Summer Giveaway: Tech Support
Computers. If you work – heck, if you live – in these times, you gotta use them. You gotta master them. More often, it seems, computers master us. Perfectly competent, intelligent people shudder at the thought of backing up their files, configuring their email clients, or setting up a website.
Today’s prizes are meant to make your computer easier to use, and to make you more productive. ActiveWords turns every word you type into a potential command, allowing you to lookup information, launch programs, or even set up series of actions that can be triggered with a single word. Files, Folders, and Tags allows you to add tags to any file or folder on your desktop, so you can browse your computer’s files that same way you browse your bookmarks at del.icio.us.
ActiveWords
ActiveWords functions are almost endless. Type the word “weather” and hit the designated ActiveWords key, and up pops a site to look up the weather. Type “Word” and hit the ActiveWords key and Word opens. Create a script automating your entire backup, defragmentation, and disk cleanup routine, type a word you designate (say, “maintenance”) and hit the designated key, and voila – the whole routine is run.
ActiveWords also brings you system-wide AutoCorrect functions – no more correcting DOuble CAps at the beginning of words, or misspelling anything. And you can create your own text substitution strings, so that you could insert your entire name, title, address, and contact info with a single word or phrase.
There are over two dozen sets of pre-programmed actions and text substitutions, including plugins for popular programs and services like Outlook, Palm Desktop, and SalesForce, as well as specialized text substitution/AutoCorrect dictionaries for, say, legal writing. And you can always add your own. Activewords is easily one of the most powerful ways you can improve the way you interact with your computer! (Windows only; Retail Price: $50 US)
Files, Folders, and Tags
Folders are so Windows 98! The 21st Century is all about tags – and Popular Productivity brings tags to your desktop with Files, Folders, and Tags. Tagging is a far more powerful way to organize your data, for a number of reasons. First and most importantly, you can add more than one tag to a file or folder – perhaps you have a file that is both a financial record and essential for a project. Where do you put it? In the past, you would have had to choose whether it goes with your business’ financial information or the project folder, but with Files, Folders, and Tags, you can stick it in either and tag it with both – it will come up when you browse files by either tag.
Second, you can add tags “on the fly” – if a new project comes up later that might need the same file, just add the tag instead of worrying about copying it or moving it or having to find it every time it’s needed. And third, you can give more natural names to files and folders – perhaps your workplace has a project naming convention that creates folders with names like “Proj00084284SK1AAB-Cl142”. Tag it “Gutter cleaning” and don’t worry about the gobbledygook.
Files, Folders, and Tags includes several tools to make working with tags easier, including a tray-based search tool, the ability to generate tag clouds, an an auto-scanner to help automate file tagging. With very little effort, you can be tagging and getting more done today! (Windows only; Retail price: $30 US)
How do you win?
To enter, tell us about the tool you cannot live without, the piece of hardware or software that makes your worklife easier, more efficient, or more fun. Leave your entries in the comments on this post.
The winner will be chosen by random drawing from everyone who has left a link in the comments on this post by 12:00 Noon PST on Wednesday, September 3rd. The drawing will be done by random number generator within a few days of the close of the drawing. All links will be verified.
The prizes will be sent direct from our sponsor.
Stay Tuned!
We’re kicking off the second week of the Lifehack Great Big Summer Giveaway with a great prize, but there’s still plenty of other great prizes on their way! We’ll be giving away prizes related to the working life every day this week, including:
- Copies of PhraseExpress v.5, a text snippets program to help you save time with repetitive tasks.
- Two years of hosting from powerMonster under their monsterSlayer plan: 10 GB disk space and 150GB of traffic with an included domain name.
- The Ultimate Guy’s Computer Bags, made of Rawlings baseball glove leather, from Sports Accessories.
- A $100 Amazon gift credit from Ubernote.
Don’t forget to enter last week’s contests in the Lifehack Great Big Summer Giveaway. And write a blog post about work and style to win the Careerbags.com JoJo Laptop Tote in Monday’s contest! We’ll be announcing winners for the first week early next week, after Labor Day. And check back every day this week for more chances to win!
WRITER'S BIOGRAPHY
Dustin Wax
Dustin M. Wax is the project manager at Stepcase Lifehack. He is also the creator of The Writer's Technology Companion, a site devoted to the tools of the writing trade. When he's not writing, he teaches anthropology and gender studies in Las Vegas, NV. He is the author of Don't Be Stupid: A Guide to Learning, Studying, and Succeeding at College.
Follow him on Twitter: @dwax.
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Comments
Cordelya says on August 27th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
I absolutely love Launchy (Launchy.net). I wish my work computer wasn’t under IT lockdown so I could use Launchy there, too (and yes, I’m aware that it is portable, but I seem to have signed an agreement not to run portable apps on the work PCs) And just think how Launchy could be *even better* if it integrated with Files, Folders, and Tags! The physics alone boggle the mind…
Josh says on August 27th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
What can’t I live without? Definitely Evernote. I have everything I could ever need stored into organized, tagged structures, some even with linked PDF files. Meeting notes, code snippets, personal goals, everything is in there and accessible from every computer I have, mobile, web… I never have to go searching long for anything at all.
eli skipp says on August 27th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
This is a really hard choice. To be honest… well really, if I had to pick on piece of HARDWARE the obvious answer would be my laptop as a whole! Or perhaps my cell phone, although less so. My laptop has really become an all encompassing extension of me — but more organized and less erratic and irrational!
If I had to pick a piece of software I would more than likely pick iCal. It’s simple and probably not much of an original answer but I would forget EVERYTHING if not for iCal.
