Lifehacker

Gadget and Gear Deals of the Day [Dealhacker]

Jason Fitzpatrick — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 10:00:00 PDT

Discounted computers, cheap hard drives, and peripherals galore await you in today's Dealhacker roundup. More »

A Command Line Primer for Beginners [Command Line]

The How-To Geek — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:00:00 PDT

The command line isn't just for wise Linux beards. It's actually an awesome tool with almost limitless functionality. Here's a primer on how it works, and how you can do almost anything with it. More »

Microsoft Releases Free Cyber-Security Ebook [Ebooks]

Jason Fitzpatrick — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 08:30:00 PDT

Microsoft has released a free—and lengthy—ebook covering a wide range of security topics. Although intended for teenagers, the book offers a solid enough look at using the internet safely, and it's suitable for anyone looking for a primer on internet security. More »

How Flash Can Be Actually Useful on an Android Phone [Android]

Kevin Purdy — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 08:05:00 PDT

Some have stated that the Flash video on Android phones is "startlingly bad." That might be true, depending on your setup. But there are smarter ways to set up Flash on an Android, and get some real use from it. More »

Fix VirtualBox's Guest Additions in Ubuntu 10.10 [Linux Tip]

Kevin Purdy — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 07:30:00 PDT

If you're intrigued by the just-released Ubuntu 10.10 beta and want to try it out in a virtual machine, you might run into some problems. The latest Ubuntu release uses a desktop system that's not quite compatible with VirtualBox's built-in tools, but there's a command line fix, as explained by the Unixmen site. For more tips on running Ubuntu Linux, or Windows, in a VirtualBox setup, head to our beginners' guide to creating virtual machines. [Unixmen via The Linux Tutorial] More »

Ecofreek Finds Free or Swap-Friendly Goods in Any Town [Free]

Kevin Purdy — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 07:00:00 PDT

Aquariums in Fort Lauderdale, shelving in Boston, wood fencing in Omaha—free stuff is out there, waiting to be picked up and put to good use. Free search and email alert service Ecofreek combs at least 45 sites for such freebies. More »

SlimDrivers Offers Easy Windows Driver Updating, Scheduling, and Restoration [Downloads]

Jason Fitzpatrick — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 06:30:00 PDT

Windows: SlimDrivers is a feature-packed drivers management tool for Windows. You can download new drivers and install them, schedule future scans, and archive your old drivers for easy rollback in case problems crop up. More »

Foodpickle Answers Your Need-Help-Quick Food Questions [Recipes]

Kevin Purdy — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 06:00:00 PDT

With two hours left until the guests arrive, you need a chocolate dessert that doesn't use flour. Foodpickle, a foodie answers webapp by the crowd-sourced recipe site food52, is a great place to ask such questions and get inspired by answers. More »

Where to Find Funny Shows Online This Fall [Streaming Television]

Kevin Purdy — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 05:30:00 PDT

You probably know where to get your 30 Rock and Glee fixes (hint: rhymes with "Zulu"), but what about Scrubs, Chuck, Archer, and Eastbound and Down? Comedy site Splitsider has the show-by-show lowdown on where to find your funnies. More »

Be Part of Lifehacker's Hive Brain Through Our Twitter Feed [Announcements]

Kevin Purdy — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 05:00:00 PDT

Like our Facebook page and newsletter, our Twitter feed condenses and filters our site's daily content into smaller packets. But we also get great tips, and learn about your favorite apps, through Twitter. Follow us and find out. More »

My6sense Finds Good Stuff in Your RSS and Social Streams with AI [Downloads]

Kevin Purdy — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 04:00:00 PDT

Android/iPhone: Sometimes you don't want the freshest content from your social and RSS streams—just the best. My6sense, a free app for iPhone and Android, provides "digital intuition," filtering feeds based on what your stated preferences, but also your previous clicks. More »

From the Tips Box: Laptop Contact Info, Lost Smartphones, and Google Voice Search [From The Tips Box]

Whitson Gordon — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:00:00 PDT

Readers offer their best tips for displaying your contact information on your laptop, finding your misplaced smartphone, and searching your Google Voice messages on the iPhone. More »

How Much Faster is Google Instant? [Google]

Adam Dachis — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 16:05:00 PDT

Google Instant likes to think it's pretty fast, but how fast is it really? We pitted regular old Google against Google Instant, complete with its time-saving shortcuts, for a head-to-head comparison. More »

