December 2007
59 posts
Inside the Nike+Ipod devices →
I can’t help but confess that the past few days, after getting Orange Box for Christmas, have been excellent for me, but a total waste of time for everyone else. I spent the past two days playing Half Life 2 and Portal and not much else.
The apology aside, I have become quite curious about the Nike+iPod gift that June received. The box contains exactly what it shows: one foot sensor and one...
How to Install Third-Party Apps on Your New iPhone... →
If a new iPhone or iPod touch found its way under your tree and you just can’t wait until Apple officially supports third-party application development to extend its functionality (who can wait until February?), it’s time you jailbreak your favorite new portable device. We’ve covered two methods for doing so already, but that feisty Apple keeps on changing things up, and the...
Pointui: New Windows Mobile interface app coming... →
Filed under: Windows Mobile, Mobile Minute
It seems like every week there’s a new application hitting the streets that aims to turn your Windows Mobile device into an iPhone. If you really want an iPhone, you should probably just buy one. On the other hand, if you prefer Windows Mobile applications, but like the look of the iPhone program launcher, we can understand why applications like...
Asus M930W Communicator →
Asus takes a page from Nokia’s book (Nokia E90) and creates an attractive communicator, powered by Windows Mobile 6. We would need to see it in the flesh to tell you if the form-factor is right.
Specifications
GSM tri-band
EDGE (2.5G), UMTS (3G), HSDPA (3.5G)
Marvel 520Mhz CPU
Windows Mobile 6 Pro (touch screen support)
128MB of user memory
WiFi b/g
Bloetooth 2.0
Mini USB (1.1) port
...
Rotary USB Card Reader →
Hong Kong based Earth Tek makes this USB card reader that can rotate to provide an easy access to the user, regardless of where the reader is connected. It is most useful on laptops, where USB ports can be in a corner, facing the “wrong way”, leaving the card slots facing away from you.
The reader supports SD, MicroSD, MemoryStick and has a small power plug to charge an external device....
Adobe Reader Lite: Blazing fast version of Adobe... →
Filed under: Utilities, Adobe, Freeware
Adobe may have pioneered the PDF format, but it’s been a long time since we’ve recommended anyone download the free but bulky Adobe Reader for viewing PDF files. Foxit Reader can open pretty much anything Adobe Reader can, but much much faster. A few months ago we took another look at Adobe Reader, when we found Adobe Reader Speedup, which...
iPod touch to iPod video UI hack attack →
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video
Got a 5 or 5.5G iPod video that you don’t want to give up, but you do want to make look a little more like your pal’s iPod touch? Well, good news for you comes by way of iPodHacking’s new iPod touch to iPod video interface, which will help you stave off a painful, costly upgrade that much longer — especially since hear it even...
Beta Beat: SimplePrint →
Filed under: OS, Peripherals, Beta Beat
Mac Developer Chad Barraford dropped me a note to let me know about his recently released program — SimplePrint. SimplePrint is a suite of 3 apps that make the painful art of network printing a breeze. Use the Admin tool to set up your printer(s), then you can easily set the default printer, stop and restart print jobs, and view every print queue on...
Add Quit to the Finder Menu [Mac OS X Tip] →
Mac OS X only: Sick of not being able to exit Finder? A quick terminal command will add a “quit” option to the menu in Finder. This means you can run Finder like any other Mac application. If you’re running some heavy applications, simply close Finder and enjoy the extra, albeit small, processing power. Open a terminal and enter the following command:
defaults write...
Create Custom iPhone Ringtones the Free and Apple... →
Apple has introduced a simple and free way to create and sync your own custom ringtones to the iPhone using GarageBand (i.e., Mac only). The first thing you’ll need to do, if you haven’t already, is download and install the latest update of GarageBand from Software Update (at the time of this writing, that’s version 4.1.1). Once you’ve installed and restarted your computer,...
Add Webapps to Your Dock with Fluid [Featured Mac... →
Mac OS X Leopard only: Freeware application Fluid runs your favorite webapps in a dedicated, WebKit-based browser so you can run your most-used webapps just like they’re native Mac apps. If this idea sounds familiar it’s because Mozilla has tackled similar territory with an app they’re calling Prism. The major difference is that Fluid uses the same rendering engine as Safari...
Quick Look Inside Folders [Featured Mac Download] →
Mac OS X Leopard only: You already know how to view zip archive contents and even preview files in the Trash using Leopard’s handy Quick Look feature, and now you can look inside folders, too. Using a Folder Quick Look plug-in, instead of just looking at a big old folder icon when you Quick Look a directory, you can get a file listing of what’s inside. Here’s how to get it...
