Lifehacker reader Gil writes about a whole bunch of neat features in the Picasa 3 Beta‘s “Experimental” menu we totally missed in our screenshot tour of the photo manager’s new features. The most wonky among them is a colour search tool, which, as Gil points out, is only so helpful without percentage scaling. On the more useful side, “Show duplicates” helps you weed out carbon photo copies, and you can save searches and compile tagged photos as albums. Hit the link for a screenshot roundup of the not-quite-ready-for-primetime features.
5 Obscure Picasa Features You Probably Didn’t Know About [Gil's Method]Linux only: QuickStart, a free automation utility for Ubuntu Linux systems, makes it easy to perform partial or full system backups of any partition, synchronise folders and update them on a schedule, and take care of other tasks a beginner would normally need to spend serious time researching. The tiny app opens a simple interface listing your choices, although dialog prompts guide you through any steps requiring input. The tools for installing DVD playing codecs, backing up your Master Boot Record, and creating synchronized backups seem particularly helpful, and while I haven’t tested every function, a handful of them completed without any problems. QuickStart is a free download for Ubuntu systems only; both links below carry non-terminal installation instructions for the script.
QuickStart [via HowtoForge]Companies might be happy to ring you in the middle of dinner, but they’re noticeably less keen to make it easy for you to call them. At APC, Dan Warne reports that Telstra is about to shift most of its BigPond support centre to the Philippines, and is adding a interactive voice recognition (IVR) troubleshooting system you have to navigate before reaching a real person. Based on the sample call provided in the story, it doesn’t work very well, but these kind of approaches are becoming more common. (I had a similarly frustrating experience with Vodafone’s ‘Lara’ recently, and it ultimately diverted me to the wrong division anyway.) Are you happy to deal with IVR services if they get the job done more quickly, or are they just another pain in the neck? How could they be improved? Speak out in the comments. If you don’t want to deal with a call centre, you could always try BigPond support via Twitter. BigPond: talk to a computer, then the Philippines [APC]
The Project Woman blog looks at how to adjust Photoshop’s brushes so you can paint in colour while retaining custom brush shapes, which opens up a whole new range of possible effects. If Photoshop leaves you confused and tool-terrified, check out how to learn it in a week.
Paint in color in Photoshop with color brushes [Project Woman]As an open source advocate and developer with a serious love/hate relationship with my iPhone, I couldn’t wait to get my paws on a device running Google’s brand spankin’ new open-source mobile phone operating system, Android—and I haven’t been disappointed. I’ve spent the last four days using an HTC G1 phone running the first release of Android, and while it is not an iPhone-killer, it is a killer device for heavy Google users (like you and me). Let’s take a look at why Android does—and doesn’t—live up to its hype.
Last week, my regular Road Worrier column looked at ways to travel more effectively while still using a mouse. Readers pitched in with suggestions for additional options, but one that no-one suggested was an older technology: the trackball. It was only spotting someone on a train today with a trackball rested on her leg that made me reconsider this option. While I think I’d still prefer to know a decent set of keyboard shortcuts, the trackball does eliminate the problem of needing a mousing surface. The other concept that’s emerged this week is the clickable glass trackpad on the new MacBooks. Even leaving aside the excessively high pricetag and my general lack of enthusiasm for all things Mac (and multi-touch), this seems like an impractical choice to me: the last thing you want in your travel machine is another component that can shatter. But even if Apple seems to believe that this is the only solution any Mac user will need, it’s good to have more choices out there — if there’s one thing that’s clear, it’s that different users like different input options, so bring ‘em on. More »
If a large number of your friends and family are on Skype, then a plan such as 3′s X-Series — which includes a fixed number of Skype-to-Skype calling minutes direct from your mobile each month — can sound tempting. However, as Decoder points out, those free minutes are restricted purely to the official 3-sanctioned Skype mobile client, in large part because Skype on 3 runs as a callback service rather than ‘pure’ VOIP. That means you can’t use alternate clients such as previously mentioned Fring to consume your free minutes. That doesn’t make the plans a bad deal, but it’s something to bear in mind if you’re looking for maximum flexibility. Thanks Luke! More »
What’s worse than a call centre agent ringing right at dinner time? A call centre agent ringing right at dinner time and then repeatedly calling you “Angus”. The aim of that approach seems to be enforced familiarity, but it turns out that neither customers nor call centre workers enjoy the experience. Because most call centre staff are trained to use an ultra-social, North American approach, the whole thing quickly goes astray, according to a new Oxford University study. As researcher Dr Katrina Hultgren explained to the Daily Telegraph:
The problem is that agents are under pressure to process customers as quickly as possible, so they are inclined to opt for ways of creating rapport which can be done speedily. This tends to be by using the customer’s name as it’s quicker than engaging them in small talk. As a customer, we then have the impression of our name being overused and feel uncomfortable.
Aside from the intrusion, what gets your goat about call centre interactions? Share your experiences — and tactics for getting rid of them — in the comments. (I’ve sunk to hanging up without a word these days.) To improve your day-to-day interactions, check out our top 10 conversation hacks.
Call centre customers irritated by over-familiar American-style chat [Daily Telegraph]As an iPhone owner who runs for exercise, my biggest disappointment at Apple’s recent iPod event was the lack of Nike+ support for the GPS-sporting 3G iPhone. Instead, the second generation iPod touch has Nike+ built-in, and the iPhone still has nothing. I would be disappointed, but the power of the iPhone App Store pulls out a big win on this front, as several free Nike+ alternatives are already leveraging your 3G iPhone’s GPS capabilities to provide you with many of the same functionality as you can already get from Nike+ and then some. Keep reading for a look at some of the best free Nike+ alternatives.
