Windows only: Free text replacement application PhraseExpress updates to version 6.0, sporting a handful of new time-saving features and stability improvements. If you're unfamiliar with text replacement apps like PhraseExpress, they're like digital shorthand for your computer; the user defines small text snippets that expand to larger pieces of text, so when you type ,sig, for example, a text replacement app can expand that text to a full text signature. We've developed our own text replacement app here at Lifehacker, Texter, which was inspired by the Mac-only TextExpander, but PhraseExpress has a ton to offer in its own right. Among new features, PhraseExpress 6 supports HTML formatting, faster load times, advanced options for triggering text replacements, application-specific replacements, and autocompletion of words. As an added bonus, the new version can also run off your thumb drive, so you can take advantage of your PhraseExpress timesavers no matter what computer you're using. I'm partial to Texter for obvious reasons, but PhraseExpress is undeniably awesome. PhraseExpress is free for non-commercial use, costs $US50 for a professional licence.

iPhone/iPod touch only: TouchType, an iPhone utility that costs 99 cents, allows for landscape mode typing when composing or replying to email. It's definitely a function Apple should have included in the firmware, but, for whatever reason, email remains a portrait-only affair. You can start an email in TouchType and send it to email for addressing, or start a reply, hit the home button, open TouchType and finish the reply there. Whether you feel you should pay for a software fault, TouchType does make it easier to type with your thumbs, and to generally peck through longer messages. TouchType costs 99 cents, and is available for iPhones and iPod touch models running at least the 2.0 firmware.

Improve your note-taking and dictation skills with web site Listen and Write. As opposed to most most typing applications, which ask you to copy words you see on the screen, Listen and Write plays back audio clips of current events and asks you to transcribe the content. Sometimes the application is a little too stingy on spelling—especially of proper names—but it could be a great tool to gear up for taking better and faster notes in lectures or meetings. On the other hand, if you'd like your computer to dictate what you are saying, we've got you covered there, too.

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Being on top of your grammar is a skill that takes years of practice to refine into unthinking craft, but even the most word-minded among us can trip up when it comes how keyboards transpose our thoughts. Blogger Christopher Phin releases his inner copy editor and points out 10 errors one sees everywhere in digital writing, mostly due to not knowing what characters go exactly where. As someone who over-uses the "m-dash" a bit, I was glad to get schooling in the finer points of horizontal lines:

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Windows/Mac/Linux (Firefox): Save yourself the time of copying, pasting, and fixing mistyped links with QuietURL, a free Firefox extension that converts URLs with typos or bad formatting. QuietURL comes with a standard set of common fixes, but users of regular expressions can get ultra-specific on what gets fixed. If you're a regular browser of a forum or site that willfully obscures URLs by messing with the link code (as in "hxxp:// ..."), QuietURL can automatically fix those as well, or pull the reverse. For those looking to fix their own fat-fingered URLs, try URL Fixer or switching your router to OpenDNS. QuietURL is a free download, works wherever Firefox does.

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Webapp TypeSpeed makes it easy to learn and improve upon your typing skills with a series of touch-typing exercises and tests. The free site (an email address is required for registration) stores your progress and shows you where improvement can be made. The only downside: if you're used to hitting the spacebar twice after each sentence in test mode, your results won't be recorded properly, even if you're typing the exact words. While the website is not the most visually appealing, TypeSpeed gets the job done of improving your typing skills and looks safe for some downtime at work. For other typing tools, see previously mentioned Windows download RapidTyping and touch typing webapp KeyBR.

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Craft your eBay or Craigslist advertisements for people who are likely to misspell words or find great deals on expensive items by capitalising on sellers' misspellings. TypoBuddy is a website that performs a variety of searches on both eBay and Craigslist based on all possible spelling combinations and makes it easy for you to dig for great discounts. The simple search will show nearly every misspelling in the alphabet, but if you drill down to the Advanced search, you'll be able to fine-tune your searches to include typos with numbers and/or to exclude search terms of your choosing. You can also narrow down your search to specific price ranges or view listings on Craigslist that have pictures only (or Buy it Now! items on eBay). If you're in desperate need for a product and are looking to save big, TypoBuddy should be your first stop.

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Free web app Keybr.com is a simple touch type practice tool that shows you how fast and error-free your typing is through an escalating series of exercises. Like a web-based version of previously mentioned Windows-only tools TypeFaster and RapidTyping, Keybr.com could help you make the switch to a Dvorak layout, or learn to switch from a U.S. to UK, Spanish, German, or Russian keyboard (or vice-versa). Keybr.com is free to use and doesn't require a sign-up.

Typos are bad enough when they result in gibberish like "procedurw," but words that are close together and technically correct—like "manager" and "manger"—will easily slip by Word's spell check. If you find yourself making those kind of situational typos often, the Productivity Portfolio blog can walk you through creating an "Exclude Dictionary" to have Word's checker prompt you whenever it finds certain words. That way, you're the one who decides whether you meant the guy who deploys and manages work or the staple of nativity scenes. What are your biggest spell-check frustrations? Offer up your knuckle-whitening gripes in the comments.

Windows only: Sharpen your fast and accurate typing skills with freeware application RapidTyping. Type as quickly as possible in an underwater simulation while avoiding mistakes. The fish that swim by while you're being quizzed may be a little distracting, but you can disable the animation. As each lesson ends, you'll get statistics charts with characters-per-minute, words-per-minute, and percentage of accuracy, and you'll be able to move to the next level where you're faced with tougher challenges (and more sea creatures). RapidTyping is a free download for Windows only.