Read Ebooks on Your iPod with Ebook to Images... →
Windows only: Convert Ebooks (in virtually any common format) to portable-friendly images with freeware application Ebook to Images. After you import an Ebook into the program, you can customize the image size and other output options, making it perfect for converting Ebooks for any portable device that can display images, from your smartphone to your MP3 player. In fact, converting an Ebook for...
MacUpdate adds SRS iWow 2 to bundle →
Filed under: Humor, Deals
Now that all of the bonus applications have been unlocked, MacUpdate is back with some surprises. Beginning today (December 13), the MacUpdate Promo bundle, also includes a license for SRS Labs iWow 2.0. The iTunes plug-in, which is especially great for anyone on a laptop, is now Leopard compatible and can really bring some extra oomph to your digital music files. The...
How Do I Unmute a Gmail Conversation? [Ask... →
Dear Lifehacker,
I love that I can mute a conversation in Gmail I’m no longer interested in by hitting the M key. But once I mute something from my chatty co-workers, what if I change my mind? How do I unmute if that “Undo” link is long gone?
Signed,
Mute Regret
Dear Mute Regret, One would think there’d be an “Unmute” option on muted conversations, but one...
Battleship Mtron: the absurdly fast SSD RAID array →
Filed under: Storage
Listen, we know you think your RAID setup is pretty snazzy, and, truth be told, it probably makes our rig look silly by comparison. However, in the computer world, there’s always someone out there with a bigger, nastier system — and we’ve just spotted one of the nastiest of them all. Next Level Hardware is a site that specializes is putting outrageous...
QNAP's 4-bay TS-409 NAS box gets peeked early →
Filed under: Storage
What do you get when you mix a TS-209 in with two extra drive bays and a new design? Why, the TS-409, of course! This not-yet-released NAS drive reportedly supports RAID 0/1/5 and JBOD, doubles as a UPnP media server and doesn’t require the user to bust out a screwdriver each time he / she wants to access or swap out a HDD. Beyond that, not much is known about...
Sorting for Humans : Natural Sort Order →
The default sort functions in almost every programming language are poorly suited for human consumption. What do I mean by that? Well, consider the difference between sorting filenames in Windows explorer, and sorting those very same filenames via Array.Sort() code:
Explorer shell sort
Array.Sort()
Quite a difference.
I can say without the slightest hint of exaggeration that this...
MAXroam SIM targets frequent travelers →
Cubic Telecom’s MAXroam SIM is a prepaid SIM card that frequent travelers will find handy - it slots into any unlocked GSM handset comfortably, establishing a local number both in the user’s home country as well as another in a different territory. This enables owners to place and make calls as though they were local in either area simply by pointing callers to the right number. This...
Cover Your Porn Browsing Tracks with HideBad... →
Firefox only (Windows/Mac/Linux): The hideBad Firefox extension instantly saves and closes your current browsing session and opens your default homepage with the stroke of a key. Let’s see, why might someone want to use this? Well, since the holidays are around the corner, let’s say you’re doing a little online shopping and that special someone walks in on you. Hit the shortcut,...
Get Wires Under Control with Millepede Cable Ties... →
The Cool Tools weblog features some neat-looking, refastenable cable ties for getting all those wires under your desk under control. The Millepede Cable Ties are basically reusable zip ties, and they sound strong! Cool Tools reader David Perry writes:
The holding strength is amazing. I use them for all my wiring harness applications, but I’ve also connected multiple ties (the larger burly...
Top 10 New and Improved Apps of 2007 [Lifehacker... →
When it comes to new technology, 2007’s destined to be remembered as “The Year of the iPhone”—but a whole lot more went on in the past 12 months besides Apple’s much-hyped gadget launch. From significant upgrades to apps we already know and love, to major operating system releases, to a few new tools that help us get things done (or at least point toward the future),...
Take Control of an Unresponsive PC with AntiFreeze... →
Windows only: Take control of your unresponsive computer next time it freezes up with freeware system tray app AntiFreeze. After you’ve installed it, just wait for the next time your computer hangs and hit Alt-Ctrl-Win-Home to activate AntiFreeze, suspend your running programs, and free up your memory and CPU cycles. You can then use AntiFreeze’s interface to selectively resume...
Qm →
Qm is a very simple Windows application for sending mail (with attachments) via SMTP.
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Willcom shows off an Android prototype →
Filed under: Cellphones
Android might have launched last month in a cloud of vapor, but since then we’ve seen a couple of concrete developments from Google’s mobile phone project. The latest comes courtesy of Japan’s Willcom, which recently demonstrated what appears to be an early prototype of an Android reference board running on a FreeScale CPU. The unit was shown taking a...
