July 2010
1 post
Safari Extensions Now Available Through Browser... →
Windows/Mac: Safari 5.0.1 is out, and it’s much more than just a bug fix. Installing the update activates Safari’s new extensions platform, which has roughly 100 extensions available through …
April 2010
30 posts
Use Google Dictionary to See Words Used in Current... →
If you want to see a word in current usage, most dictionaries offer dated or stilted examples. Google Dictionary combs news sites to pull quotes demonstrating words in current usage.
Plug in…
Savevideo.me Downloads Video From YouTube,... →
Web-based tools for downloading YouTube videos abound but smaller video sites are often neglected. Savevideo.me works on YouTube and a half-dozen other sites for easy one-click downloads.
Visit…
Twitter Newspapers →
Twitter uses the “river of news” format to present your timeline. The most recent tweets of your Twitter friends are at the top and these get pushed down as new tweets enter the timeline.
JDownloader Turbocharges File Sharing Sites... →
Windows/Mac/Linux: If you’re a frequent visitor to popular file sharing sites like Rapidshare you’ll want to grab a copy of JDownloader, a java-based tool that completely automates the…
Netflix Delays New Releases from Fox and Universal... →
Bad news for Netflix subscribers who still use the service for something other than streaming Watch Instantly movies and TV: The service has entered agreements with Fox and Universal (along with…
Windows Media Player 12 Streams Your Media Library... →
Here’s a new one to us: Linking your Windows Live ID to Windows Media Player 12 in Windows 7 allows you to stream your entire music library to any computer. Even better: no need to install…
Google Suggest Mobile Provides Smart Answers While... →
iPhone/Android/WebOS: Mobile searching for common information—weather, unit conversions, flight data, and the like—just got a bit faster on some phones. Google’s Suggest feature on its mobile…
Uploadr Takes Screenshots, Shares Files and... →
Windows only: Free, portable application Uploadr takes screenshots or shares files on file sharing site Localhostr with a simple drag-and-drop interface—and it even has Jump List support for…
Create Instant QR Codes with a Bookmarklet... →
Creating camera-phone-friendly QR codes with a goo.gl shortlink URL tweak is nice, but one of our readers took the next logical step. His bookmarklets creates a goo.gl link, automatically…
Xmarks for Firefox Syncs Open Tabs Between... →
Firefox: Fans of the Xmarks bookmark and password syncing service, rejoice. You can now close down any Firefox browser connected to Xmarks and open whatever tabs you left standing on another…
Hone Your Eye for Fake Online Reviews [Reviews] →
Online reviews have changed the way we shop, and mostly for the better. We’re certainly more informed consumers, but online reviews aren’t always trustworthy. Savvy consumer blog Consumerist…
Ski Runner 2 – An Awesome Free Flash-Based Online... →
Sometimes the day’s work just overtakes you and you need a little something to break the monotony. Some people turn to drugs or alcohol, but I turn to free online flash based skiing…
WeekPlan Pairs Your Tasks with the Motivation... →
WeekPlan is a weekly task and goal planner that pairs your task list with the personal and professional goals you’re striving towards.
WeekPlan not only organizes your tasks for the week but…
Flowdock Streamlines Tasks and Feeds for Group... →
If you’re part of a group or business that uses a blog, wiki, chat software, bug tracking, or other webapps to track progress, Flowdock wants to help you organize all that with a streamlined look…
The Tiny Ohto Petit-B Pen Fits Comfortably in Your... →
Like to keep a pen handy but don’t want to look like you’re carrying an office in your bulging pockets? The Ohto Petit-B compact wallet pen fits easily in your pocket—and even in the fold of a…
Instapaper Beyond Brings Keyboard Shortcuts to... →
Mac only: Previously mentioned web service Instapaper is well-loved, but if you’ve gotten used to keyboard shortcuts in webapps, userscript Instapaper Beyond will make you love it even more,…
Miro Video Converter Easily Converts Video for... →
Windows and Mac: Miro Video Converter quickly and easily converts video on-the-fly for popular devices, with presets for your PSP, Android phone, or Apple device.
The program has presets for a…
Partition Wizard Manages and Fixes Your Hard Drive... →
Windows: Partition Wizard does everything you’d probably need a partition tool to do, and does it on 32 and 64-bit systems. That alone puts it ahead of some other Windows-based partition tools….
Ubuntu 10.04 Gets Cloud-Based Contact Syncing... →
Along with a built-in music store, Ubuntu 10.04, the free Linux distribution arriving later this month, will offer a 30-day trial of cloud-based contact syncing through its Ubuntu One…
Antenna Brings You Streaming Radio From Around the... →
Adobe Air: Streaming radio stations abound but finding them is one thing and enjoying thousands of them with a polished interface and all in one place is another. Antenna is a sleek Adobe…
Techmeme = 70% Apple News →
This is a current snapshot of the Techmeme home page. Stories highlighted in red are about Apple (iPad, iPad Apps and iPhone OS 4.0) , green color is for Google (Buzz privacy) while stories…
CloudApp Instantly Shares Any File, Is My New... →
Mac OS X: Drag and drop any file to free menu bar utility CloudApp, and it uploads the file to the internet and instantly inserts a link to the file in your clipboard. Quickly sharing a file…
Seats3D Shows You the View Before You Buy Tickets... →
Birds-eye-view maps of stadiums, theaters, and other venues are helpful, but they don’t really show you what the field or stage looks like from the seat you’re buying. Seats3D shows you what the…
File Blender Converts Files with Drag and Drop... →
Windows: File Blender is a free and portable interface for more than a half-dozen tools. Drag and drop everything from pictures to music to File Blender and convert it to something new.