Remains of the Day: Stay Healthy at Your Startup [For What Its Worth]

Arvin Dang — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 16:00:00 PDT

Work healthy and smart at traditionally stressful jobs, Google Apps opt-in for added Google features goes live, and iTunes app purchases may exceed music purchases very soon. More »

Compare Individual Services, Not Bundles, to Save Money [Saving Money]

Whitson Gordon — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:00:00 PDT

While bundling services (like cable, phone and internet) can sometimes save you money, personal finance blog Free Money Finance shows us that sometimes, you're better off paying for services separately. More »

Set a Low Home Price to Attract Buyers in Critical First Week [Selling]

Jason Fitzpatrick — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:30:00 PDT

Everyone wants to get the top dollar for their home but setting a high price and expecting potential buyers to haggle you down to a reasonable one is a sure fire way to scare them off before they even contact you. More »

Knee Defender Stops Airline Seats From Crushing Your Legs [Stuff We Like]

Jason Fitzpatrick — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:00:00 PDT

Last year we showed you how to stop a chair from reclining using a bottle of water. For the times that won't work or you don't want a bottle of water near your electronics, Knee Defender offers a commercial solution. More »

Keyboard Shortcuts That'll Make Your Google Instant Searching Even Faster [Shortcuts]

Adam Pash — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:15:00 PDT

The new Google Instant certainly can save you a lot of time searching, but you'll really start seeing the speed once you familiarize yourself with its shortcuts. More »

Gmail Labels Icons Spices Up Your Gmail Labels with Icons [Downloads]

The How-To Geek — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:00:00 PDT

Firefox with Greasemonkey: User script Gmail Labels Icons extends the Gmail label customization from just colors to icons as well, so you can more easily tell your folders apart with a visual clue. More »

Android Notifier Sends Notifications from Your Phone to Your Desktop [Downloads]

Whitson Gordon — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:30:00 PDT

Android and Mac/Windows/Linux: If you don't want to deal with your phone while you're at your computer, free app Android Notifier will send all your phone's call, SMS, and battery notifications to your desktop. More »

Kid-Friendly Browser Zoodles Now Available for Android [Downloads]

Jason Fitzpatrick — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:00:00 PDT

Android: Earlier this year we highlighted the kid-safe browser Zoodles. They're back with a mobile version that brings kid-safe browsing, with a simple and secure interface, to Android phones. More »

FourEyesUp Helps You Plan Your Next Nerd Vacation [Siteseeing]

Adam Dachis — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:30:00 PDT

FourEyesUp won't take you to the seven wonders of the world, but instead to the birthplace of the modern computer or the home of the largest Arctic research team. It's a great resources for geeky travel destinations. More »

Apple iOS 4.1 Is Available Right Now [Apple]

Kyle VanHemert — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:15:00 PDT

iOS 4.1 is live, bringing Game Center, HDR photos, a proximity sensor fix and more to iPhones (3G, 3GS, and 4) and iPod Touches (second-generation on up). Let the Game Center username land grab begin! [Apple] More »

Use Your Smartphone as an Always-With-You Portable Apps Suite [Smartphones]

Whitson Gordon — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:00:00 PDT

While flash drives are cheap and useful, they offer some disadvantages: they're small, easy to lose, and so often get overwritten with other data. For a more permanent portable apps solution, reader hradac recommends using your smartphone's SD card. More »

Enable "High Contrast Mode" in iTunes 10 [ITunes Tip]

Adam Dachis — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:30:00 PDT

If iTunes 10 is a little too gray and washed out for your eyes, a simple terminal command can up the contrast (maybe a little too much). More »

Google Instant Filters Your Google Search Results As You Type [Search]

Adam Pash — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:00:00 PDT

Google Instant is a major update to the default Google search experience, providing immediate, as-you-type search results that aim to speed up your everyday Google queries by two to five seconds per search. More »

How to Pick the Right TV Tuner for Your DIY DVR [Media Center]

Whitson Gordon — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:00:00 PDT

You can pay a monthly fee to your cable provider for a time-shifting DVR, but if you prefer control and flexibility to DRM and, well, that monthly fee, you can roll your own DVR with a TV tuner for your PC. More »

SeePU Monitors Android CPU, Memory, and Network Utilization [Downloads]

Jason Fitzpatrick — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 08:30:00 PDT

