IMshopping Provides Human-Powered Shopping Suggestions [Recommendations]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/ih6hxAIpzVM/imshopping-provides-human+powered-shopping-suggestions

IMshopping takes the Mahalo route with product recommendations, using humans to research and answer questions submitted on its site, or through a Twitter "@". And it seems to actually work, for the most part.

The answers depend, of course, on what you're asking about, and whether IMshopping has someone on hand (or just awake) that knows about your specific field. On the site this morning, questions about iPhones and Apple laptops were often replied to with suggestions to wait until after Apple's announcements at the World Wide Developers' Conference (a pretty smart move, usually), while a more generic question about USB key drives was met with a semi-helpful suggestion to check out a discount site like Tiger Direct.

So, in some cases, you're going to get an answer that's the very friendly equivalent of "Google it." There's a chance, though, that you'll get a link you didn't know about, or advice that's coming from a fairly independent voice. Signing in through the site lets you save your answers and recommendations to a "folder" you can browse through for purchasing later. Free to use, requires sign-up to save recommendations.

IMshopping [via TechCrunch]

Read More...

Summary only...

Get Public Data Graphs from Google Searches [Data]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/S0nMOQlXDn0/get-public-data-graphs-from-google-searches

Next time you see a statistic in a news story that's hard to believe, or needs a bit more depth, type it into Google and pull up your own data graph.

At least with unemployment rates, population, and a few other public data sets, that's now possible. Using a technology acquired from Gapminder and its Trendalyzer tool, typing in something like Unemployment rate Sonoma County, CA returns a graph that shows historical data and can be narrowed by state and county results. You can also grab a direct link to your comparison to create an auto-updating reference point. Neat little hack, and we hope it gets expanded soon.

Official Google Blog: Adding search power to public data [via ReadWriteWeb]

Read More...

Summary only...

Paragon Partition Manager Free Today, Normally $40 [Dealhacker]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/RjiVsimZUwU/paragon-partition-manager-free-today-normally-40

Windows only: Paragon Partition Manager is a feature-rich application for partitioning your hard drive, optimizing your disks, creating simple partition backups, and more. It's normally $40, but today you can snag it for free.

We'd almost never suggest shelling out cash for an application whose sole purpose is partitioning, especially when an application like the previously mentioned GParted Live CD is perfect for partitioning and completely free, but if you need more from your partition manager, commercial apps like Paragon Partition Manager can be useful.

We haven't tested it thoroughly, but Paragon promises an impressive feature set, and—for today at least—you can't really beat the price. If you've used this app in the past, share your experience in the comments.

Giveaway of the Day - Paragon Partition Manager 2009 Special Edition (English Version) [Giveaway of the Day]
Partition Manager 10 [Paragon Software]

Read More...

Summary only...

Google Chrome Short Films for the Browser That's Warm and Fuzzy [Advertising]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ofLpPFHDbYE/google-chrome-short-films-for-the-browser-thats-warm-and-fuzzy

Google commissioned 11 short films about its Chrome browser, ranging from exceedingly slick and excellently-soundtracked (below) to cool stop-action films. They're all very well-done and variously informative and adorable. [Google Chrome via TechCrunch]

Read More...

Summary only...

Apple Assembles Chip Design Team, Plans Custom iPhone Guts [Apple]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/NJfHkjoUrvI/apple-assembles-chip-design-team-plans-custom-iphone-guts

The WSJ reports that Apple is putting together an all-star chip design team, starting with the former CTO of AMD, to work on in-house chips for mobile devices. Old habits die hard, I guess.

Apple is prone to occasional fits of vertical integration, and has never been terribly reluctant to run counter to the prevailing hardware winds, but this doesn't sound like some Jobsian act of contrarianism. The report indicates that it's the iPhone's unique power and performance demands that are driving this move, at least ostensibly:

Apple could use the internally developed chips to sharply reduce the power consumption of its hit iPhone and iPod touch devices, and possibly add graphics circuitry to help its hardware play realistic game software and high-definition videos, people familiar with its plans say.

Apple already works with Samsung, the manufacturer of the ARM-based processors used in the iPhone and iPod Touch, to design chip suited to their specific needs, and Apple is a large enough company that it doesn't have trouble coaxing tailor-made hardware out of its suppliers. But totally in-house chip design boasts the huge advantage of secrecy; removing Samsung from the equation ensures that any power-saving, graphics-boosting chip features Apple manages to conjure for their next iWhatever don't eventually find their way into chips available to other industry giants! like HT C or RIM.

So don't confuse Apple's latest move with an effort to spur innovation—from here, this looks like technology-hoarding, pure and simple; a bid to further insulate their mobile devices from competition by locking down their hardware as hard as they do their software. [WSJ]

Read More...

Summary only...