This week on Ask Lifehacker we're not talking about the new iPad, but what we'd buy instead. Firefox 11 finally brings add-on sync and March Madness proves that piracy isn't always the best option when you want to watch TV online. Also, we extend a Wi-Fi signal from a house to a barn, figure out a use for OS X's dashboard, and start training for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.
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News and Discussion
This week we're not talking about the new iPad, Firefox 11 finally gets add-on sync, Dropbox offers another 3GB of free space to beta testers, and paying to watch March Madness online is actually better than stealing it.
00:34 The new iPad comes to stores (but here's what you can buy instead)
The iPad still dominated the news cycle a week after its announcement, but we're not going to talk about it. Instead, we discussed what we'd buy instead. Pash picked a new Apple TV ($99), Whitson went for the Nook Simple Touch ($99), Dachis opted for home improvements ($?), Melanie picked a fancy new bicycle ($500), and Alan decided it was time for a souped-up home theater PC. (Some of us actually did upgrade to the new iPad, though.)
02:25 Firefox 11
Keeping with its rapid upgrade schedule, Firefox 11 was released and came with a highly-desired feature: add-on sync. Firefox users have been missing this option for quite awhile, as it has been glaringly present in Chrome for over a year, but it has finally arrived.
03:58 Get 3GB free Dropbox space!
Love Dropbox as much as we do? They're offering 3GB of free space if you want to beta test a new version. You get to check out the latest Dropbox app and get free space? That seems like a pretty sweet deal. The only downside is that if you nabbed some free space the last time they offered it to beta testers you won't be able to take advantage this time around.
06:52 Paying for March Madness is better than stealing it!
A shocking surprise: a media company has actually provided a way to consume media online that's a better alternative to piracy. For $4, you can watch all the March Madness games. If you're a cable subscriber, you may not have to pay at all.
Questions and Answers
Each week we answer five questions from readers and listeners. Here's what we tackled this week.
11:51 How can I extend the range of my router through a hill and to a barn?
Not without a repeater! But you can make one out of an old router easily. Also, installing custom firmware DD-WRT will allow you to boost your router's transmit signal a little bit. You can also boost that signal slightly with a cooking strainer, but that's not going to help you get past the hill and to the barn. Your best bet is probably going to be buying an industrial router and using the old one as a repeater, actually extending Ethernet cable to the barn, or getting cellular internet by tethering your phone or just using an independent device.
15:30 How can I get an app made with no coding skills?
You should be careful about trying to make an app when you don't know how. You should at least learn the basics so you understand how programming works and be informed when you're discussing plans with a developer you hire. Since you only have the idea, you want to be able to communicate as effectively as possible with your developer(s) and that involves knowing at least a little bit about programming. If you want to hire a developer, of course, you're going to need some cash. Kickstarter is often a good way to raise it.
You want to avoid hiring just anybody, though. If you seek out a developer simply looking for work you'll end up hiring someone who is pretty much in it just for the money. Ideally you want someone interested in your idea as well. To find someone like that, go where the developers go. Join developer forums online and get to know people. You might just meet the person for your project.
But if you really want to do it yourself and won't learn how to code, tools like AppMakr will create apps with no coding skills required. What you can do with these apps is pretty limited, but it might be better than nothing. Alternatively, if you are just afraid of learning Objective C or Java and want a framework to help, Corona uses a very simple language called Lua to create iOS and Android apps. Alternatively, Adobe Flash can create iOs and Android apps as well, but you're slightly limited by how much you can really do.
18:30 How can I put OS X Lion on my Core Duo MacBook?
Not easily, but it is do-able! Basically, you need to trick your MacBook into thinking that it's a Lion-friendly machine or remove its hard drive and install it via another computer. This OS X Daily Article will walk you through the whole process.
21:08 Are there any OS X widgets that sync well with iOS apps?
While most of us feel the OS X Dashboard is becoming a little obsolete in a world of widget-friendly mobile devices, there definitely are widgets worth adding. DashNote adds Simplenote functionality, which will let you sync notes from your computer to virtually any other machine, mobile device, and (of course) the Simplenote webapp. On top of that, Dachis likes Delivery Status for package tracking and Whitson likes iStat for system monitoring (even though he doesn't use OS X anymore). Also, never underestimate the usefulness of web clips. If you can't find the widget you're looking for, see if you can clip the same functionality from a web site.
24:12 How do I host a website from Dropbox?
Put the files in your public folder and copy the public links. (Details here.) DropPages and Pancake can help make the process a little easier, and Scriptogr.am can turn your Dropbox into a blog.
Downloads of the Week
Each week we talk about our favorite downloads. Here are our picks for this week.
27:17 Social Fixer (Web Browser)
Whitson discovered that Facebook can be a whole lot better with one browser extension called SocialFixer. Last week he detailed all the great things it can do, but he really loves how it fixes the way Facebook hides some of the messages you receive in an inbox buried deep within the user interface. You can also use it to find out who has unfriended you, turn off the chat bar, filter stuff, and much more. It pretty much works with whatever web browser you use, so if you want a better Facebook you should have no trouble using Social Fixer to get just that.
Download SocialFixer (Free)
30:07 Zombies, Run! (iPhone)
Dachis spent this week training for the inevitable zombie apocolypse with a game called Zombies, Run!. It throws you into a story where your helicopter crashes in the small village known as Abel Township. You're then required to run as fast as you can—literally—to escape the zombies that are after your brains. It works by tracking your GPS location as you run to judge distance and pace. You'll pick up items and earn achievements as you go. The farther you run, the farther you'll move along in the story. If fear motivates you, this app is a great way to get off your butt and exercise.
32:38 Sparrow (iPhone)
Pash started using Sparrow for iPhone and found it to be everything you'd want from a mobile email client even though it can't send push notifications. Everyone agreed that push notifications aren't all that necessary, since you can just make the built-in Mail app offer notifications and then just view the message in Sparrow instead. On the other hand, sometimes it's nice to not be notified at all and just check your email when you want to check it. If you do want real push notifications in Sparrow, however, you can use this jailbreak tweak.
Sparrow offers proper Gmail support and plenty of features that make your inbox much more manageable. Check out our review for more information.
Download Sparrow for iPhone ($3)
How Do I Submit a Question?
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Please keep your questions as brief as possible. This means about 3-5 sentences for emails and 30-60 seconds for calls and videos. Your questions can be specific, but broader questions are generally better because they'll apply to more people. For example, "how can I breathe new life into my old PDA?" is much better than "what can I do with an old HP iPAQ 210?" Either way, we look forward to hearing from you!
This podcast was edited by Mike Vannelli.
Newspaper, Computer, and Clock (by Brandon Hopkins) provided by the Noun Project.