Android: Like traditional utilization meters for desktop computers, SeePU offers you a peek into your Android phone's heavy lifting with CPU, memory, and network monitoring. More »

OtherInbox Batches Your Unimportant Mail Inside Your Gmail or Yahoo Inbox [Filters]

Kevin Purdy — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 08:05:00 PDT

Free webapp OtherInbox wants to do the job you loathe doing daily—looking through all those semi-regular news alerts, coupons, account updates, and other non-personal mail. Give it the keys to your inbox, and OtherInbox can summarize and prioritize your bacn. More »

Linux Mint Debian Edition Offers Faster Updates with Rougher Edges [Downloads]

Kevin Purdy — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 07:30:00 PDT

Linux Mint, the OS distribution with an eye for beginners, is stepping out and offering a new edition for those who like Mint, but want more frequent updates of its core apps. Based on Debian, LMDE is an interesting step forward. More »

iTunes 10 Plays Media from Any iOS Device, No Syncing Required [Annoyances]

Kevin Purdy — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 07:00:00 PDT

It may have happened in a later iTunes 9 update, but iTunes 10 definitely includes a very helpful update. Plug in any iOS device, iPhones included, and you can play its music or videos without having to make a tricky sync. More »

Use an Oven Broiler to Refresh Fried Foods [Food Hacks]

Jason Fitzpatrick — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:30:00 PDT

Warming up fries and other fried food in the microwave is better than eating them cold but microwaving tends to make fried food limp and soggy. Use your broiler for good-as-new reheating of fried foods. More »

Why You Shouldn't Rely on Clothing for Actual Waist Measurements [Reality Check]

Kevin Purdy — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:00:00 PDT

Women know this better than men, but the tape measure knows all: clothing makers can be outright liars when it comes to sizing. Esquire magazine's Style Blog took measurements of seven mainstream 36-inch pants and found discrepancies of up to five inches. More »

Google Scribe Auto-Completes Text Anywhere You Type on the Web [Text Editor]

Kevin Purdy — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 05:30:00 PDT

Google wants you to use its auto-completion powers for more than just searching. With Google Scribe, you can let the web fill out your sentences for you in a dedicated editing tool, or auto-type anywhere on the web with a bookmarklet. More »

Firefox 3.6.9, 3.5.12 Updates Fix Critical Security Vulnerabilities [Updates]

Kevin Purdy — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 05:00:00 PDT

Windows/Mac/Linux: This morning is a good time to hit the Help menu in Firefox and check for updates, as Mozilla released updates for the 3.5 and 3.6 branches overnight that fix many critical vulnerabilities, including some security openings that could allow for keystroke-watching "clickjacking" attacks. Update your Firefox, or grab 3.6.9 or 3.5.12 directly. [via CNET] More »

DiskUsage Shows How Your Android's Storage Space Is Used [Downloads]

Kevin Purdy — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 04:00:00 PDT

Android only: If your Android phone gives you grief about running out of space, or you're just curious as to what's taking up room, DiskUsage has the scoop. The app provides a basic visualization of your phone's internal and SD storage spaces. More »

Firefox 4 Beta 5 Now Available with Default Hardware Acceleration, Menu Redesign [Updates]

Kevin Purdy — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:30:00 PDT

Windows/Mac/Linux: Firefox 4 Beta 5 is out tonight, and it firms up a few things that have been slowly taking shape in previous betas of the browser. Most significantly, it enables by default the (Windows-only) hardware acceleration that had been available through a deep settings switch previously. New to the build, however, are a robust audio API (demonstrated at YouTube), a return to two-column menus, this time with multiple shades, and a new feature, HTTP Strict Transport Security, that allows sites to demand a browser make a secure and encrypted HTTPS connection. Grab the just-out beta and tell us what you think in the comments. [The Mozilla Blog via CNET] More »

What's the Best Way to Sync Extensions Across Computers in Firefox? [Ask Lifehacker]

Adam Pash — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:30:00 PDT

Dear Lifehacker,
I'm a die-hard Firefox user, but now that Chrome's stable release features extension syncing, I'm really frustrated with my reliable little 'fox. What options do I have if I want to sync my extensions but prefer to stick with Firefox? More »

Remains of the Day: iOS 4.1 Update Coming Tomorrow [For What Its Worth]

Arvin Dang — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:00:00 PDT

Google TV is set to arrive in Autumn, Mint showcases average spending in local spots, and Apple's releasing the iOS 4.1 update tomorrow. More »