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New Stuff for BlackBerrys: iTunes Sync and Windows Live Messenger

July 24th, 2008 @ 9:18 am

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Categories: Travel Tips, Software, Gizmos and Gadgets

Tags: Microsoft Windows Live Messenger, Microsoft Windows Live, RIM BlackBerry, Apple iTunes, Microsoft Windows, Handhelds, Operating Systems, Software, Hardware, Rick Broida

windows-live-messenger-for-blackberry.jpgLest you think we’re all about iPhones here at Business Hacks, we’ve got two — count ‘em, two — new goodies for BlackBerry users, both straight outta RIM:

  • BlackBerry Media Sync  Nothing wrong with listening to a little music while you’re working, right? This new utility for Windows allows you to sync your iTunes library with your BlackBerry. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it doesn’t copy videos or DRM-protected songs. But if you buy all your music from AmazonMP3 (which can automatically add purchases to your iTunes library), that’s one problem solved.
  • Windows Live Messenger  If your organization relies on Windows Live Messenger for instant messaging, here’s your chance to IM on the run. This Microsoft-built app also supports Hotmail, if you’re into that kind of thing.

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a huge BlackBerry fan, as I prefer phones with touchscreens. But this is definitely good stuff for the BB faithful.

Turn Your iPhone into the Ultimate E-book Reader

July 24th, 2008 @ 7:34 am

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Categories: Travel Tips, Software, Gizmos and Gadgets

Tags: Apple iPhone, eReader, E-book Reader, E-books, Personal Technology, Rick Broida

ereader-for-iphone.jpgKindle, schmindle. The best e-book reader money can buy is the iPhone (ditto the iPod touch). Don’t believe me? Consider: Amazon’s Kindle sells for $349 and has a grayscale screen. It’s way too big to fit in a pocket. It’s good only for reading. And, let’s face it: It’s kinda ugly.

The iPhone, meanwhile, starts at $199, sports a gorgeous color screen, slips easily into a pocket, does way more than just e-books (duh), and looks crazy-sexy. So, just how do you get books on your iPhone or touch? Start with eReader (iTunes link), an e-book viewer that Palm and Windows Mobile users may recognize. The iPhone/touch version lets you download and view books purchased on the eReader or Fictionwise Web site (which, in addition to fiction, each carry a wealth of popular business titles). To find out more about eReader, read my full review of the program over at MacLife.

For the moment, eReader can’t open PDF and other e-book files you might already have on your PC. For that, look to Stanza (iTunes link). It’s great for reading public-domain works and the like. And it’s free. (So is eReader, but you have to buy books for it.)

The Kindle does have an edge in that you can download books from Amazon on the run — no PC required. But seriously, how often do you really need to do that? I am loving using my iPod touch as an e-book reader, and I’m quite confident you will, too.

Turn Your USB Drive into a System-Recovery Tool

July 23rd, 2008 @ 9:00 am

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Categories: Software, Gizmos and Gadgets

Tags: Malware, USB Flash Drive, Spyware, Adware & Malware, Cyberthreats, Rootkits, Viruses And Worms, Security, Rick Broida

flash-drive.jpgAre you the unofficial IT person for a small office? Then you’ve probably heard this before (if not said it yourself): “My PC is running really slow and acting really weird.” In cases like those, some kind of malware (viruses, adware, rootkits, etc.) is almost always to blame. If only you had some magical plug-and-play gizmo that could help eradicate those infections.

Build one yourself. Confessions of a Freeware Junkie shows you how to build a system-fixing flash drive stocked with free malware-fighting utilities. All you need is a 1GB-or-larger drive (here’s an 8GB drive for just $18 after mail-in rebate) and programs like Clamwin Portable, a virus scanner; Panda Anti-Rootkit; and Glary Utilities, which David recently raved about.

Of course, having the right tools is only half the battle. If you’re not sure how to combat malware, check out the author’s related post. Very helpful stuff.

