Pete Wood
voato.com is my tech blog focussing on techology, lifehacks and productivity. It’s largely a rehash of practical tips I come across for getting things done. Pete Wood
Homepage: http://voato.com
Jabber/GTalk: pete.wood@gmail.com
Posts by Pete Wood
LogMeIn Express is the easiest way to share screens
This has to be one of the easiest ways of sharing your screen for remote access over the Internet. Similar products require quite sizeable installations, or result in a very slow user experience. All you have to do here is download a very small application on the host (the screen you want to share) which is just 900K, and then give the session code to the person you need to share with. All they have to do is point their browser at the same URL, and enter the same session code without having to download anything at all. More >
Compare your broadband speed against the neighbours
Having a slow broadband connection can be especially disheartening particularly if your neighbours are surfing at warp speed. There are lots of broadband speed test tools around on the web but not many of them give you a direct comparison against other people in your neighbourhood. This is particularly useful if you suspect your broadband speed is not as quick as it ought to be, or you’re thinking of switching ISP and just wondering what kind of speed you’ll get. More >
The Best Free Online Collaboration Suite
With more and more people working remotely, online collaboration is an essential tool for any self-respecting home-worker. With a fully featured collaboration and screen sharing application (white boarding), even the most distanced workers can be just as productive as if they were in the same room. And as more and more work is off-shored or near-shored, efficient collaboration can make the difference between project delivery or project doom. More >
[Freetime Fix-up] Supersize your Sky+HD box for extra storage
![[Freetime Fix up] Supersize your Sky+HD box for extra storage](http://voato.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/inside-sky-box-150x150.jpg "[Freetime Fix up] Supersize your Sky+HD box for extra storage")
Sky are currently promoting their “supertelly” HD packages with free Sky+HD box and free setup. If you’ve had Sky HD for a while, you’ll certainly be familiar with the huge amounts of space required for HD movies. Other than paying Sky for the latest Sky+HD boxes, there are essential two options around for increasing the storage of your sky box. More >
Liberkey – Get 281 free applications for everything
This really is the only set of tools you need to install on any freshly built PC. And if you’re looking for suite of applications that does it all, this could be the one. I’ve been a massive fan of Liberkey for the last couple of years and have it installed on all my PCs. It’s pretty much the swiss-army-knife and collection of all the best free applications. More >
Supercharge your recently used documents list with ActualDoc
There are lots of issues with the standard “Recently Used” documents in Windows. To begin with it only stores the last 15 documents, and it doesn’t store all document types. For busy people spending most of their life opening and closing documents, even with the most organised folder structure, it can become impossible to find that document you’ve only just been working on. At times, looking for a lost document, feels worse than losing your house keys. More >
Apple iPad UK Price Predictions
Apple are currently predicting the launch of the iPad WiFi in 60 days, and the 3G version in 90 days. But everyone is already clambering to find the prices in the UK. As reported here, we currently expect Orange to provide the 3G connectivity, but the following predictions for the prices of the units probably as good as any. More >
The Best Free Windows Enhancements
You can waste hours if not days looking for cool enhancements to your Windows desktop. So I can’t recommend highly enough this web page which lists the “top 43” windows enhancements. Many of them are so useful you have to question why Microsoft never included them directly in Windows. Take the fantastic TeraCopy program for example. This amazing piece of software dramatically speeds up copying large files both locally and across the LAN. Surely this should be the way Windows works out of the box? Another favourite windows enhancement is the “Send to Toys” which gives the standard, but little used “Send To” functionality a new lease of live. Have a look at this site and you can’t help be impressed with the level of free windows enhancements available today.
Visit Freeware Genius to download the free apps.
What’s your favourite Windows Enhancement?
How to break an Egg like a Pro
Earn some kudos in the kitchen by learning this sure way to effectively break an egg with one hand. Once you’ve managed to break the egg with one hand, you can then try firing two at a time for maximum chef prowess. Watch this video to help you master your technique. More >
The Apple iPad. Not a phone. Not a laptop.
I couldn’t let the week pass without at least some comment about the week’s biggest tech news. Apple’s latest creation, the iPad, has probably been one of their worst kept secrets for quite some time. Launched by Steve Jobs earlier this week, the iPad met with both cheers of joy and despair.
So, in this article I aim to highlight some of the specs of the new iPad, and begin to wonder whether it will ever replace the power of a laptop, or the pocket-friendly smart phones. More >
Fix problems with DTMF dial tones in Skype
Skype Dialpad can be very unreliable
Skype is used regularly by about 20 Million users these days, yet even with all that user base, the implemetation of the DTMF dial tones remains a mystery. Those people that use it regularly for entering pin codes for conference calls, or working your way through the maze of call centre’s “dial zero for this”, “press 1 for that”, will no doubt be more than familar with problems with DTMF dial tones with Skype. At best it’s unreliable, at worst it is extremely annoying.
However, the answer to fixing the problem with DTMF dial tones on Skype is actually the easiest thing in the world to fix. More >
Free Protection for your Car from Morning Frost
If you find yourself frequently standing in the morning cold with a scraper and can of de-icer, you’ll love this quick and cheap way to prevent ice on your car and spend those extra precious minutes in bed. You’ll need to follow this simple guide to make up a vinegar spray, and you’ll be driving with frost-free windows in no time.
- To ice proof car windows you should start with an empty spray bottle. Make sure there are not other chemicals or chemical residue in the bottle.
- Now you will fill the bottle two thirds of the way full with regular white vinegar.
- Next add one third of water to the bottle.
Visit http://www.ehow.com/how_5870636_ice-proof-car-windows.html
What’s your secret to frost-free mornings?
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