Not having access to the internet often brings your entire day to a halt. This could happen if you are travelling and have no Wi-Fi access, so your laptop, tablet and mobile become useless to you. The best way to overcome this problem is to ensure that the information you require is accessible when you are offline and there are a few ways in which you can achieve this.
Spool
This is a new app you can use to access your description offline. It offers a browser extensions and web applications for Firefox and Chrome. It also offers apps for iOS and Android, with an added bookmarklet to allow you to use the service on all mobiles and browsers. This service allows integration with Dropbox, which gives you the facility to save not only web pages, but any other file type as well.
iOS, Android and Web Access
Once you have completed the registration process, you can go to Spool Tools to install the required extension for Firefox and Chrome. If you do not make use of either one of these browsers, you can make use of the bookmarklet facility to download Android and iOS apps which will allow you to read your saved description on your mobile.
The advantage to using the extension facility is that you will be able to save your description by using the Spool icon which appears at the top of your browser page and you will be able to save pages by clicking on that icon, or by right clicking on a page or link. You may even come across some Facebook pages where you will notice the Spool icon which provides you with options to save a particular link.
Offline Access
The default setting on Spool allows you access via the Web and your mobile apps as soon as you have saved a page, whilst being connected to the internet. If you want to access your files on your mobile whilst offline, you should open the app, go to settings and check the ‘auto download box. This will provide you with automatic download via mobile data or WiFi. The files that have been synced will be saved on your mobile to allow you access whilst offline. If space is a problem, you can delete files once you have read them.
Read It
This is a Chrome add-on which gives you the option to access any saved information from your tablet and mobile once you have saved the files to a cloud storage facility. The main advantage of this add-on is that it gets rid of all the non-related description and advertisements, hence only saving the required description.
To make use of this add-on, all you have to do is go to the Chrome extensions and install the app. Once the installation is complete, you will notice an icon titled ‘Klip Me in the top right-hand corner of your browser. When you are visiting websites and find description you wish to save for later viewing, you simply click that icon and you will be provided with a clean page with the relevant information on it. All that is necessary at this point is to click on the ‘save button.
The add-on does not save the entire website, it only saves specific description. If you are viewing web pages with many articles on a single page, such as a blog, you will not have the facility to save only the article you are interested in. You will however be able to save the description you want by highlighting the relevant sections, including images and clicking on the ‘klip me button.
Access for Web
When you want access to the information you saved, you should open a new tab on your Chrome browser and click the ‘klip me icon. All the description you saved will be shown in that folder.
To make the description available on your mobile, you should add the application to your Google account which will give you the opportunity to save your files in Cloud. Once you have opened the Klip.me screen, click on the ‘sign in button and follow the instructions to allow access to Google. Once you have gained access, all your files will be synced to Cloud and you can now access your saved files by accessing the Klip.me website. You must remember that to sync your files you will require internet access.
Access for Android
If you intend using your Android phone to access your description, you can use Google Play to download the Klip Me app. You can sign in with your normal Google account and sync the files. All your files will be stored on your Android device for access when you are offline. Read It is currently only available for Android and Chrome. However, you can access your description at Klip.me and could save it to your Kindle or other eReader. This app will become available for use as a Safari extension sometime in the future.
Read It Later
The main advantage of Read It Later is its capability of integrating with several other apps, such as Flipboard and Pulse. This makes it so simple to save description from other apps directly to Read It Later for access when you are offline. Some of the external applications available for this app have been created by the users which makes it quite an interesting concept.
To start using this app, you should register with Read It Later and visit their apps page to download the necessary tools, such as browser extension, bookmarklet and the mobile apps. This application can be used with all browsers and also on Android and iOS for mobile devices.
All the files you save will be synced automatically to the mobile apps for reading whilst offline. You will however only be able to read the saved description offline on your computer by installing a Firefox extension.
The internet has become part of daily life for most people and LLU and other faster services are spreading their reach every day. LLU is now commonplace in most telephone exchanges if you are wondering what is LLU, it is Local Loop Unbundling, which basically means several network operators can use the services at the exchange, so more than one supplier may be able to get their service to your home by using the existing cabling.
These alternatives now make it possible for you to save your web description and read it while you are out and about without the need for an internet connection. There are other alternatives to the ones listed, some of which require that you pay a fee. However, chances are you are not going to be making use of this facility on a daily basis, so why pay for it.
‘What is LLU?’ was a question that Phil Turner had found himself asking lately! Luckily he was able to turn to sites like uSwitch to get the details on it.
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