PadMapper for iPhone Is an Apartment Hunter's Dream Come True - Friendly Computers

iPhone: We've always been big fans of previously mentioned PadMapper, the Google Maps mashup that puts Craigslist apartment listings on a map with advanced filtering options. Now the same awesome tool exists for your apartment hunting on-the-go. - Friendly Computers

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A pocket-friendly version of PadMapper means that next time you're walking around in a neighborhood that looks promising, you can just pull out the app and let PadMapper use your location to find available rentals nearby. (You can also search for a specific location if you don't want to view nearby listings.) Apart from the portability, it works almost exactly like the web version. You can filter by rent, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, view full listings and pictures, and save favorites.

PadMapper is a free download from the iTunes App Store, and I don't think I'd start another apartment search without it.

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5481210/padmapper-for-iphone-is-an-apartment-hunters-dream-come-true

Unofficial Better Gmail for Chrome Bends Gmail to Your Will - Friendly Computers

Chrome: We love Gina's Better Gmail Firefox extension, a bundle of user scripts that improves the Gmail experience. Now that Google's beefed up support for Chrome extensions, reader Dimitar Gruev has taken a shot at bringing an unofficial Better Gmail to Chrome. - Friendly Computers

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Almost a year ago our own How-To Geek put together a version of Better Gmail for Chrome, but that was way back when Chrome didn't even have extensions (his were all bundled into a single user script). This new Chrome extension is an unofficial Better Gmail for Chrome that was inspired by Gina's Firefox extension and our earlier Better Gmail for Chrome bag o'scripts.

Once installed, access Better Gmail's options by clicking the wrench -> Extensions -> Better Gmail Options. Tick the boxes of the features you want activated and you're good to go. You can choose to hide little used fields like "Invite Friends," remove ads, show the number of unread emails in the favicon, and more.

Gruev says future versions of Better Gmail will hide spam count, move to next message on delete or archive, and include support for POP3 email. A big round of applause goes to Gruev for putting this together. What kinds of features do you hope for in future versions of Better Gmail? Share your ideas in the comments.

Source:http://lifehacker.com/5477037/unofficial-better-gmail-for-chrome-bends-gmail-to-your-will

Grab NovaPDF Printer Free, Normally $20 - Friendly Computers

NovaPDF creates a "printer" that exports any web page, document, or anything else print-able to a PDF file, and can pull some neat tricks like appending to an existing PDF. Through the Digital Inspiration blog, you can grab a "Lite" copy free. - Friendly Computers

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NovaPDF is certainly far from alone in offering a print-to-PDF tool for Windows, as we've looked at similar solutions using PDFCreator and doPDF and CutePDF. NovaPDF offers a pretty intriguing option to append your PDF printing to previous PDFs, though, which can be really helpful for compiling reports and gathering web research. The PDFs it puts out also have embedded fonts for universal looks, and you can customize the metadata on them before printing. From a quick test, it seems to install and work fairly cleanly, right from the get-go.

The oft-linked Digital Inspiration blog explains how to grab and register a copy of NovaPDF Lite 7.0 free, using a link specific to that blog, one we assume won't stick around forever. Neat, free stuff, and it's a download for Windows systems only.

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5473688/grab-novapdf-printer-free-normally-20

Boxee Integration App Plugs Boxee Into Windows 7 Media Center - Friendly Computers

Windows: Maybe you're a Windows Media Center fan with an occasional jones for Boxee apps, or a Boxee fan who'd like a little DVR action. A free utility can integrate Boxee into Windows Media Center, giving you the best of both worlds. - Friendly Computers

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This Windows Media Center plug-in comes courtesy of the same folks who gave us the Hulu Desktop Integration, and acts much the same way. Click on the Boxee option from Windows Media Center's main menu, and Windows Media Center will close down while Boxee opens up. Watch your NBC/ABC/Fox/Hulu, see what's new on the Onion News Network, and then close Boxee—back up comes Windows Media Center.

The real benefit comes from using a remote on your couch to navigate both applications, never having to get up and mouse around or VNC into your home theater PC from a laptop to get just what you want on your big screen. With both Hulu and Boxee available as temporary switches, Windows Media Center balances out a few of its weaknesses in a head-to-head comparison.

Boxee Windows Media Center Integration is a free download for Windows 7 only. As with Hulu Desktop Integration, it won't work with media center extenders like the XBOX.

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5472711/boxee-integration-app-plugs-boxee-into-windows-7-media-center

OpenOffice.org 3.2 Improves Startup Times, Office 2007 Compatibility - Friendly Computers

Windows/Mac/Linux: The latest version of OpenOffice.org, the free and open-source office suite, improves startup times by over 40 percent (by some tests), improves importing and support for password-protected and 2007 office files, and improves many areas of the Calc spreadsheet. - Friendly Computers

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You can check out the full feature list at OpenOffice.org, but the majority is nitty-gritty stuff. That said, the Calc tool seems to have picked up quite a few improvements and compatibility features, including support for "complex" (multi-row or column) copy and paste, pivot table importing, cell sorting and merging, and much more.

Importing Office 2007-formatted files seems to have gotten lots of attention in this release as well, and password-protected files can successfully be loaded, provided you've got the password. If you're an OpenOffice.org fan and see something new and great, share it in the comments.

OpenOffice.org 3.2 is a free download for Windows, Mac, and Linux systems.

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5469403/openofficeorg-32-improves-startup-times-office-2007-compatibility

AVI Joiner Combines Split Video Files into One - Friendly Computers

Windows: Ever download a movie from—oh, I don't know—some far-reaching nether-region of the internet, and when your download finishes realize the video is split into multiple parts? AVI Joiner quickly combines those split videos in just a few clicks. - Friendly Computers

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Using it could not be easier. Just run the app (AVI Joiner.exe), drag and drop the files you want to join into the Files to be joined pane, make sure they're in the correct order, and click the Run AVI Joiner button. The app will ask you where you want to save the joined video (name it and make sure to add the .avi extension to the end), then sit back as it fires up a command line and starts the joining process. I joined a couple of 700MB files into a 1.4GB video in roughly a minute.

This awesome little app was built courtesy of the Lifehacker Coders group over at the Productive Geek forums. You can currently grab the download hosted over at drop.io here. (For a portable version, grab the AVI_Joiner.zip file; if you want an installer, grab the setup.exe and install.nsi files. Make sure you grab the newest versions, and if we happen to hit a bandwidth cap at drop.io, be sure to let me know.)

AVI Joiner is a free, open-source application for Windows only.

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5467180/avi-joiner-combines-split-video-files-into-one