Stream Live Video from Your Phone with Qik

July 23rd, 2008 @ 7:13 am

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Categories: Travel Tips, Web Tools

Tags: Phone, Video, Qik, Corporate Communications, Telecom & Utilities, Marketing, Rick Broida

qik.jpgYour flight was delayed and you can’t make it to an important meeting. Sure, you could dial in, but wouldn’t it be better if you could “video” in? You can with Qik, a free service that streams (and records) live video from cell phones.

Assuming someone in the meeting has a supported phone, they can just fire up Qik and start streaming the proceedings. The key word here is “supported” — at the moment, Qik is available for a couple dozen Nokia models, the Motorola Q9c and Q9h, and the Samsung SGH-I600 and BlackJack II. (Support is in the works for the iPhone and various HTC phones.) If you have a compatible model, just enter your number at the Qik site and click Sign Up — you’ll receive a link on your phone that gets you up and running.

I don’t have a Qik-compatible phone at the moment, but I’m hoping some Business Hacks readers do. Take this nifty-sounding service for a spin (it just entered public beta), then report your findings in the Comments. To me it sounds like a terrific way to transmit live video from meetings, trade shows, and other events. Of course, if you have a notebook with a Webcam, you can always use Ustream.tv. [via jkOnTheRun]

Go Straight To Voicemail

July 22nd, 2008 @ 2:51 pm

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Categories: Time-Savers

Tags: Voicemail, Telecommunications, David Goldenberg

voicemail1.jpgRegardless of your feelings on voicemail (and I think I’ve made mine pretty clear), there are still times when leaving a message for someone is preferable to actually talking to them. (Think: checking in late afternoon with the boss, dealing with cantankerous clients, reaching someone you know is in a meeting, etc.) 

So now there’s a way to get straight into someone’s voicemail without actually talking to them or having their phone ring. It’s called Slydial. Here’s how it works: Dial (267)759-3425. At the prompt, dial the person you want to reach. After you listen to a short ad, you can leave your message.

As several people in the Slashdot forum explain, there are lots of ways to do this without having to use Slydial, but it varies depending on your service provider. And in my experience with Slydial, I got a busy signal more than half the time, which was annoying. (Though that will probably go away as the initial wave of publicity passes.)

 But overall, it’s a useful service.

(Photo via Silas216)

How to Turn Your iPhone 3G Into a Wireless Modem

July 22nd, 2008 @ 9:00 am

2 Comments

Categories: Travel Tips, Gizmos and Gadgets

Tags: Apple iPhone, Apple iPhone 3G, Wireless Modem, Lifehacker, 3G, Modems, Wireless, Cellular Phones, Notebooks, Consumer Electronics

iphone-tether3.jpgIf you don’t mind breaking the rules, you can use your iPhone 3G as a wireless broadband modem for your notebook. Lifehacker explains how: It starts by “jailbreaking” your phone, meaning hacking it a bit so it can run software from sources other than the App Store. This is a do-at-your-own-risk operation that’s not for novices (and not allowed by Apple or AT&T), so proceed with caution.

With that step done, it’s a simple matter of creating an ad-hoc networking on your Windows or Mac notebook, then following a few additional steps outlined in the Lifehacker post. Alas, I haven’t been able to put this to the test myself (my BNET bosses still haven’t given me the iPhone bonus I so richly deserve), but it should work. I’ve successfully “tethered” my Palm Centro, and it’s a thing of beauty: High-speed Internet access via the phone in your pocket.

Create Adobe Illustrator-Style Vector Graphics with Free Creative Docs .NET (Windows)

July 22nd, 2008 @ 6:22 am

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Categories: Software

Tags: Adobe Systems Inc., Freeware, Graphic Design, Graphics, Desktop Publishing, Microsoft Windows, Software, Operating Systems, Rick Broida

creative-docs.jpg

Regular Business Hacks readers know that the go-to freeware for Adobe Photoshop-style image editing is Paint.NET. What you may not know is that there’s also a freeware application that can take the place of Adobe Illustrator: Creative Docs .NET.

