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Google Docs Adds Coloured Labels, On-the-Fly Permission Changes
Posted by Kevin Purdy at 11:00 PM on March 27, 2008
Google Documents has seen a good deal of productive-minded change over the last few days, quietly rolling out new interface features and re-designs. The most noticeable is a new Word-like menu bar, which takes up a little space at the top of the browser. Secondly, coloured folders add a corner-of-eye method for separating documents into work flow states or other systems. Finally, document creators can now re-assign and change document permissions back and forth, giving collaborators read, write and ownership abilities. Zoho users, how is Google's latest set of changes starting to look, put up against its (admittedly) more feature-rich competitor? Let's hear it in the comments.
Editor: In an attempt to answer the most frequently-asked question we get—"Which solution is the best?"—today we're launching a new feature series called the Hive Five. Once a week we'll put out a call for contenders looking for the best solution to a certain problem, where YOU tell us your favourite tools to get a job done. A day later, we'll report back with the top five recommendations and give you a chance to vote on which is best.
Dear Lifehacker,
Mac OS X only: Freeware application Warp adds a preference pane to your System Preference that enhances Leopard's virtual desktop tool, Spaces, so that you can switch between spaces using just your mouse. After you've installed and enabled Warp, move your mouse to the edge of the screen to switch to the adjacent space. If you've enabled the "Click screen edge to Warp" option, Warp even provides a preview of the space you're about to switch to. Click the preview and you're there. Warp is freeware, Mac OS X only.
Windows only: Free virtual desktop manager VirtuaWin creates multiple workspaces on your PC without bogging down your system. Like other virtual desktop utilities for Windows we've covered (
Mac OS X only: The latest beta 3 release of Yahoo Messenger for Mac adds voice and voicemail capabilities a la Skype. Using Yahoo Messenger, computer to computer voice calls are free, and you can purchase a PhoneOut and/or PhoneIn account to call land line or cell phones, or receive calls on your computer, or even set up call forwarding to land lines or mobile phones. (Rates start at 1 cent/minute in the U.S.) You can also send SMS messages with Yahoo Messenger, and get free voicemail; Yahoo Messenger delivers voicemail as an email attachment to the address you specify. Skype's had all these features for Mac and PC for some time now, so Yahoo's pretty late to the game—but it's still good to have options.
Inspired by a relative's spending of nearly $70 on Suze Orman's "Ultimate Protection Porftfolio," J.D. at the Get Rich Slowly blog compiled a lower-cost DIY version that accomplishes the same goal: serving as a base-level, must-do box to ensure financial health and long-term security. Among the items he suggests keeping inside:
Windows Mobile/Pocket PC only: Get access to all of your Windows Mobile or Pocket PC device's files with Mocha FTP Server, a (newly) free utility. Simply load and run the software on your mobile device, point a browser or FTP client on a networked computer to the address it provides, and you can do what you want with pictures, music, and other files. You can get pretty fancy if you want, setting up multiple users with different rights, time-outs, and more. Mocha FTP Server is a free download for Windows Mobile and Pocket PC devices; once you hit the registration screen, enter "freeware" for a licence name and "111425" for a code.
Fed up with your bank's hidden fees and customer service? Before you make the often time-consuming switch to another institution, consider checking out BankSwitcher. The web app (in beta, of course) asks you to grab the financial data from your old bank in the popular Quicken or Microsoft Money formats, then upload it to BankSwitcher. The site generates a list of everything you'd want to do to keep your same set-up—automatic payments, transfers, bill pays, and the like—at your new financial digs. The site repeatedly assures users that it keeps secure servers and doesn't commit unnecessary information like passwords or account numbers to the hard drive, erasing them from memory after the list is generated. If that's good enough for you, it could help you get up and running with a new bank and saving yourself money and headaches. Thanks, Keith!
