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Use Google Mobile for the iPhone for Quick Local Lookups [Google]
Over at the Google Mobile Blog I've put together a step-by-step video detailing how I use the previously mentioned Google Mobile app on my iPhone to do quick local look-ups. The concept is simple:...
Orca Browser is Avant for Firefox [Featured Windows Download]
Windows only: The free Orca Browser is a web browser based on the Firefox 3 core with the same speed and features of Firefox in addition to a handful of extra features. Those extra features include a...
Fix a Scratched LCD Monitor [How To]
DIY weblog Hackosis details how to fix your scratched LCD monitor after a scarring encounter with a sharp object. The post offers two different methods for addressing the LCD scratches, from a...
Google Knol Opens Its Doors, Challenges Wikipedia [Google Knol]
Google's Wikipedia competitor, Google Knol, officially opens its doors today. The site is already populated with several knols (definition: "an authoritative article about a specific topic"), but...
Mix Turtle Creates Online Music Playlists [Music]
Web-based music search tool Mix Turtle creates playlists of songs you find online. Working from an index of millions of songs, Mix Turtle supplies suggestions to your search terms as you enter them....
Why Jailbreaking Your iPhone is Still Worth It [IPhone]
Our brothers in gadgetry over at Gizmodo make the case for why jailbreaking your iPhone is worth it even with the App Store open. Here's why we still need the iPhone app black market.
Halite Does Super-Lightweight BitTorrent [Featured Windows Download]
Windows only: Free, open-source application Halite is a BitTorrent client with a focus on a small memory footprint. With Halite running and actively downloading on my system, I never saw the memory...
Top 10 Printable Paper Productivity Tools [Lifehacker Top 10]
There's a reason there's still so much paper around in this hyper-connected, everything-online age: the stuff is cheap, portable, compatible with all your applications, and everyone masters the...
Double Driver Backs Up Your System's Drivers [Featured Windows Download]
Windows only: Backup utility Double Driver lists all the hardware drivers installed on your system and creates backups of both the actual drivers and lists of the driver names. While handy with any...
Make Google Reader Widescreen-Friendly [Featured Greasemonkey User Script]
Firefox with Greasemonkey: The Google Reader for Wider Screens Greasemonkey script uses all the horizontal space available in GReader for better viewing on wide monitors. Install the script to take...
Pismo File Mount Creates Virtual Drives from ZIP, ISO Files [Featured Windows Download]
Windows only: Free virtual archive tool Pismo File Mount can help you cut down on unnecessary CD burning and folder space by mounting compressed and ISO files as virtual drives. There are lots of...
Ask MetaFilter Roundup [Hive Mind]
How do I make Microsoft Word 2007 include the date a document was created within the document itself?Software solutions to download from links en masse?Why am I waking up dehydrated?What is the...
KuKu Klok Wakes You Up from a Web Browser [Alarms]
KuKu Klok is a pretty straightforward webapp—you set a time for an alarm to go off, you choose a sound to wake up to, and you hit "Set Alarm." Kind of like the Online Alarm Clock, but the neat...
Windows Search 4.0 Available on Windows Update [Featured Windows Download]
Windows only: Windows Search 4.0, an updated version of the desktop/web search tool that was introduced with Vista, is now officially available for Windows XP and Vista through Windows Update. As was...
Mapufacture Creates Small, PocketMod-Compatible Maps [Maps]
If you're a fan of the foldable, all-in-one PocketMod organizer, or if you're traveling and don't want to swing for those pocket-sized walking maps, customized mapping site Mapufacture has a handy...
What Productivity Studies Really Show [Opinion]
Every time a new research study around personal productivity and office culture appears, we dutifully post the "proof" that information overload, email distractions, and multitasking are keeping you...
Best Alternative File Managers? [Hive Five Call For Contenders]
If there's one default application that comes with any operating system out of the box, it's a file manager. But whether it's Windows Explorer or the OS X Finder, your operating system's default file...
Search All Craigslist Sites at Once with Google [Google School]
Wired's How-To Wiki details how to flex your Google-fu to get Craigslist results from every Craigslist domain. In essence, the author does a Google site search of Craigslist.org and excludes pages...
DIY Leatherman Key Mod [DIY]
We've shown you how to make a couple of different compact keychains, but DIY web site Instructables is back with the ultimate fulfillment of the streamlined keychain and multi-tool: the Swiss Army...
HFSExplorer Reads Mac-Formatted Hard Drives [Featured Windows Download]
Windows only: Free, open source application HFSExplorer reads and extracts files from drives formatted with the HFS+ file system native to Macs. Common uses for HFSExplorer include reading files from...
PlacesBar Tweaker Edits Open and Save Locations [Featured Windows Download]
Windows only: Free Windows utility PlacesBar Tweaker puts your frequently-accessed folders in Windows' Open and Save dialog box's sidebar. If the Desktop, My Documents, and My Computer (the default...
