This is an interesting gadget because it isn't really major as many other machines do the same thing but the key difference is the USB part. I don't personally like to keep beverages near my laptop or computer but it would be nice on the go in the summer. I do hate it though when my beverage becomes warm when it once was cool so it would serve as an added bonus in a hotel room or an airport where I don't have the luxuries I do at home. This gadget however doesn't have the power to cool a warm beverage but it does have the power to keep it chilled which is fine by me because when you get a beverage you know if you're going to want it cold or not.
AOL was never to me any good at being the best but when I found out about this piece of freeware I was absolutely amazed. It blends, instant messaging, internet, e-mail and other online multimedia activities into one smooth application. It has a sleek modern interface previously called AOL OpenRide. The screen is seperated into 4 tabs, 2 on each side which are: People, Mail, Browser, and Media Center. It makes life much easier as there are less broswers and applications to have open. I myself have around 6 browsers open with 2-3 tabs on each so I dearly need this which is why I'm currently downloading it as I write this.
The actual Helix does not look like that of it's predecessor but it is in blue and has the same kind of features. On the web there is a drop down menu but unlike most systems where you have to click group, this let's you just hover over: Web, Email (for different accounts), and other media. There are other things you can do on this application including News, Finance, Radio, Video, Music, Mapquest, Safety and Security Centre, Games, Weather, Sports, Travel and more. Its a very pleasing interface and I do recommend it as an alternative to IE7 and Firefox but since it's in Beta there are a few kinks to work out plus security issues.
Your dear old cell phone can be and probably is capable of many new things but it's just that you aren't aware of it. These features or capabilities will help discover your cell phones inner PC.
How to Make Calls by SMS
This method of calling is especially good if your going to make alot of calls outside of the United States. This method utilizes one of two internet programs called Call2 and MyWebCalls. What these two websites do is they let you send an SMS message to their server which can either place the call, only if already registered, or call you back with a dial tone allowing you to manually enter the number you wish to call. Call2 uses standard phone lines, thus more on the expensive side whereas MyWebCalls uses the internet to place it's calls, VOIP, which is cheaper. For example, calling France on: Call2= 6 cents/min MyWebCalls=1.4cents/min. MyWebCalls may be cheaper but may be less reliable. If you'd like to learn about even more VOIP-based services like this go to PCWorld.How to Take Notes via Your Camera Phone
I don't have a camera phone so I personally can't take advantage of this feature but my dad does and he is skeptical, well because he's old. How this works is you take a picture of your notes you made by yourself, your boss, or from a printed document. You then send it to the service, Qipit, the email is copy@qipit.com for black and white images and color@qipit.com for colour images. Before sending the image though you need to register with the service, providing your name, country, email adress, cell number, phone model, and service provider. The only cost you pay, is the cost of the MMS (multimedia message) and this service can only support images taken by a 1.3 megapixel camera that is a JPEG.
Google Without a Browser
Most phones that people own don't have a browser so when we forget where a place is, we can't Google it and find the address and phone number. Well now we can! It didn't work on my phone presumably because my service providor sucks but phones in the US and elsewhere will definitly be able to grasp this piece of technology. The text message! Simply text Googl (46645) and type in anything in the message area you would normally type on Google that would get one answer like: define, listing of business or residence, or conversions. Google will then process it and within a minute Google will have replied with an answer.
Send Voicemail Messages via SMS
Before reading on, you must know that you need to be a US resident to use this service. At first I thought it was complicated with sending this and that but now I believe I get it. Correct me please if I am wrong but this is how it works. First you sign up for the service and link your cell phone with it. There are 2 things you can do with this service, you can leave group voicemails (voicemails for a lot of people that are identical) and send voicemail like a text message on your cell phone. Learn much more at Pinger.
Call 411 For FREE!
The cost to call 411 is pretty expensive if you ask me so I was extremely glad to hear about a new way to call 411 for free. Here's how it goes. All you do is call 1 800 FREE 411. The only catch is you have to listen to a short advertisement but other than that it works exactly like the regular 411 with an automated voice to guide you to get the information you need.
Connect With Multiple Friends via SMS
A lot of the tricks I describe here are SMS based as it is a cheap way to connect and this one is no exception. It sadly again only works 22 US cities so me and my other Canadian pals won't be able to utilize this service. Go to Dodgeball and sign up for the service. This site allows you to connect with your social network via SMS by broadcasting your location to friends via the service and then to your all your friends cell phones. For example, say your at this festival and you find it really good, send one text message to the service astating where you are nd it does the rest which is send text messages to all your friends telling them your location and as well it sends a text message to friends of your friends who are within a 10 block radius.You can also use it as a Google search engine to find venues and locations.
