Turn Any Phone into a Voice Recorder with Drop.io [Telephony]
Drop.io Voice [via The Cheapskate]
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Namexif Batch Renames Digital Photos by Date [Featured Windows Download]
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/217333655/namexif-batch-renames-digital-photos-by-date
Windows only: Photo file utility Namexif renames your digital pictures based on the timestamp they were taken, plus a custom name (like an event description). Point Namexif at a directory of photos, and it reads the EXIF metadata your digital camera stores with the photos, and renames the files from your camera's default IMG_7934.JPG to the date in a format you choose, like 2008-01-01-New Year's.jpg. Very handy, especially for processing huge batches of photos from vacation or the holidays. Namexif is a free download (donations welcome) for Windows only.
Top 10 Telephone Tricks [Lifehacker Top 10]
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/217747547/top-10-telephone-tricks
When getting things done involves making phone calls, you want to spend the least amount of time and money on the horn as possible—and several tricks and services can help you do just that. With the right tones, keypresses, phone numbers, and know-how, you can skip through or cut off long-winded automated voice systems and humans, access web services by voice, and smartly screen incoming calls. Check out our pick of the 10 best telephony techniques for getting more done in less time over the phone.
10. Avoid the cost of calling 411 with GOOG 411.
Instead of calling regular 411 to get information (and an extra charge on your phone bill), Google by voice by calling 1-800-GOOG-411 to get a street address or phone number. Some Lifehacker readers say GOOG 411 works better than others; if you haven't tried it, here's a YouTube clip (courtesy of Google) on how to give it a try.9. Get out of annoying calls and meetings with SorryGottaGo.com sounds and the Popularity Dialer.
Interrupt a long phone call or meeting (or date!) with two interesting services: SorryGottaGo.com (original post) offers a myriad of sounds you can play while you're trapped on an endless phone call that give you the perfect excuse to hang up. (Like, someone's at the door, or you're out of change to feed the naggy public phone.) Along the same lines, schedule an interrupting call with the Popularity Dialer (original post) an incoming calling service that can make you seem "in demand." (Do we actually recommend these two services? Maybe not, but it's nice to know they're out there when you're desperate.)8. PayPal money via voice call.
When you owe your buddy 12 bucks on the dinner bill and you're out of cash, cal 1-800-4PAYPAL (1-800-472-9725) to send him the money via email (your phone must be activated on your PayPal account for this to work). Here's more on how to send and receive money via phone with PayPal. 7. Email yourself reminders, blog, and set Google Calendar appointments by phone with Jott.
"Do everything you'd ever want from the phone" service Jott supercharges your ability to leave yourself a reminder voicemail. Jott will transcribe your voicemail to self and email it to you, as well as post to your blog, add events to your Google Calendar, and more. See Kevin's full rundown on how to get things done over the phone with Jott.6. Avoid annoying calls with a custom silent ringtone.
If your cell phone supports per-caller ringtones, reader Jim suggests selectively silencing the low-priority incoming calls with a dead air ringtone. Here's how to make a ringtone from any MP3 on your mobile.5. Ring all your phones from one number with GrandCentral.
Sick of missing calls to the office while you're home or vice versa? Set up a free GrandCentral number that can ring all your phones at once from one number, or selective phones based on the caller—like your cell phone, office phone, and home phone. GrandCentral's got scads of neat customized phone features; see Adam's tour of how to consolidate your phones with GrandCentral. 4. Skip the greeting and get right to the beep with one keypress.
Long voicemail greetings are tedious to sit through, but on many services, specific keypresses can skip you right to the beep. Hit 7 or # to bypass that long greeting, and save time and money on your cell phone bill.3. Name that tune.
Dying to know what song that is playing on the car radio? Call 866-411-SONG and hold your phone up to the speakers. Just 15 seconds (and a small fee), and 411 SONG will send you a text message with the song name and artist. (This only works on cell phones with SMS capabilities.) 2. Swear like a sailor to skip directly to a human operator.
When that Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system's making you navigate an endless menu of options, put your potty mouth to good use. Some IVR's are programmed to listen for naughty words and speed you along to human help when they hear them. Adam gave this trick a try and dropping the F bomb did indeed zap him right through to a human. We suggest using this trick when you're not within earshot of your co-workers.1. Trick automated phone bots into thinking your line's dead.
If you've got automated phone marketers or political campaigns or debt collectors ringing your phone at all hours, trick the system into thinking your phone's dead. Add the U.S. Special Information Tone signal for "vacant circuit" to the beginning of your voicemail greeting to automatically unsubscribe your phone number from bot call lists.How do you save time and money getting things done on the phone? Let us know in the comments.
BeatBearing project weds ball bearings, elegance to make jams
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/217502731/
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
[Via Technabob]
Continue reading BeatBearing project weds ball bearings, elegance to make jams
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Eye-Fi kicks the folder habit, adds iPhoto support
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/217613566/
Filed under: Wireless, Storage
Believe it or not, MacWorld does continue even after Jobs has left the building. In as much, Eye-Fi just announced support for Apple's iPhoto as well as the Safari and Firefox browsers when accessing their web-based Eye-Fi Manager. iPhoto support means you can now capture images from your digital camera to your $99 Eye-Fi 2GB SD card and transmit them directly into the photo management software while on your home WiFi network -- right, no hotspot uploading action for you. Considering photos were previously dumped into a folder (or 19 on-line sites), the free update is definitely a step in the right direction.[Via TUAW]
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Tuesday, January 15, 2008
The MacBook Air
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/217184142/
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Turn a Camera Lens into a Close-Up Lens with Binoculars [Video Demonstration]
Do-it-yourselfer Chris Knight explains that the innards of cheap binoculars can double as a macro lens for digital SLR cameras and camcorders and can prove especially useful in situations when a macro lens is unavailable. Unscrew the binoculars and remove the front lenses. Tape the lenses securely to the front of your camera. When you first start the camera up, it will take some time to acquire the best focus, but with practice, you'll be able to capture objects at extreme close-up detail.
Tiinker is Like a Personal Digg for Feeds [Feed Readers]
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/216528729/tiinker-is-like-a-personal-digg-for-feeds
News feed aggregator tiinker aims to help those feeling overwhelmed by their news portals and their own feed readers chop down their lists. Using Digg-style "thumbs up" and "thumbs down" controls, tiinker "learns" what types of news and sources you find relevant and interesting and mixes its content for you accordingly. Tiinker's technology page reshaped itself pretty quickly to a little test-voting with an eye for Linux items, but what's missing right now (and used to be offered) is a way to bring in RSS feeds not offered by the tiinker mix. Still, for those seeking out a decent, customized news portal, Tiinker might be a good way to keep on top of what's happening.
Netflix Offers Unlimited "Watch Now" Video Streaming [Streaming Video]
Netflix Watch Now [via Yahoo News]
DMA Drops Mailing Preference List Fee [Spam Killers]
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/216626983/dma-drops-mailing-preference-list-fee
Play Flash Media on Your iPhone or iPod Touch with iTransmogrify [IPhone]
The iTransmogrify bookmarklet for the iPhone or iPod touch converts embedded Flash content to mobile Safari-supported formats so that Flash media—like embedded YouTube videos and streaming MP3s—will play from Safari with the click of a bookmark. Obviously your iPhone or iPod touch has YouTube built in, but if, for example, you're reading Lifehacker and we've embedded a YouTube video, Safari won't recognize that and take you directly to the YouTube app. One click of your new iTransmorgrify bookmarklet, though, and it will. The bookmarklet also supports several Flash-based MP3 players.
iTransmogrify [Joe Maller]
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