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?

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Ever since they launched it without a Delete button, the folks at Google have been trying to convince Gmail users to archive their mail instead of trash it. On the Official Google Blog, a Googler lists nine reasons why you should archive instead of delete. (You'd think they were personally invested in you keeping your email! Oh, wait.) It's true that with all that storage space, there's really no reason to delete anything in Gmail. I lean on the Y key a lot more than the Delete button, but what about you?

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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.

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Productivity consultant Jared Goralnick offers ten reasons why your phone shouldn't automatically notify you the moment you receive a new email message—like protecting your sanity, for one. Some phone email clients (like Gmail Mobile for Java-based phones) require that you start them up to check your mail; other devices like the Blackberry check automatically and notify you the moment a new message lands in your inbox. It may seem convenient to have your phone auto-check email, but do the constant interruptions actually save you time? After the jump, tell us how you like email on your phone—pushed to you on the fly or only there when you check.

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When you go to a restaurant with a bunch of friends, you have many options to pay for the that large check. You can simply split the bill evenly, pay only for what you ordered (plus tax and tip), or ask the server to write up separate bills. The Mind Your Decisions weblog suggests alternate ways to divvy up the bill. Limit options before you order (to prevent customised orders with extra costs) and share with the group. Send out an email organizing costs beforehand. Estimate the costs before you place the order and choose a designated person to collect the final cost in advance. How do you go Dutch when wining and dining with your friends?

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The New Year is almost upon us, a time of relentless weight loss product commercials and self-improvement talk. Personally, I love to make resolutions. That said, hitting the gym on January 2nd is a nightmare, and you can work on improving yourself any time of year. So before we hit you with a barrage of New Year's resolution posts, we want to know:

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Two years ago almost 65% of you were all "Bah, humbug!" about resolutions. State your case on resolutions this New Year in the comments. Photo by Joe Shlabotnik.

A recent survey shows that one in seven people have suffered the same fate as Kevin Federline and been dumped via text message, Reuters reports today.

The survey said 15 percent of the 2,194 people questioned had been dumped by text or email, although a quarter of those in the most tech-savvy 18 to 24-year-old age group would choose the traditional method—a letter.

Sounds like a high number to me, so it begs the question:
Of course it's easier to not look the dumpee in the eye and better than just stopping communication completely, but next time you're considering giving your sweetheart the old heave-ho, do choose the message delivery medium wisely.

The next version of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard will be released in 10 days for $158 ($249 for a family pack o' licenses). You already know what's coming in Leopard: Time Machine backup, iChat improvements, a shiny (but not all that useful) Desktop and Dock, the final release of Boot Camp, and a much-improved, iTunes-like Finder. But what's the feature that will get you to fork over your hard-earned cash?

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