Google Drive as a good alternative to Dropbox or OneDrive

I have been using Dropbox to sync, backup, share and publish files for a few years, and I am still using it today.

 

Dropbox is pretty good, but it lacks of access control feature for sharing file/folder with other users. For example, you cannot make a shared file/folder read-only to your buddies, and you cannot prevent your file/folder from being deleted by your buddies.

 

I heard that Dropbox is now finally trying to introduce such collaborative sharing features, but they plan to limit the function to Dropbox for Business which is not free and requires subscription.

 

Meanwhile, Microsoft has evolved their SkyDrive into OneDrive and bundles it with Microsoft Windows 8/8.1 and Microsoft Office 365. When sharing file/folder in OneDrive, we can define it to be read-only (recipient can only view) or full access (recipient can edit).

 

There are other cloud based file sharing applications such as SugarSync, Box.com, etc. which also support for collaborative sharing access control, but such function is only made available to the non-free version of their service.

 

As such, I found Google Drive is so far the best cloud based file sharing applications in terms of feature, particularly on collaborative sharing access control. Besides, you get a free cloud storage of 15GB (shared with Gmail and Google+ photos) with Google Drive, compared with the 2GB initial free storage in Dropbox and 7GB free storage in OneDrive.

 

You can activate your Google Drive service if you have a Google user account. All Android phone/tablet/device users should have one, and if you are using other Google services such as Gmail, Blogger, etc. you also have it.

 

You can access Google Drive by browsing to https://drive.google.com. One that page, you can download and install Google Drive sync service into your computer.

 

Google Drive app for Android can also be found in PlayStore, and Google Drive for iOS can be found in Apple iTune Store.

 

The Google Drive installation process for PC is pretty simple and straightforward.

 

 

 You can set the file/folder access control the moment you share it out with Google Drive.

 

 

 Your buddies can even make comment to your shared Google Docs files.

 

And you can define if your editors with the "can edit" permission are allowed to add people and change permissions or not.

 

 

The table below shows the access control mechanism of Google Drive, which is pretty comprehensive and similar feature can only be found in subscription version of other alternatives.

 

 

 

 

Practical considerations for new home renovation

Going to renovate your new home before moving in?

 

Below are some practical tips for your consideration before you call your contractor to start the renovation work:-

 

Accessibility:

• Always make your home convenient for old folk, pregnant lady or disabled people, particularly on the design of steps, stairs, etc. Think about having proper handrails along staircase and in toilet. Use non-slip flooring materials especially in toilets and bedrooms.

Living Room:

• You will need quite a number of wall sockets near your TV for all your audio-visual equipments.
• If you plan to subscribe to satellite TV such as Astro, plan for the location of its dish and conceal a signal line from the dish to your TV.

Kitchen:

• If you have an apartment/condominium/studio unit with open kitchen concept, or you plan to have an open kitchen in your house, you need to plan properly to avoid cooking fumes from wide-spreading all over the place with its smell and grease. Some major considerations include proper external ventilation, installing a cooker hood with high air suction power, etc.
• Normally, fire accident starts from the kitchen. Make sure your house has fire extinguisher, smoke detector and fire blanket placed nearby the kitchen.
• If you are going to have an open kitchen, make sure your smoke detector will not easily give you false alarm from the kitchen's cooking fumes.
• Without the isolation of walls and fire-resistant door, fire from open kitchen could spread faster and fiercer. To reduce the risk of fire, consider using electrical cooker instead of gas cooker.
• Plan for the location and size of your washing machine, dish washer, etc. These machines need power supply as well as water inlet and drainage.
• Dustbin that will conceal behind your kitchen cabinet might look cool, but beware of the smell. It is better to have ordinary dustbin with cover, located outside the cabinet.

Toilets and bathrooms:

• Most of the time, we use shower much more often than bathtub. Shower saves more water than bathtub too. If your house does not come with a bathtub and you plan to install one in your bathroom, think carefully either it is a "need" or "want".
• Most of the time, people with Jacuzzi in their home does not use it often too.
• However, bathtub can be useful to soak and wash your bed sheets, curtains, etc.
• Ceramic basin is a better choice than glass one. Dirt and stains are very visible on glass surface.
• It is always a good idea to have ceiling fan on top of your dining table, and/or air-cond in your dining room.
• Install water heater with built-in pump. It won't cost much more for the pump function, and you will appreciate it when water pressure is low.
• If you want to have washlet toilet (electronic toilet seats with water spray feature) either now or in the future, make sure there is wall socket around to supply the electric power. 
• If you want to have hot and cold water piping, include them in your renovation before you move in.
• Install some hangs and hooks inside the bathroom. There is always clothes, towels, etc. that you need to hang.

Bedroom:

• New couples that plan to have kids, make sure to allocate some space in your master bedroom for baby cot beside your bed.
• Dressing room with open wardrobe looks nice, but get prepared for the dust. Wardrobe with doors is more practical. Flipping doors are more durable than sliding doors.

General:

• It is better to have more wall sockets than having to pull power extensions later. Plan the position of your wall sockets properly. Some wall sockets might be wasted if you put big furniture and cover them up later.
• Plan for all air-conds location, and conceal their piping.
• Energy saving light bulbs are de-facto standard, and LED lighting could be an even better choice.
• Buy an aluminium ladder and keep it in your store room. You will need it for house cleaning and maintenance, for example, cleaning ceiling fans, dismantling air-cond filters for washing, replacing light bulbs, etc.
• Floor colour in living and dining halls should be light, and floor colour in kitchen should be deep. This will make your floors look cleaner.
• Plan for as much storage place as possible. You need to have sufficient cabinets and cupboards in kitchen, dining room, living room, bedrooms, etc. There is always a lot of things to keep.
• Crystal lights are beautiful, but difficult to clean. Most of the time, you won't switch them on too.
• Bookcase, cupboard with doors can isolate dust from settling on your books and whatever thing you put inside.
• Up-facing lamp shade will collect a lot of dust too, compared to traditional down-facing lamp shade.
• Use black filler for floor tiles instead of white one, because after some times, the white filler will become black too.
• It is a good idea to have a small cabinet on top of washing machine to put detergent and laundry accessories.

 

Headphone, speaker out and headset selection for Realtek combo audio jack on laptops

If you have a laptop that comes with a single 3.5mm combo audio jack that controlled by a Reaktek audio chip which supports the connection of headphone, speaker out or headset, you will probably see the following dialog box automatically popup when you plug your audio device into that 3.5mm combo audio jack.

 

 

Now, what is the difference among the 3 types of audio device that is supported by the combo audio jack?

• Headphones - a.k.a. earphones, are pair of small speakers that are designed to be worn close to your ears. There are headphones that sit at your outer ears, and also in-ear type (a.k.a. in-ear monitors (IEM) or canalphones).

• Headset - is a pair of headphones with attached microphone, normally used for voice chatting.

 

• Speaker out - external speaker or sound bar, normally with sound amplifier.

 

 

If you find that your laptop's 3.5mm combo audio jack is not functioning, you might need to install the correct Realtek audio driver for the combo audio jack to work properly. The driver is normally preinstalled, and its installation file can be found either in the CD that comes together with the laptop or from the manufacturer's support website.

 

With the Realtek audio driver and software properly installed, you can use Realtek HD Audio Manager to configure your computer sound system.