Available for Windows only, Creative Docs .NET (yeah, weird name) is a vector-based graphic design tool for creating illustrations, manuals, flow charts, icons, and the like. It offers advanced features like Bezier curves, styles, convert-to-curves, and curved-path text. In short, it’s an extremely robust application, one that’s being actively developed (several updates have been released in just the last couple months).

Still not convinced? Check out the sample gallery of illustrations created with Creative Docs .NET. Needless to say, this program offers some serious graphics power. Hard to believe it’s free. [via CyberNet]

Gadget Love: FOZI Tripod Folds Flat When Not in Use

July 21st, 2008 @ 9:00 am

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Categories: Travel Tips, Gizmos and Gadgets

Tags: Color, Tripod, Camera, Gadget, FOZI Tripod, Digital Cameras, Digital Photography, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Rick Broida

fozi-tripod.jpg

The FOZI Tripod is a polypropylene plastic stand suitable for digital cameras, iPhones, and other small gadgets that benefit from being propped up.

When not in use, the credit card-size tripod folds flat for easy carrying in a pocket, bag, or wherever. The two ends slot together to create a sturdy stand, with notches cut into the sides so you can angle your device to your liking.

Looks like a perfect little helper for shooting self-portraits or long-exposure shots with your camera, or for watching iPod videos on a plane. Thankfully, the FOZI is available in colors other than pink, including blue, red, black, white, and clear. Each one will cost you $8.95 (airmail-from-Australia shipping included), or you can get a five-pack (assorted colors) for $35.

Spruce Up Gmail with Gmail Redesigned 2.0 (Firefox)

July 21st, 2008 @ 8:00 am

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Categories: Software, Web Tools

Tags: Google Gmail, Mozilla Firefox, E-mail Providers, Cloud Computing, Internet, Rick Broida

gmail-redesigned.jpg

Gmail Redesigned 2.0 gives everyone’s favorite Web-mail service an extreme makeover, transforming it from ugly duckling to sexy starlet (make that applet).

To use this free Gmail “skin,” you’ll need two things: Firefox 3 and the Stylish extension. After installing the latter and restarting Firefox, head to the Gmail Redesigned site and click install. Don’t be alarmed to see a rather stark-looking page of text: Just follow the instructions, which essentially boil down to clicking the Stylish icon in the bottom-right corner of Firefox and then clicking Add Style.

Finally, fire up Gmail and be prepared to say “Wow.” It may be just a skin, but it’s like dropping a Ferrari frame over a Honda Element body. This is how Gmail should look. I can’t wait for the developer’s upcoming skins for Google Calendar and Google Reader — no prize pigs themselves. [via Lifehacker]

Make Your Web Head Shot Work For You

July 18th, 2008 @ 2:49 pm

0 Comments

Categories: Web Tools

Tags: David Goldenberg

handface.jpgA recent article in Slate highlights a lighthearted issue that is often a source of angst for folks with online profiles: what picture should you use? Unless you’re the subject of an article in the Wall Street Journal, you probably don’t have a stately black and white stipple drawing to fall back on.

As the article notes, social networks from Facebook to LinkedIn almost demand a photo, and your job’s website might also call for one. (Here’s mine. Hint: you probably don’t want a PBR to appear in yours.) If you’re having a lot of trouble deciding, Slate suggests you import a few photos into Facestat to get some feedback from the great online hordes. Failing that, try what the Guardian calls a “hand job” in which your face is supported or framed by your hand. Supposedly, it makes you look quizzical, which I guess is a good thing…

(Photo via totalcd.)

 

 

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  • David Goldenberg David lives in San Francisco and is an editor at Gelf Magazine. He also freelances for several magazines including Wired and Business 2.0. He's always on the lookout for new ideas about how to make life at work more efficient, more productive, and more fun. Please feel free to send him your ideas for tips, tricks and other useful stuff. more »

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