File…
HearNames.com Boosts Your Pronunciation, Helps... →
People with uncommon names don’t expect perfect pronunciation the first time they meet someone, but they’re probably impressed when they encounter it. Get a jump on your next business meeting or…
Instapaper Threestyled/Greystyled Adds Polish to... →
Most browsers: The article-saving, text-streamlining webapp Instapaper intentionally keeps its site dead simple to use. If you’d like just a bit of a color and style upgrade, the Threestyled…
The Overwhelming Wave That Makes Us Procrastinate... →
Sometimes we put things off because the timing just isn’t right; perhaps more often, we procrastinate because of a whole lot of negative emotions tied to a task overwhelm us the instant we think…
MapDroyd Downloads Free Maps for Offline... →
Android: When you’re traveling where a cellular connection is fairly certain, Google Maps’ own Navigation tool is a total GPS replacement. For those without data plans, or heading into the…
Be Aware of Tax Return Red Flags to Cut Down on... →
Nobody wants the attention of the IRS’s Eye of Sauron. Knowing what raises red flags in a tax return can help you cut down on audits and be extra prepared in the event you are audited.
Photo by…
Airport Location Automatically Sets Your... →
Mac only: If you find yourself starting up applciations and resetting specific preferences every time you move to a new location, free app Airport Location automates the process, taking…
Learn to Use Depth of Field to Focus Attention,... →
Getting pictures in focus is important, but if you know what you’re doing, a bit of unfocusing can be even better. Take more interesting photos by choosing a depth of field, drawing your viewer…
March 2010
12 posts
Hackintosh Updates Like a Charm to 10.6.3... →
Good news, Hackintoshers! If you followed our most recent guides to installing Snow Leopard on a PC from start to finish or the updated guide to building a Hackintosh with Snow Leopard, no…
Postponer Adds ReadItLater Integration to Google... →
Chrome only: Google Chrome extension Postponer integrates the popular ReadItLater service directly into Google Chrome, so you can save interesting articles for later reading, and easily…
Subsonic Streams Your Desktop Music to iPhones and... →
Windows/Mac/Linux (and iPhone/Android): Want access to your complete digital music stash while you’re out and about with your smartphone? Subsonic is one way to get it. The desktop streaming…
NumberQuotes Gives Perspective to Your Statistics,... →
Numbers—especially big ones—can seem pretty abstract. One way to help people better understand them: Provide context based on numbers they do understand. Free web service NumberQuotes spits out…
Indian Minister Promises Help via Twitter →
An Indian couple in Hyderabad is trying to get a passport for their 4-month old baby but the corrupt ‘babus’ at the local passport office aren’t ready to issue one unless the couple pays them a…
Scrybe Adds Multi-Finger Scrolling and App... →
Windows: We recently detailed two ways of getting Mac-like multi-finger scrolling on a Windows laptop, involving little open-source apps and hacked drivers. Touchpad giant Synaptics actually…
Weather Underground for Chrome Provides Simple,... →
Weather Underground’s conditions and forecast data comes fast, simple, and without a lot of gimmick-y offers. A Chrome extension built around the service offers WUnderground’s data in a…
Helvetireader 2 Strips Down and Simplifies Google... →
Firefox/Chrome/Opera/Safari (with user script support): The original Helvetireader gave Google Reader a facelift, with a singular font and emphasis on keyboard shortcuts. Helvetireader 2,…
Keyword Bookmarks Catalogs Handy Firefox Keyword... →
Firefox: Keyword bookmarks in Firefox provide an awesome way to turn your static bookmarks into active tools. Web site Keyword Bookmarks catalogs the bookmarks you need to interact with…
Why I Love the BBC News Website →
The BBC News website at news.bbc.co.uk sports a very elegant design, the choice of colors and typefaces makes the text very readable and you don’t have to register to read a news story on the BBC…
Woobius Eye Makes Online Communication Visual... →
If you’ve ever been at a loss to describe something to someone on the phone or over IM, free webapp Woobius Eye is the answer—with a simple link, your conversation can turn into a visual discussion…
February 2010
47 posts
Buzz Drops Auto-Following, Won't Automatically... →
After a week’s worth of complaints and confusion, Google is updating Buzz to address many of the privacy concerns and annoyances raised by the new social networking service. The update brings…
Full Screen Weather Is a Giant, No-Frills Weather... →
We’ve always liked Weather Underground for its no-nonsense, real-time weather info. Today they’ve released a new service called Full Screen Weather that mashes up Google Maps with weather…
Turn Google into Your Personal Napster with a... →
Last week Lifehacker reader UnMicD offered a simple bookmarklet for searching Craigslist in our #openthread. Over at the Productive Geek forums, user Brady modified that bookmarklet to…
Is It Compatible? Shows If Your Current Extensions... →
Firefox: Every new version of Firefox offers enticing new features, but the real question is whether or not your beloved Firefox extensions are ready for the jump. Is It Compatible? puts the…
Despite Privacy Issues, People Are Willing to Give... →
On Wednesday we asked you to share your first impressions with Google Buzz, and despite all the privacy issues and a whole lot of new inbox clutter, Lifehacker readers are willing to…
Divvyshot Offers Simple and Open Photo Sharing... →
More and more you’ll find yourself not being the only photographer at an event. Divvyshot offers a simple way to not only share your own pictures, but to create open albums others can contribute…
Fonolo Skips Automated Customer Service Phone... →
iPhone only: Fonolo is a clever webapp for bypassing automated calling trees when phoning corporate customer service lines. Now the service has an iPhone app with the same great features as the…