Xbox Live Video Marketplace launches in five new... →
Filed under: Gaming
Right on cue, the Xbox Live Video Marketplace has indeed launched in Europe today, and our neighbors to the north are being treated, too. Effectively immediately, Xbox Live users in Canada, France, Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom can dip into features made available to Americans last year. More specifically, gamers will be able to rent downloadable flicks in HD and...
Remove iTunes DRM easily and quickly with iMovie... →
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Multimedia, Hacks, How-tos, iTunes, Apple
The thing about DRM is that there are always exceptions to the rules— while Apple has released lots of DRM-free music, lots of it is still bogged down by DRM, and if you’re like me, you disagree that any music you purchase should be limited in the ways that you use it. Fortunately, as long as you can hear the...
Grab n GO Multimedia Recorder →
The Grab’n’GO Multimedia Recorder & Player personal video recorder, also known as the CM3PVR, is capable of recording just about all your favorite movies and TV shows on the included hard drive via its integrated analog TV tuner. The built-in scheduled recording function allows you to just about program anything you would like to record, while its timeshift feature enables you...
Discover New Music at Thesixtyone [Digital Music] →
Find and download new music and build playlists of streaming tunes online with web site thesixtyone. This sort of site has been springing up a lot lately (like Songza, SeeqPod, and perhaps one of the originals, The Hype Machine), but thesixtyone is probably one of the most feature-rich, well thought-out sites of its kind. No matter what you do on the site the music keeps playing, so you can...
Space Navigator 3D mouse →
Now here’s a mouse that is different from what you normally get on the market - the Space Navigator doesn’t even look like one to begin with. This 3D mouse enables you to pan, zoom, rotate and perform other tricks that a standard mouse cannot. Features include pressure sensing technology that enables the controller cap to become part of your virtual extension - you will be able to...
FilesTube: Search for & Download Music,... →
Just last week we introduced you to BeeMP3, a search engine for music, and then a few weeks before that we showed you a RapidShare search engine. Now wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way to combine the features of both sites into one convenient search engine?
As it turns out there is such a site, and it’s called FilesTube. It scours the Internet looking for all different types of files, and...
Host Your Domain with Free Apps [Feature] →
Want your very own web site address, but don’t want to mess with pay-for hosting packages or server configuration? Today you can buy a domain name for around 10 bucks a year (or less) and map it to a variety of free web-based apps for no-mess and no-cost hosting. Typical commercial web hosting starts at around $100 a year and comes with clunky webmail and apps you have to set up yourself....
Pixelmator 1.1: Graphic Tablet Support and More →
Pixelmator is a fairly new image-editing application, recently reviewed here. The focus of the application is to provide easy but powerful image editing . Recently, Pixelmator’s team released the first 0.x update of the application: version 1.1, codename Kitten. This new version brings a lot of new features such as graphic tablet support, a QuickLook plugin and many new filters.
The new graphic...
Monitor Strip Calendar [Calendars] →
Make use of the space between the edge of your monitor and the screen with a miniature printable calendar. Similar to the Compact Calendar, the Monitor Strip Calendar is great for referencing dates at-a-glance. The Monitor Strip Calendar is available as a free PDF download and comes in vertical and horizontal versions. Additionally, the calendar comes in color (pictured above) and black and...
Tabulate adds Safari "tabs" to iPhone and iPod... →
Filed under: iPod Family, Cool tools, Hacks, Internet Tools, iPhone
Now here’s a clever trick. Inventive Labs Gadgets has designed a Safari bookmarklet that adds “tabs” to your iPhone browsing experience. Just drag their bookmarklet into your Safari bookmarks bar, then sync your iPhone or iPod touch. (Make sure you’ve selected Info > Web browser > Sync Safari...
GameTap releases Mac-compatible Player →
Filed under: Gaming, Odds and ends, Freeware
The GameTap lite client has been out on the Mac for a while, but GameTap just finally released a new version of their full player, and it is now fully compatible with the Mac. Unfortunately, things aren’t quite hunky dory just yet— the Mac player will only play Mac-supported games, which leaves a large number of games completely out—...
Widget Watch: Tumblr widget version 3 →
Filed under: Internet Tools, Widget Watch
Here’s something for everyone who uses Tumblr. Version 3 of the Tumblr Dashboard widget is available with some cool new features. It can publish posts, links, quotes, and web photos. Also, it puts a dash (-) in front of the source on a quote, which looks nice on your post. I’ve tried it out and it works well. I’d like to be able to drag...
Kuroutoshikou USB video card →
Kuroutoshikou is toying with a new idea where video cards are concerned. It has two offerings in mind, the VGA-USB/DVI (DVI out) and the VGA-USB/RGB (D-Sub out). Either one will be capable of displaying a full 1,440 x 900 in WXGA+ or 1,280 x 1,024 in SXGA, and best of all is you don’t really need some high end specifications. In fact, a USB 2.0 port, a 1.2GHz Pentium III processor...
