iOS: Apple’s Reminders is an okay app, but its location-based reminders aren’t exactly quick to create. Checkmark is much better, making it a snap to create reminders at any spot, and it’s free today (down from $4.99).

We’ve talked about Checkmark quite a few times, and it really is a great app. You just set your favorite locations and can create reminders for them in just a few taps, much faster than Apple’s default Reminders app. You can also set time-based reminders, snooze them, and more. Check out our previous article for more info, and hit the link below to grab it for free.

Checkmark | iTunes App Store via App Shopper

from Lifehacker

from MSNBC Filtered

from MSNBC Filtered

Mac: Minbox is a new file sharing service that’s fast, free, and lets you upload files of any size and any type so you can send them to friends. Best of all, it does it all without forcing you to wait for the upload to finish before you can share the file and get back to work.

The video above (mildly nsfw lyrics, btw) highlights Minbox’s major benefit: speed. Dropbox and other cloud storage services require you wait until the file you want to share has uploaded and finished syncing before you can grab a link and send it to someone to download or view. Minbox on the other hand lets you drag and drop the file right on the menubar app, enter an email address, and fire your download link to a friend while the file finishes uploading in the background. They promise upload speeds twice as fast as Dropbox, thanks to their own compression and conversion technology.

The other big feature Minbox brings to the table is the ability to upload any file of any size that you want to share. Upload whatever you want, and the file is hosted on their servers for 30 days before it’s automatically deleted. It’s less of a cloud storage service with dedicated space for just your files, and more of a fast, easy-to-use file sharing service. It’s available now for OS X as a menubar utility from the Mac app store.

Beyond that, the service supports multiple concurrent uploads, scheduled sharing, supports RAW photo files, and if you do upload photos, the service can make beautiful web galleries so your recipient can browse them before downloading. Eventually Minbox will offer premium plans with dedicated storage like Dropbox or other cloud storage lockers, but right now they’re fast, free, and just want to help you send large files quickly.

Minbox

from Lifehacker

from MSNBC Filtered

The ChargeCard is a tiny, credit-card sized USB charging card that slips into a pocket or fits into your wallet, and makes sure you’re never without a USB cable for data or power to keep your phone or other mobile devices juiced up. If you’ve ever wished you had a USB cable handy, or ever had to borrow someone else’s charger, this gadget is for you.

The beauty of the ChargeCard is that it’s thin and small enough to fit just about anywhere, and means you’ll have both a USB data cable and a charging cable for your devices on you at all times. It fits in any credit card slot, money clip, or other sleeve, and it’s made of tough, flexible plastic. It’s even textured around the outside edges so it doesn’t just slide out of your wallet or money clip. The USB connector itself clicks into place in the center of the card until you need it, and when you do you can just flip it out and connect it to a nearby USB port (see the image below). The USB connector is flexible, so you can peek at your phone while it’s charging, and move it around your desk if you have to. On the edge of the card is the adapter that’ll connect to your phone (or other device).

The ChargeCard comes in three varieties, a microUSB version that charges just about any Android device (and any other device that uses a microUSB charging cable too), an iPhone 4 version with a 30-pin dock connector on the side, and an iPhone 5 version with an Apple Lightning connector on the side. Since the cables transfer data as well as power, if you need to plug a microUSB device into your computer—like programming a Harmony Remote or transferring data from a portable hard drive—the ChargeCard works for that too. The iPhone 4 and microUSB versions are available now, and the iPhone 5 version will start shipping next month (but you can pre-order now). All three models are $25 each.

The whole project is a KickStarter success story, and they blew through their funding goal well before their campaign ended. Now they’re ramping up production and taking orders. The folks behind the ChargeCard sent me one to play with, and even after a few short days of use, I’ve found the thing invaluable. Keeping it in my wallet is a no-brainer, and even though I have no shortage of USB cables at home and in my laptop bag, it just made more sense to use something this small and unobtrusive, unless a longer cable was called for. Right now, the ChargeCard is in my wallet, ready to charge my phone if I’m ever low on battery but near a USB port, or the next time I’m somewhere with a USB device but without a data cable.

The ChargeCard isn’t the only tiny USB charging cable or device on the market—I’m sure there are plenty others easily available. Even so, the size and shape, and the fact that it fits anywhere without needing to be coiled/uncoiled or being a pain to carry, make it a pretty useful tool.

ChargeCard

from Lifehacker

We’ve talked before about the things every computer user should know how to do, but we geeks are special: we want to go above and beyond, to explore every nook and cranny of our system and make everything easier. Here are ten ways to do just that.

Read more…

from Lifehacker

This is the AK-47 that guitar maker Jimmy DiResta turned into a fully functional guitar for Wycleaf Jean. It carries a powerful message. One about…Haiti? Okay so maybe I don’t know what the message is, or if there even is one. Not everything has to make some sort of social or political statement you know. I like how there’s a little mini-guitar on the gun’s magazine, that was a nice touch. The gold paint? That was a Midas touch. HAHA, SOMEBODY COME SMASH MY F***ING HANDS WITH A HAMMER SO I CAN’T TYPE ANYMORE.

Hit the jump for a worthwhile time-lapse of Jimmy building the guitar — it really is pretty impressive.

from Geekologie – Gadgets, Gizmos, and Awesome

What the competitors don’t seem to understand is you cannot get
people this smart to work this hard just for money. Jony is
Obi-Wan. His team are Jedi whose nobility depends on the pursuit
of greatness over profit, believing the latter will always follow
the former, stubbornly passing up near-term good opportunities to
pursue great ones in the distance.

It’s more than just Apple’s competitors who don’t understand this.

(Via Matthew Panzarino.)

from Daring Fireball

Infogr.am is a free webapp that ingests spreadsheets and .csv files, and spits out gorgeous, interactive infographics. More »

from Lifehacker