The Apps That Run Our Virtual Office [Collaboration Tools]
Take a peek behind the curtain here at Lifehacker's virtual headquarters in my recent article for Macworld magazine, The Portable Office: Work Anywhere. Longtime readers won't be surprised to find...
Google Maps Adds Walking Directions [Google Maps]
Google Maps wants to help you get where you're going on foot with a new option to switch your step-by-step driving directions to walking directions. The main difference between walking and driving...
The Best Tech Tools and Fitness Plans to Get in Shape [Fitness]
If there's one thing geeks and non-geeks alike all share, it's an aversion to exercise. No matter how much you'd like to slim your waistline and lose the belly, it's difficult to find a workout...
ToDo Embeds the Contents of Todo.txt onto Your Desktop [Featured Windows Download]
Windows only: Tiny utility ToDo pins the contents of your todo.txt file onto your PC's desktop. We already showed you how to incorporate text files onto your desktop using the multi-featured and...
Layered Desktop Wallpaper Organizes Your Icons [Wallpaper]
Flickr user Gabriel Radic has an elegantly simple solution for organizing icon clutter. His "Layered Desktop" background, free to download in high resolutions, divides your computer space into four...
Ship Your Luggage to Save Travel Costs [Travel]
Now that most airlines are charging passengers to check extra bags, it turns out if you're hauling a lot of luggage on your trip, you can save a few clams by shipping it instead. Wired's travel blog...
SlyDial Lets You Leave Direct, Stealthy Voicemails [Voicemail]
SlyDial, a new direct-to-voicemail phone service, blatantly pitches itself as a way to avoid conversations you don't want to have—and, in some cases, that's fine and actually productive. Sign...
Glary Utilities Optimizes Your Windows PC [Featured Windows Download]
Windows only: Free application Glary Utilities performs vital maintenance on your system to keep it in tip-top shape. Glary Utilities performs six key functions, from optimizing your registry to...
p7zip Adds Built-In 7-Zip Tools to Ubuntu [Linux Tip]
The Tombuntu blog points out a seriously helpful package available in Ubuntu's extended repositories that make creating super-efficient 7-Zip archives simple and fast, whether you're right-clicking...
Incollector Keeps Tagged Notes in Your System Tray [Featured Download]
Windows/Linux: Free note-taking app Incollector is a pretty convenient and lightweight way to keep small bits of data close at hand, while also keeping everything organized and easily accessible....
Favtape Plays Back Your Pandora or Last.fm Favorites [Streaming Music]
Marking a song as "Loved" or a "Favorite" on music discovery apps like Last.fm and Pandora doesn't help you a whole lot when you want to hear them again. Free mashup site Favtape bridges the gaps...
Get Your Computer Online Using Your iPhone's Data Connection [Jailbreak]
The best way to put your newly jailbroken iPhone 2.0 to good use is to turn it into a cellphone modem for your laptop. When tapping out an email or pinching and swiping on the iPhone's web browser...
iGoogle Header Remover Improves Screen Real Estate [Featured Greasemonkey User Script]
Now that iGoogle has full-screen Gmail, weather, and other gadgets, you may start accessing more of your Google services from inside iGoogle. The iGoogle Header Remover Greasemonkey user script...
Email "Ding" Costs $70 Billion a Year [Distraction]
Technology is turning us all into a bunch of time-wasters according to The Observer, which reports that the beep of an email alert alone is costing the US economy $70 billion per year. Wonder what...
Ask MetaFilter Roundup [Hive Mind]
What is your most ingenious hiding place for valuables?Can a 2G and 3G iPhone share a family plan?How can I make digital art with my Wacom tablet?Why won't my Xbox 360 connect to Xbox Live?
Speed Up Your BitTorrent Downloads [BitTorrent]
The TorrentFreak weblog wants to speed up your BitTorrent downloads with practical advice for getting around your firewall and managing your upload speed. They're mostly beginner tips, so you may...
Under-the-Staircase Floating Bookshelves [Tip Testers]
Reader Expectmohr took a shining to the DIY invisible floating bookshelf video demonstration and decided to turn the extra space under the staircase into a haven for floating books. It's a simple...
Build Your Own Photography Softbox [Photography]
As any photography hobbyist knows, shelling out for expensive gear can put a hurt on your pocketbook. We've covered how to create a cheap DIY softbox here before, but if you're looking for something...
DVD Catalyst Rips DVDs to Friendly Formats in One Click [Featured Windows Download]
Windows only: Free application DVD Catalyst Free rips videos from DVDs to device-friendly formats for your iPod, iPhone, PSP, PS3, Xbox, smartphone, and more in one simple click. Normally we prefer...
Jailbreak iPhone 2.0 with PwnageTool [Jailbreak]
When you don't want to depend solely on the official App Store to get your iPhone 2.0 applications, you want to jailbreak your iPhone or iPod touch—and less than two weeks after the iPhone 2.0...