RIM just released their Enhanced Google Mail Plugin for BlackBerry. The plugin allows you to add and remove labels and stars on email messages, report spam, archive and perform local and remote searches. Messages that are opened on your Blackberry are now marked as open in Gmail. Download the plugin OTA (over the air) by pointing your Blackberry browser to blackberry.com/gmail.
To read more about the plugin, go to the Blackberry support forum Here.
I have been using Google Voice for a few months now and loving it. If you have not yet heard of Google Voice, watch this short summary video. To get all the juicy details visit the about page here.
Files Over Miles is a simple browser-to-browser file sharing tool that is very useful when files are to large to email. Go to filesovermiles.com, click browse and select the file you want to send. Copy the link and send via IM or email to the recipient. Make sure you keep your browser open until the transfer is complete because the file will become unavailable once you close your browser. The main benefits of Files Over Miles include no file size limit, peer to peer (so it’s fast)…and FREE.
OpenDNS is a free tool that can help parents keep their kids away from inappropriate sites on the web. If you are not sure what DNS is, it is essentially the phone book for the internet. When you type in a URL, your browser check a DNS server for that website’s IP address. Once the browser receives the address, it can then connect you to the website. With an OpenDNS account, users can customize content filtering just by changing a simple setting on your child’s computer. Or, it’s just as easy to configure your router for content filtering on your home network. Whatever your preference, OpenDNS has easy step-by-step instructions and can be implemented in under 2 minutes. To learn more, go to OpenDNS.
Is your Blackberry waking you up at night? Did you forget to turn your ringer off during a meeting? Try Profiler by Toysoft. You can schedule your Blackberry to automatically change profiles. For example, have your Blackberry switch to “phone only” at your usual bed time, then switch back to “normal” or “loud” at your wake-up time. You can also set up keywords to switch profiles anytime that word shows up in a calendar event. Get this app over at Crackberry.com on sale now for $4.95. You can also try it free for 14 days.
Flickr is one of the best photo organizer and sharing sites on the web. With its vast user base, it boasts a great database of images. When planning your next vacation or trip, try entering your destination in the search field. The results are quite amazing. With almost every search you enter, someone has been there, taken a picture and uploaded it to flickr. You can also try this search approach on YouTube.
If you have an extra computer lying around and it’s getting a little long in the tooth, give it new life with Ubuntu. The latest version 9.04 of Ubuntu is a FREE version of the Linux operating system that comes packed with all the software you need to get started. It’s also very easy to install and use while being secure, lightweight and runs great on older hardware. Makes a perfect PC for kids. Before you decide to install, you can try it on your computer using the “live cd” feature without altering your current setup. Head over to www.ubuntu.com to get started. Oh, did I mention it’s FREE?
Glubble lets children under 12 safely surf the Internet by giving parents the tools to supervise their viewing. Glubble is a free Firefox extension that locks the browser and only allows the user to visit pre-approved sites. For more info go to www.Glubble.com