Groovymarlin says on August 27th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Gmail! And, to a lesser extent, Google Calendar and Google Docs. It’s really scary how much I depend on my Gmail, and it has revolutionized how I use email and store information. I can’t believe that a few years ago, I was an enthusiastic Outlook user. Now I can’t stand it and long for my super-organized tagging and search functions in Gmail!
Katie says on August 27th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
I can’t live without Google Docs. It’s been a godsend when I’ve had to switch computers, and I really appreciate not having to worry about losing files when my laptop goes in for repairs.
Avonelle Lovhaug says on August 27th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I can’t live without VMware workstation. Being a software developer, VMs are crucial to me being able to test my applications using a variety of platforms, browsers, etc. Also, VMware’s excellent USB support has made it possible for me to use virtual machines to develop for my Pocket PC as well.
Luciano says on August 27th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
I can’t live without MyLife Organized. The best task outliner that I could find. And, boy, I have tried many.
William says on August 27th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Launchy- the best app launcher in the world. I use it to append to my to do list, log my day, search the net. You name it - without using my mouse
Todor Christov says on August 27th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Definitely Gmail. This is productivity tool #1 for me, especially when packed with addons like Remember the Milk.
Gmail tagging function is very useful, too.
Jesse says on August 27th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Google everything. Perhaps most significantly Google Notebook, where I store every miscellaneous thing.
Garland Walton says on August 27th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
A colleague turned me on to SnagIt, which allows you to grab images using hotkeys and send what I capture to a printer, file, email, or clipboard. (other uses possible, but this how I use it daily) SnagIt has saved me countless keystrokes and minutes!
Klaus says on August 27th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
The tool I cannot live without anymore is Launchy. It is like a very simplified version of QuickSilver for the PC, but it saves me a lot of time. It is just so much easier to hit a hotkey combination and start an application than to use the Windows menu. In fact it is very similar to ActiveWords, just that it’s free…
Matthew says on August 27th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
OutlookSync lets me keep my calendar, contacts, and tasks synchronized between my work computer (with Exchange) and home (just a .pst file).
Robert in SF says on August 27th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
I love Clipmate, from Thornsoft.com.
It’s a great clipboard extension that has a ton of options for manipulating the clips you have in its history!
karen says on August 27th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
I love evernote, jott, and delicious. But with the new fee schedules, jott will be gone and I will need a replacement. The new delicious site has lost some of the functionality I am used to, but evernote still helps me alot. It would help a great deal if I were able to open evernote at work, but it often will not open there.
DrBurst says on August 27th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
The program Academic Flash Cards. I was free and it’s so much better then carrying real cards.
malia says on August 27th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
i wouldn’t be able to live without gmail. a close runnner up for me is google desktop - it indexes everything on your computer so that finding things, even just using a snippet of a word or phrase from a document - is just as quick as a regular google web search!
Steve says on August 28th, 2008 at 12:44 am
Google Calendar has become an indespensible part of my efforts to stay organised. Another really helpful one is the web app bubbl.us for mind mapping.
Nuruddeen Lewis says on August 28th, 2008 at 4:09 am
I love expose’. It really speeds up my time on the mac.
Arjan Zuidhof says on August 28th, 2008 at 5:27 am
Launchy is absolutely my no. 1 tool I couldn’t live without. Imagine how much time you spend searching your files/folders/bookmarks for that one thing you need, with the only goal of clicking on it. No more!
Josh says on August 28th, 2008 at 10:12 am
I’d choose Remember the Milk with Twitter’s SMS capabilities and Evernote for their ability to actually deliver the mobile web to a regular old unfancy cell phone user like myself. Being able to set detailed reminders, broadcast notes and weightlessly document everything has turned this measly razr into an indispensable tool.
Also, it’s too pleasing to demonstrate the possibilities to the uninitiated and see jaws drop and frustrations clear, to be asked “That’s amazing, you can do that?“
Scott says on August 28th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Can’t live without:
Smart To-Do List
Tamil says on August 28th, 2008 at 11:17 am
Opera Mini - Free mobile Web browser for mobile phones.
David says on August 31st, 2008 at 12:00 am
I work on different PCs and often without an internet. I wouldn’t be able to do it efficiently without Portableapps from PortableApps.com and my usb flash drive.
Michael Cortes says on August 31st, 2008 at 10:17 am
My number one requirement. Palm TX handheld. Which is a problem, as Palm is loosing it’s market share, and with that loss I am afraid Palm as a handheld will soon be unavailable. I have considered a changeover to a Palm Treo.
I do believe it has been the precursor to the iPhone, in design and capability. The stupendous number of apps available for the Palm OS are staggering. Why the BlackBerry became more popular befundles me. It seems that many are switching from it to the iPhone and yet the Treo was much closer to it then the Blackberry ever was.
I have everything on my Palm. Second would be my Google apps.
Sean says on August 31st, 2008 at 6:59 pm
I can’t live without Evernote.
DL says on August 31st, 2008 at 10:35 pm
I have a home office, a school office and, on occasion, have to do work at a main office in Tokyo; therefore, my usb drive loaded with portableapps is essential to both my professional and personal work if I don’t want to have to drag my laptop around. I especially like that I can carry a handful of games along with my work projects and can have one scheduler and one browser with one set of bookmarks.
That said, I also can’t live without my old Filofax loaded with blank paper and my Pilot vanishing point.
Autumn says on September 2nd, 2008 at 3:51 pm
http://www.newsfirerss.com
Pretty, simple, quick loading. What else do I need?
Sergio Schuler says on September 3rd, 2008 at 4:11 pm
firefox vertical tabs, its the best to navigate with lots of links