Now I personally can't use this information because I don't have a web browser. This information is only for people who have cell phones that have a WAP 2.0 browser and the information is about making the web more usable in a small screen.
Web & Mobile Portals
This is a simple tip and most of you probably know it. When typing in an address on your mobile phone, try and put in mobile instead of "www". Although the majority of sites don't support it, like mine, most major news sites like Yahoo, and The New York Times have a mobile version of their website. Yahoo just announced Yahoo Go 2.0 which has a user friendly interface for mobile users. (mobile.yahoo.com)
Get My Blog on Your Phone
Hey, I thought you just said that my blog wasn't supported on a small phone size. We'll now it is. Instead of using the tip above, although it is much better if they have it available, is to go to PhoneFeeds and enter the name of the blog you wish to view on your phone for later use. The site then processes that and gives you the URL in which to view that blog on your phone in a smaller screen format for easier viewing.
WINDOWS MOBILE PHONE USERS ONLY
This tip only works with Windows Mobile Phone Users, but it is useful if you like the tip. There are sites out there like SharpCast which allow you to sync photos, documents, contacts, and more from your phone, to the computer, and Web. The amazing thing about this service is that once you bring over say a photo from your phone and edit it on your computer, the new updated photo will be on your phone too! Other sites that offer this are CoolMarks and Saki. Note: Other services like these might be able to work on your phone if it isn't a Windows Mobile Phone.
Archos has a line of Portable Video Players that end in 04 and the newest addition to that lineup is the Archos 704 wifi. It's predecessor the Archos 604 wifi with a 30GB hard drive and 4.3 inch touch screen was the first of it's kind in the fall of last year and acted liked a media capable PDA unlike the wifi capable media players today that focus on using that technology for acquiring music. Archos used it for better things; for accessing e-mail and using a browser. The reason though this Portable Video Player (PVP) didn't fair so well, was because it was slow and choppy. This version however sports double the resolution of the 604 giving it a 7 inch touchscreen and provides up to more than double hard drive (80GB); also being available in a 40GB version. With add-ons it's even more lucrative because it will be able to put shows from your DVR/PVR/TiVo onto it as well as take videos from your PC, with the PC part being free. Now I'm excited about buying this but I'm not going to rush into it as the price tag is a throw off, $550. It is simply a stripped down Mercedes and to get all the extras you'd expect in a Mercedes you'd need to spend hundreds in upgrades. 
Now as I was doing research on this product I learned that Archos had brought in a new version of the 604 wifi called the 605 wifi. The main differences I saw that were huge was battery life and weight. The 605 has a 17hr music and 5.5hr video battery life compared to the 704's 25hr music and 5.5hr video battery life. The other difference is the weight with the 605 weighing in at 260g and the 704 weighing in at a whopping 630g. When you put the two side by side you'll easily notice the difference in size and another difference is the startup time time is much more time consuming for the 704. As well the screen brightness, although it might be changeable, is far brighter and clearer on the 605. For more information on both of these wonderful and exciting products visit Archos.
I have some tips for you readers out there on how to speed up your hard drive. I myself use this from time to time and find it useful. Some of the simple steps you can follow is to defragment your computer the right way, remove big, useless files, and find and delete duplicate files.
Now the right way to defragment your computer is not opening the Windows defragmenting tool a different way, it’s using a completely different tool. Now the one I recommend has a price tag of $40 but there is a free trial if you go to Vopt 8. This program does so much more than what Windows does including taking care of Restore points which can take up to 13mb each and are scattered all over your computer, and it lets you choose how to defrag like packing files more. Also it deletes temporary files, closes unnecessary applications, and it can also automatically defrag multiple drives and then shut down the system. Whichever defragmenter you use, use it early and often, close open applications as those don’t get defragged, and delete temporary and internet cache files using a free tool called CCleaner.
For the duplicate files on your computer get Duplicate File Finder. Even though you think you don’t have them I guarantee you, you do have them.
If you’ve ever closed down your computer while in Hibernate mode then you probably have a massive file called hiberfil.sys. You don’t need this file anymore so the way to get rid of it is, go to Control PanelàPower OptionsàHibernate Tabàuncheck Enable HibernationàOK. Now if you still want to use the Hibernate mode after all this, defrag, and then follow the steps above and recheck Enable Hibernation.
For Zone Alarm users out there, your program automatically makes huge behemoth files on your computer. To delete these files while running the program you need to use a batch file to do the job. For a How-To and the batch file go to PC World.
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