sea of hands.

The video below has become an internet sensation and shows you that sometimes, it’s just better to leave your ex alone.

What you’re about to see is a girl, Marian, who makes a terrible mistake looking at the profile of her ex’s new girlfriend, only to discover she’s actually a beautiful model. You’ll even hear the words: “we don’t look anything alike, she’s so pretty.”

Tough, I know.

Can’t see the video? Click here.

Her reaction is a mix between heartbreaking and endearing. On one hand, she laughs and jokes, but it’s obvious that she’s somewhat hurt by it. At one point, she even says: “Oh I was so in love with him.”

Marian has recently done an interview with Buzzfeed after she became famous from the video, where she clarified that during the video, she was suffering a major attack of jealousy, but it was not as bad as it looked.

So? Are you going to delete your ex now?