alerts

Handy spell checker

TinySpell is a free tool that checks spelling in any program. Accessing the program is as simple as right-clicking on its icon in your computer's Quick Launch tray. It displays a tiny window, making it easy to use alongside other programs. TinySpell will alert you if you misspell a word, or you can type a word directly in its window to check your spelling.

Most computer programs have spell check built-in, but in some programs the spell check is cumbersome to use or not easily accessed. TinySpell can bridge that gap. We thought it was quite handy to have … Read more

MailTones brings ringtones to iPhone e-mail

You've already got individual ringtones set up for your boss, your spouse, and other important people. MailTones brings that same concept to e-mail, playing custom sounds when you receive messages from those certain special senders.

Using the $2.99 app [iTunes link] requires two things: That your iPhone is configured for push e-mail (fetched automatically, not manually) and that your e-mail server has the option of forwarding copies of new messages to another address.

Gmail, for example, makes this a snap, as does MobileMe. As for other services and servers, well, you'll have to find out if forwarding … Read more

New AT&T features coming to iPhone?

An AppleInsider report cites an anonymous tip claiming Apple and AT&T may be working on two enhancements for the iPhone specific to AT&T's network:

Overage alerts would notify users via push notification badges, messages, or sounds when they approach their monthly anytime minutes limit. New voice mail options would let users disable the custom voice mail greeting (including AT&T's standard voice mail introduction) and allow them to skip greetings (standard or otherwise) or other automated instructions when calling other AT&T customers.

Unfortunately, the tipster mentioned no warnings from AT&… Read more

Basic personal organizer

Aries Personal Organizer Software is a very basic program that allows users to keep track of their schedule and contacts. Although the program is not particularly sophisticated, it's a nice choice for users who need a simple program of this sort.

The program's interface is plain and somewhat dated-looking, but it's very intuitive. The program's features are organized into tabs for tasks, contacts, dates and events, and notes. Given that the program comes in a weird mint green color, we were happy to see that the color of the interface can be customized. The program's … Read more

AlertBox keeps an eye out for site updates

RSS is great technology, but one of its shortcomings is that it doesn't always represent all of a site's content stream. Many times there are parts of a news or content site that change either through an editorial hand, or with items chosen by users. A new Firefox add-on called AlertBox helps track these "scraps" of content, and can be used to keep an eye out for any changes. This includes things like price changes, edits or updates to a news story, and the top stories on content sites.

To make sure it's not looking … Read more

Change your iPhone ringtone

MakeiPhoneRingtone is a free utility that can convert unprotected AAC files into ringtones for your iPhone. Since the iPhone limits ringtones to 40 seconds or less, however, you will need to first use a separate audio-editing application to shorten most songs to the acceptable length--and, if necessary, use that app or iTunes to convert the song to an AAC file. (If you try to convert a longer file, an error dialog will recommend Fission, from the developers of MakeiPhoneRingtone, but any similar app will work.)

Once you have a file of the appropriate length and format, this utility is extremely … Read more

Sounds and Ringtones

Here's one little area where I'm not so pleased with the Pre. I'm used to being able to set different rings for text messages, phone calls, and voice mails. While you can set individual ringers for your favorite contacts, the little bleep for texts, emails, and voice mails is the same.

I like to know when I've received a text. It's my main form of communication from my phone. I would rather not know when I've got a new email, and I'd like a different ring for my voice mail.

Please, Palm, make … Read more

IngBoo mashes up RSS alerts with feed reading

IngBoo is a new service that aggregates RSS feeds and can track topics and keywords across multiple content sites. The service was pitched to me as a tracking tool, but it also serves double duty as a headline reader the likes of Netvibes and My Yahoo. It analyzes each feed to find out how fresh the information is, and will show you with a simple pie graph how often the latest stories came in. You can also preview some of the most recent headlines and click straight to them.

To create alerts you have to use its built-in search tool, … Read more

Alertpedia keeps searching, even when you've given up

There are very few ways to view job openings, book a vacation, or find that perfect home without plowing through multiple websites and advertisements. Alertpedia is a useful website that saves you time by performing filtered searches based on what you're looking for. The search results are delivered in the form of a daily, weekly, or immediate email. The best part? No sign-up required.

Unlike websites like Kayak or Crazedlist, who deliver an immediate search result, Alertpedia saves you time by doing an automatic, periodical search. You can search for weather, traffic, jobs, travel, YouTube videos, and other categories.… Read more

Turn to these sites if the weather is bad

The weather over the past few days has been awful across the U.S. Just as I was thinking that spring had finally sprung, another six inches of snow fell and, once again, I was forced to head outside and start shoveling.

Only this time, I didn't even know the storm was coming. I hadn't visited my typical weather destinations on the Web and I hadn't checked out my mobile apps. It was, for the lack of a better term, a perfect storm. So when I woke up yesterday morning and saw just how much snow had … Read more