lifehacker faceoff
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Win 7 Vs Mac OS X Leopard: Feature-by-Feature Showdown
2:00AM Gina Trapani | Now that we know Windows 7 will go on sale October 22nd and the feature-complete release candidate is available as a free download, it’s time to put it through its paces: as compared to the current state of the Mac. More »
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Battle Of The iPhone Task Managers
9:00PM Kevin Purdy | When the iTunes App Store first opened up to eager iPhone and iPod touch upgraders (and iPhone 3G buyers), one of the first types of applications to show up was the to-do/task manager. From simple check-box lists to voice-transcribing tools, there’s a bewildering number of apps, many of them free, that promise to help you keep track of your necessary actions and projects while you’re away from your computer. Today we’re checking out five of them, all free except for one requiring a “Pro” account, and comparing their features and functionality side-by-side, as well as asking which app you use to keep their busy lives together. Read on for the full show-down. More »
Work
Battle Of The Linux Distros
9:00PM Kevin Purdy | digg_skin = 'compact';digg_bgcolor = '#F8FAF0';digg_url = 'http://digg.com/linux_unix/Lifehacker_Faceoff_Battle_of_the_Linux_Distros'; In theory, any computer running Linux can be custom-built and tweaked down to the very last bit. In reality, a first-time Linux user wants to grab an install CD, get a working desktop, and do their own thing from there. Lots of Linux distributions make claims about being easy to use, fast, or stable, but what does that mean for a non-programmer trying out a Linux system for the first time? Today we’re taking a look at the real differences between three popular distributions of open-source software, and offering our readers their chance to weigh in on why they like their own particular open-source OS. More »
The Beta Beatdown
7:55AM Gina Trapani | A steady stream of preview releases have kept our typing fingers especially busy covering the beta beat the last several weeks. From Mac virtualization software to Microsoft Office add-ons to iTunes sharing apps, there are lots of new features for eager testers to preview and try out. Beyond the most obvious best public preview out there right now—Firefox 3—which beta has your heart? Cast your vote, after the jump. Photo by arriba. More »
Battle of the Windows Toolbars
5:00AM Gina Trapani | Earlier today we mentioned the Quick Launch toolbar in our best ways to make Windows more productive. But Windows comes bundled with several toolbars that offer search, web site launching, and media player controls—and at least one reader can’t live without his toolbar setup. What toolbars do you have on your Windows desktop, and which is the most useful? Vote in the battle of the Windows toolbars after the jump. More »
Facebook Versus Gmail Web-based Chat
5:00AM Gina Trapani | A few weeks ago Facebook promised to start slowly rolling out chat, and it just hit my account today. (If it’s enabled for you, check it out in the lower right hand corner when you’re logged into Facebook.) It reminds me of Gmail’s built-in chat—it’s on by default, your contacts populate your chat buddy list, and you can use it without downloading a separate client. (You can also “pop-out” the chat window to save a tab.) Facebook is much more about social networking than Gmail, which makes it ripe for chatting, but in the short time it’s been in existence, Gmail chat’s earned lots of loyal followers. When it comes to web-based chat, which do you prefer? More »
Battle of the Notepad Alternatives
5:00AM Gina Trapani | If you’ve done any more than cursory text editing using Windows’ built-in Notepad application, you know that Notepad is at best sorely lacking in the features department and at worst downright buggy. Several free, simple Notepad alternatives are available for download, but which one has your heart? After the jump, vote for your favourite powered-up Notepad replacement. More »Best Reader Life Hack Final Faceoff
12:00PM Gina Trapani | For the past two weeks, we’ve given out over a dozen autographed copies of our new book, Upgrade Your Life, to readers who submitted their best life hacks to us and saw them featured here on Lifehacker. Now we want to know which one of the winning hacks you thought was the coolest and most useful. Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you’re viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser. Thanks to everyone who wrote in with their ideas, projects, tricks, tips, photos and screenshots. More »
Battle of the Free Windows Software Firewalls
2:30AM Gina Trapani | Yesterday when we asked you what your favourite Windows firewall software is, we got back tons of responses, from ZoneAlarm to Sygate from free to commercial. Now we want to narrow down the choices to the best. All those who take your Windows PC out onto open networks and protect it from network baddies on the cheap, vote for your favourite free Windows firewall software after the jump. More »