Zigview S2 Digital Viewfinder →
Looks like your digital SLR will now be able to benefit from a motion sensing viewfinder thanks to the Zigview S2 Digital Viewfinder. This device is hooked up to the back of your camera, enabling you to trigger the shutter from a remote location. This distance, is of course, determined by the length of the cable you have. The motion sensing feature allows you to capture images the moment...
Block Facebook's Beacon Feature [How To] →
Users of the social networking site Facebook might have noticed the recent uproar over Beacon, an opt-in feature that notifies friends about purchases made at outside web sites. While users can, as of yesterday, turn off the friend notifications in Facebook’s privacy settings, Facebook can still collect the information. If you want to block Facebook entirely from knowing about your outside...
Connect360 now does DivX/Xvid →
Filed under: Gaming, Multimedia, Software, Video
We’ve posted on Connect360 from nullriver several times before. This handy Preference Pane application allows you to stream media (music, pictures, and video) from your Mac to your Xbox 360 (by emulating a Windows machine). Well the Fall 2007 Dashboard update for Xbox 360 just dropped this week and, among other things, added DivX and Xvid...
Adobe Flash Player Now With H.264 (HD quality) →
Just the other day Adobe released Flash Player 9.0.115.0, and the most notable feature is the new H.264 (HD quality) video support. That is pretty big news because H.264 offers better video quality at lower bitrates, which inevitably makes for a better viewing experience. As Wikipedia points out there are numerous benefits to using H.264 for sharing videos.
One site that has already jumped on...
Color-Coded Mouse Cursors Offer Higher Visibility... →
Windows only: Wish your mouse pointer was easier to see? Try installing the smart and colorful XsX alpha blended package of mouse cursors. These cursors change color depending on the possible action (like clicking a link or resizing a window), and blogger Aaron Tiensivu’s put together a convenient installer for both Windows XP and Vista. Especially good for laptop screens, be sure to...
Quick Look at Multiple Files Simultaneously [Mac... →
Mac OS X Leopard only: You already know about Leopard’s useful Quick Look feature, which previews any kind of document with a tap of the Spacebar. (Go ahead, select a file in Finder and hit the Spacebar to see its contents immediately, no application launching required.) Well, you can also preview several files at once with Quick Look. Just select multiple documents in Finder and hit that...
Top 10 Free Windows File Wranglers [Lifehacker Top... →
You spend a whole lot of time each day moving, copying, trashing, browsing, and otherwise fiddling with all the files stored on your PC, and you should have the most efficient power tools to get those jobs done. Windows Explorer and its weak army of file manipulation functions just doesn’t cut the mustard for people with lots of data and only a little time, but several free utilities can...
Get SmarterChild in Gmail [Aim] →
Now that Gmail’s got AIM support baked into the web interface, Gmailer Steve Rubel commented how nice it will be to have SmarterChild along with your email. Nearly three years ago we first posted about SmarterChild, an AIM bot that can do all sorts of interesting command line-y things, like look up the weather, store notes, trigger timed IM reminders, calculate and convert, and generally...
LogMeIn for Mac reaches 1.0 →
Filed under: Software, Cool tools
With Back to My Mac and iChat screen sharing, remote control options feature heavily on the Sparta List of Leopard features. Now, the remote control tool LogMeIn Free, in beta for the Mac since June, has reached release status. With the free client you can initiate or accept remote control sessions, cross-platform and through most firewalls. It’s great for...
Adobe Flash Player 9 update out →
Filed under: Internet Tools
The plugin formerly known as ‘Moviestar’ — Adobe’s H.264-capable version of the Flash player — is now officially released for the Mac (along with Windows and Linux) and downloadable from Adobe’s site. Sure, it can play back HD and fullscreen video, but will it reduce the performance hit that Mac users take whenever a Flash movie pops...
CyberNotes: Give Firefox a Vista Feel →
Web Browser Wednesday
One of the things that I’m looking forward to the most with Firefox 3 is to see what kind of redesign they will come up with for Vista users. Right now the Firefox theme in Vista is anything but stellar, but it is possible to improve it with very little work on your part. We are going to walk you through several changes that you can make, all of which will keep the default...
Ultimate Leopard Customization Guide →
Leopard is cool. There’s no doubt about it. But there’s always that one thing that’s missing from something you buy, whether it be from your new iPod, your new toaster, or your new operating system. We’ve covered many of the customizations that can be made to Leopard in the past, but we’ve decided to compile them all in one place, ready to be downloaded and tried out, (almost) all for free.
...