Dear Lifehacker, I’m trying to find software that could be used in conjunction with Dropbox or other features to allow people to put a signature on a document and email it back or otherwise. I’m trying to cut back on paper and hug some trees! Any suggestions? Thanks, Signing Up
Windows: If you’re looking for a way to manage your Google Docs without the need to sign in via your web browser, gExplore can help you out. It allows you to upload and download files in your Google Docs account directly from Windows, and even send PDFs to your Amazon Kindle.
Mac: Whether you’re working on your manuscript or programming code, you might need to search for one specific line of text inside a document. SearchInFiles is a Mac app that makes it simple and adds context to the search.
Google has released a pretty useful update for its Android version of Google Docs, providing offline access for your files and a better overall experience for tablet users by providing high-resolution versions of your documents.
Face it: Google runs your life. The search giant turned web ecosystem owns your email, calendar and even your voicemails. Your most important data lives on Google’s servers. What you may not realise is that, despite the quality of Google’s products, someone else is doing it better — and placing all your eggs in Google’s basket isn’t necessarily the best thing. Here’s a look at alternative services you can use in place of Google’s web apps.
Windows: Amazon’s new Send to Kindle utility is a shell extension that allows you to quickly send one or multiple documents to your Kindle device or library to read on your ereader, or just for safe keeping. The utility also adds a virtual printer to Windows so you can click Print and then “Send to Kindle” in any application to automatically generate a PDF and send web pages or files you’re working with to your Kindle library.
iOS: Amazon just updated its iPhone and iPad apps in a big way: You can now send documents to your iOS device via a new Send-to-Kindle email address, including PDFs. There’s a new layout too for viewing books, newsstand, and docs.
Wish lists are the obvious way to let people know what you want for Christmas and where to get it, but they come with a few problems. Here’s how you can put together a wish list using Google Docs that your loved ones can use to track the gifts they get you. You can add new items to your wish list at any time, but you’ll never see what people are getting you.
iOS: DocuSign Ink gets rid of the hassle involved with printing, scanning or faxing documents to sign by letting you open any document or take a picture of it with your device and securely send it. Best of all, unlimited signing is free.
OS X Lion: One of the problems with iCloud is that it only works if you’re using the Apple programs it supports, but Macworld forum poster CHM figured out a way to sync and backup your documents across computers without using iWork.