Windows only (for the moment): Microsoft has thrown open the doors to a "tech preview" of its Live Mesh service, a kind of web-boosted version of Lifehacker favourite folder-syncing tool FolderShare, with a bit of remote desktop connection thrown in. Signing up with a Windows Live ID gets you 5 GB of space to store folders you want to keep in sync, either from computer to computer, or with the Live Mesh desktop itself. I explored the Live Mesh space this morning and took a few screenshots, so let's take a look at what you can do.

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If you've stored a good number of bookmarks (or, in Windows terms, "Favorites") in Internet Explorer and need quick access to them, the How-To Geek has you covered, at least in Windows Vista. By creating a simple saved search and creating a shortcut to it (so you or a launcher like Launchy can get at it), you'll have quick, search-able access to all your bookmarks. Anybody know a similarly simple method to searching favourites in Windows XP? Let's hear it in the comments.

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In Firefox's Help menu choose Check for Updates to download Firefox 3.0.1, a minor update that fixes Firefox 3's most common causes of crashes. This update won't shouldn't cause any add-on incompatibilities (but apparently does here and there according to commenters). [via]

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Google Docs now offers a gallery of spreadsheet, presentation, and document templates for use in your work. Whether you're designing a resume, invoice, calendar, or slideshow, there are a few templates here to get you started. Template categories include Business, Calculators, Calendars & Schedules, Cards & Certificates, Letters, Presentation Designs, and more. You can also sort them by how many users each has and user ratings. To use a template in your Google Doc, from the New menu drop-down, choose "From template..."

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Here's your intrepid Lifehacker AU editor slurping up some free Wi-Fi at Odawara station late at night while waiting for the bullet train. Impressively, there was actually an open network to be had, which allowed me to approve some more comments about Vodafone's confusion over its data plans. Note also the modification to easily attach a broadband wireless modem on the back of my trusty Eee PC.
Of course, extended usage of someone else's bandwidth is poor form, but Tokyo offers plenty of options for the traveller seeking connections. In particular, most hotels seem to have worked out that if you're already paying a small fortune for a room, you shouldn't have to pay an extra surcharge for Internet access. Australian (and US) hotels would do well to emulate. (Postscript on the perils of boasting: after this went up, I didn't manage to get a functioning net connection in Tokyo for most of the day, hence the delayed posting of many stories today. Apologies all round!)

Web site Sendible schedules sending messages to contacts in the future over email, text message, or social networks like Facebook and Myspace. Not only can you send messages to anyone on a schedule, but you can also update your status on sites like Facebook and Twitter on a schedule too (you know, to set up an alibi for that perfect murder). The site also has special tools for setting up reminders for sending messages to yourself, options for recurring messages, and a great calendar tool that lists all your scheduled messages. Aside from message sending, Sendible features a robust contact management you'll probably never use. Sendible is free to use but will cost you an email address to register.

The Wired How-To Wiki details how to stream music from your home computer or a web host to any PC over the internet. The guide suggests several methods for creating playlists, including M3U, XSPF, and PLS playlists that point to your online tunes and stream them to any application you use open the playlist. Depending on what format you use, you can stream your playlist of choice with anything from iTunes and Windows Media Player to the Yahoo Music Jukebox and more. If you don't feel like putting in all that effort to roll your own solution, check out other sites and tools like previously mentioned JukeFly, SlimServer, and Orb.

Windows only: Free application PC Wizard is a portable tool that analyzes and benchmarks your PC. At its most basic, PC Wizard gives you an in-depth look at your hardware and system specs. But the app has a surprisingly rich feature set beyond that, including a password recovery tool for apps like Outlook in the System Information tool and a slew of cool benchmarking tools. The benchmarks measure everything from your processor and RAM to hard drive performance and even MP3 compression speeds. As a cherry on top, PC Wizard is available in a portable version you can carry on your thumb drive. PC Wizard is freeware, Windows only.

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If you're a free software lover who's concerned about your privacy and the limitations of DRM, you don't want an iPhone. Amidst Apple's iPhone advertising blitz helped along by positively bubbly media coverage, the Free Software Foundation calls out the dark sides of the new iPhone.

• iPhone completely blocks free software. Developers must pay a tax to Apple, who becomes the sole authority over what can and can't be on everyone's phones.
• iPhone endorses and supports Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) technology.
• iPhone exposes your whereabouts and provides ways for others to track you without your knowledge.
• iPhone won't play patent- and DRM-free formats like Ogg Vorbis and Theora.

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Apple is suing a company called Psystar for selling computers with OS X installed on non-Apple hardware. While buying a pre-built Hackintosh may not be in the cards, you can still build your own Hackintosh PC with a little elbow grease.

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Web site Speckly is a barebones BitTorrent search engine that scours multiple popular torrent trackers and returns the results in a simple interface. In fact, you'll notice the site's design is a direct knock off of Google, but it has a few subtle tweaks for BitTorrent. Like previously mentioned torrent aggregator PizzaTorrent, Speckly also allows you to sort results by file type, and according to weblog Mashable, the ad-free site will remain ad-free—an accomplishment for the often pop-up-ridden world of BitTorrent trackers. If you need more robust filtering, we'd recommend PizzaTorrent, but if simplicity is what you're looking for, Speckly looks like a winner.

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Computers are supposed to make our lives easier, but too much of the time they can be frustrating, time-wasting, stubborn machines. From the irritating "Access Denied" message when you can't remember your 147th password, to all the useless email that clutters your inbox, to IT lockdown restrictions that keep you from getting your job done, let's take a look at 10 of the more common gripes amongst computer users and our humble suggestions for fixing them. Photo by basykes.

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Mac OS X only: When you're trying to eject that drive or delete that file but Finder stops you because it's "in use," you want desktop app What's Keeping Me. Enter the name of the file or drive into What's Keeping Me and the app will identify the process that's preventing you from completing your task, and give you the option to quit, relaunch, or kill the problem application. Of course you can quit processes through the Activity Monitor by hand, but What's Keeping Me does all the searching for you. What's Keeping Me is a free download, donations requested, for Mac only.

Brett Kelly at the Cranking Widgets Blog outlines a few crafty uses for universal capture tool —recently available as a Mac client and free iPhone app—including a no-hassle storage space for software licence receipts, reference PDFs, and IM conversations. What does Evernote help you store and recall? Share it in the comments.

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When you run across good-looking open source software which isn't available as an executable, installable file, it's time to get down and dirty with the source code at the command line. Tech tutorial site Webmonkey describes how to compile software from source. The process involves three main steps—the basic commands in order are configure, make, and make install. You can get tripped up if your system doesn't have a compiler, or the software has dependencies that aren't available, but those issues are easily resolved—and there's no better feeling when you're starting to get comfortable at the command line than the first time you successfully compile software from source. This howto's a great place to start.

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Windows only: FileCheckMD5, a free stand-alone utility, is designed as a simple means of generating and comparing two MD5 files against each other for verifying burned CDs/DVDs. Because it's a stand-alone program that can run from any directory, however, it makes for a nice addition to the root of any disc you're burning and passing along. Throw the app and your original MD5 (from the files you burned for them) onto the disc, and they can check if any problems they're having are due to a bad burn. It's a simple, fast, and free tool for anyone who does a good deal of burning. FileCheckMD5 is a free download for Windows systems only.

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