Windows only: Free, open source application BtProx locks your Windows computer whenever your cell phone or other Bluetooth device is out of range. Similar to previously mentioned Blue Lock, BtProx includes a more advanced feature set, allowing you to set a timeout before it locks your PC and run a program when your device is out of range. I had trouble using it with my iPhone, so if you give it a go, let’s hear how it works for you in the comments. Again, it’s still not as cool or impressive as the Mac alternatives, but it seems to be taking things in the right direction. BtProx is free, Windows only. BtProx [SourceForge]
Save your most important text messages for posterity with web site Treasuremytext. The site setup is simple: After signing up for an account, you just forward the messages you want to save to the Treasuremytext number that fits your region (for the US, that’s 203.434.0893). Treasuremytext will archive the SMS message and even give you options for organising your saved texts. As more important communications take place over SMS, SMS apps will inevitably need to improve text management and desktop backup. In the meantime, Treasuremytext fills the gap nicely. As a bonus for iPhone users (whose SMS app does not offer forwarding), there’s a Treasuremytext iPhone app that runs on jailbroken iPhones.
AU – looks like we fit under the “UK and rest of world” banner so the number is +44 7781 486 064 (yep, that’s a UK number, so beware the overseas SMS charges!
Treasuremytext [via eHub]If you’ve been waiting for Apple to officially open the iPhone and iPod touch for development, you may have been disappointed to find out that you won’t get third-party applications until June. That means that if you’ve been aching for those killer third-party apps already available to folks with jailbroken iPhones or iPod touches, you’ve still got a few more months of waiting to go. However, by downloading and running one simple application, you could be up and running with a jailbroken iPhone or iPod touch in just under a minute. Sound appealing? Here’s how it works.
Green publication E magazine says you can recycle more stuff than you might think, and offers a reference on the right places to recycle everything from iPods to record albums to styrofoam to batteries to cars. If you’ve got old office supplies and miscellaneous materials, you may be able to recycle that, too: Many states have “material exchanges” where odd stuff is collected and made available to the public for use. Outdated calendars, office paper that is used on one side, wallpaper, flooring samples, crayons and other stuff is gladly accepted by Materials Exchange Centre for Community Arts in Eugene, Oregon. [...]To see if there’s a materials exchange near you, search Google.com for “materials exchange” or call your local hazardous waste department.
Looks like a useful bookmark to check out before you order up the dumpster.Photo by diongillard. How to Recycle Practically Anything [EMagazine.com]
You just stepped out of that cab, watched it drive away, and 10 minutes later, reached into your pocket and realised your cell phone is gone—forever. I learned firsthand this weekend that losing your mobile phone is a huge pain in the buttocks, especially if you’ve set up easy access to your email and other services on it. In addition to photos I’d taken with it, text messages, and contacts, my Nokia had both Gmail apps installed, with “Remember me” checked, so that anyone who picked up the phone could’ve logged into my email. Not good.
Windows Mobile only: Freeware Windows Mobile application Google2GO! marries the functionality of Yahoo! Go to Google apps. As you can see in the demo video above, that means search, calendar, email, RSS, and more are all tied to the Google offerings of each application. It’s no Google Android, but if you use Google apps for most of your web services, it looks pretty nice. Google2Go is freeware, Windows Mobile only, requires Windows Mobile .NET 2.0. Google2Go [The Tech Turf via Google Blogoscoped]
Web site Wirenode turns any web site with an RSS feed into a mobile-friendly version of that site, perfect for browsing sites on your mobile device when they don’t have a mobile-friendly interface. “Mobilizing” any site with an RSS feed is a breeze, and when you’re done you’ll end up with something like this mobilised version of Lifehacker. You can also use Wirenode to create your own mobile sites from scratch, though I’m not sure how much use most of us would get from that (maybe a start page with links to your favorite stuff?). Of course, you can also mobilize individual pages with RSS feeds with Google Reader style if you prefer the GReader layout but you’re not already using Google Reader mobile. Wirenode
If you use your cell phone in environments where a blaring ring isn’t always the ideal, but vibrate alone doesn’t always get your attention, then you’d probably do well to set your phone to vibrate first and then ring if you don’t pick it up after a few seconds. This functionality is available on some phones out of the box, but many other phones (ahem, *iPhone*) don’t offer this functionality. Weblog jkOnTheRun offers a simple workaround: Customize a ringtone by adding a period of silence before the actual sound. Then load up up the custom ringtone on your iPhone. Now, make sure you set your iPhone to use the new ringtone and also to vibrate upon an incoming call. When you get dialed up, your iPhone should “play” the silenced part of your ringtone while vibrating.
Obviously this tip works with any cell phone that can vibrate and ring on incoming calls, and it’s a great way to take calls discreetly while still using your ringtone when you need it. If you really want to keep your calls on the down low, try assigning an inconspicuous ringtone. How to make your iPhone vibrate first, ring second [jkOnTheRun]
So your friend popped the question at a concert last week, and your only evidence is a pixellated, under-lit cell phone video? Free webapp FixMyMovie won’t get you up to HD-quality, but it can cure many of digital video’s common ailments. Upload a video (original files are best), compare the “before” and “after” segments, then give FixMyVideo the job and preview your smoothed-over video in full screen, with the option to grab still screenshots at any point. I didn’t have a video file of the tossed-off kind FixMyMovie can best help, but the MakeUseOf.com folks seem to vouch for this free service. FixMyMovie [via MakeUseOf.com]
Reader Dr. Jonas Venture, Jr. loves a good speed dial, but like most of us doesn’t remember any of his speed dial numbers beyond 9. So to extend the usefulness of his phone’s speed dial functionality, he simply repeats the speed dial number for different numbers belonging to the same contact, or adds a second number based on relationships to the first. For example: So 2 would be my fiancee’s cell, 22 would be her home. My brother would be 3, his work would be 33. When I kept dialing my future father-in-law to make plans for a trip, I found it annoying to keep searching for him. So voilà, he became 23, and my fiancée’s mom’s cell eventually became 24.
Very clever! The whole idea is very reminiscent of how I build keyword bookmarks in Firefox, and like keyword bookmarks, a good speed dial framework will almost always be quicker than digging through your contacts.
