RobertDyson.com

Online Tools – Creating Documents

I tend to sign up for anything that looks even mildly interesting, including the Useless Account.  I have found some decent online tools as a result.  All of them have free accounts.  Here are some for creating documents online that I’ve tried:

• Zoho - Similar to Google Docs but some additional features.  I like Zoho’s interface a bit more than Google Docs.  Check out Lifehacker’s comparison.
• Buzzword - A word processing tool from Adobe.  Buzzword is a fully-featured word processor that aims to give the user a desktop-like experience.  Really fancy interface.  Here’s a review.
• Writer - Writer is an online version of the distraction-free Writeroom.  Nothing fancy…just type.
• Gliffy - Great for creating Visio-like diagrams.  You can export to SVG which Visio can read, too.
• Writewith - Aimed at collaborative writing.  Chat and version history of documents are really neat.

Leopard, So Far

Leopard has been out for a few weeks now, and there have been plenty of reviews. I upgraded, and have no regrets, but I have found that the only real advantage I am seeing is the performance boost. I have a MacBook Pro 2.16 Core Duo with 2GB of RAM and have experienced about a 30% speed increase overall. Programs launch quicker, boot time is reduced, and the system is more responsive overall.

What about all the other new features? I tried Spaces and couldn’t get used to it. I’ve tried VirtueDesktops in the past, which is similar to Spaces, but didn’t find it really increased my productivity.

As for Time Machine, it’s an awesome feature for those who don’t already make regular backups, or who have lots of documents that they update regularly. I back my computer up every week or so using SuperDuper, which creates a bootable image of your computer on an external drive. I’ve read that Time Machine can do this too, but SuperDuper has worked for me for a few years now. As for document versioning, I don’t really have that many documents that I update, and hardly ever feel the need to get back to a previous version.

The updated Finder with CoverFlow is pretty slick, though I can’t see any reason to browse regular documents using CoverFlow. I have been using it to go through pictures and video though.

There are many other features (around 300) in Leopard that I haven’t mentioned, but the major ones Apple is pushing don’t really apply to me. That being said, the performance boost was well worth the money.

Check out Lifehacker’s Leopard articles for more info.

Jott and Remember The Milk

In a previous post I talked about the online to-do list manager Remember The Milk.  The folks at RTM have teamed up with Jott which means you can call your tasks in and they’ll show up automatically in your RTM inbox.  This feature is only available on RTM pro accounts, but in my opinion it’s well worth the $25/year for this feature as well as the iPhone app.  And of course, supporting the developers.

Utterz: Redefining Mobile Blogging

Utterz is a new blogging tool that lets users blog pictures, text, and video that you submit by phone, text, email, or directly on the webite. Utterz has its own social community, which non-members can browse. The fantastic thing about Utterz is the support for widgets, which let you put your “utterz” on your own pages, which can include MySpace, Facebook, Xanga, Blogger, and even your own site.

Check out the Web Worker Daily review of Utterz, and my Utterz page.

Google Apps for Domains

Google Apps for Domains is an incredibly powerful and free set of tools that lets you set up Gmail, Calendar, Docs and Spreadsheets, and many other Google Apps for your own website. Sure, you could open a separate email account for your website mail, but why not harness the power of Gmail for all your email needs? Not a plug. Well maybe. For example, I have robert@robertdyson.com set up so I can use the Gmail interface to do all my emailing. Look out for a post reviewing Gmail and Google Calendar soon. In the meantime, they rule.

Find Amazon books at your local library

Jon Udell at InfoWorld has written up instructions on how to create a bookmarklet to check your local library’s inventory for a book you look up on Amazon. It’s a little tricky, but John has a video tutorial on how to do it.

I managed to create one for my local library here in Atlanta, since there wasn’t one predefined. You can drag this link to your bookmark toolbar (see Jon’s videos on how to do this if you get stuck). Also, here’s a great tutorial at Don’t Try This At Home.

Google adds Mapplets

Google has added Mapplets, extra data layers, to Google Maps.  Once at Google Maps, click on “My Maps”, then select one of the “Featured content” options, or click “Add Content” to get a list of all available content.

A few I thought were interesting:

• Gas Buddy
• Flickr Photo Mapplet
• Famous Photos
• Google Real Estate Search
• Movie Showtimes
• JamBase Concerts

Check out other articles about this news.

Frucall for Comparison Shopping

Frucall (www.frucall.com) is a free service that lets you comparison shop by calling a toll-free number (1 888 DO FRUCALL, try it!) and entering a product’s barcode. You are then given the lowest prices online, at which point you can bookmark a particular price and vendor if you have a Frucall login, and access the information later when you get home, or get connected to the vendor right there and then. You can still use the service if you don’t register, though.

Frucall recently added Frucall Text and Frucall mWeb which…well, you can guess what they do. I’ve used this service several times and find it particularly useful when I’m out at a store wondering whether I’ve found a good deal. More often than not Frucall will find a lower price online. They’ll even give you an estimated total including shipping and handling if you provide a zip code.

Apple iPhone

Because I’m sure you’ve never heard of it. I got one, and it’s sweet. But it might not be for you, just yet. There are plenty of reviews, (including a fantastic in-depth review over at Ars Technica) so I’ll give you my pros and cons so far.Pros

• The screen is fantastic
• The interface is really something…the level of detail is there
• Net access is very fast on wifi, not too bad on EDGE
• Cover Flow in iPod mode is awesome
• Video quality is excellent…I would consider watching a movie on a plane or on a road trip

Cons (who knows if some of these will be remedied with software updates in the future?)

• sync via Bluetooth, only using included sync cable or other ipod cable
• Can’t buy things on iTunes…have to buy using your comp then sync
• 8 gb (or 4!) fills up quick…I had to be pretty selective about what I put on there in terms of music
• Google Maps program doesn’t know where you are…no GPS built in
• Have to buy $20 unlimited data plan…and stuck with evil AT&T (although i’ve been with them for 4 yrs with no issues…)
• Doesn’t interface with computer much yet…with my old phone I had a program (BluePhone Elite) that displayed caller ID alerts on screen and allowed me to send and read text messages on screen

What do you think? Has anyone else been disturbed enough to buy a $600 phone?

The 4-Hour Work Week

The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss is an (at-first unbelievable, yet) inspiring look at becoming a part of the “New Rich”, a term Ferriss uses to describe those who have automated income sources profitable enough to permit them to wander the globe during frequent “mini retirements”.  Definitely worth checking out no matter what your work situation.