If Apple knows how to do anything, it's take tech you've already seen and make it flashier and more fun to use. The new Safari 4 public beta is no exception. Apple says Safari 4's 150 features are "leading the way with innovation," but in reality they're all things we've used before in other browser...

If you've never done it before, the idea of building a computer from the ground up can seem very intimidating—but it's one of the most satisfying projects a tech enthusiast can take on. Being more of a software gal than a hardware geek myself, I was the only Lifehacker editor who had never bui...

Today is my last day as site lead at Lifehacker, so I'm taking off my distanced reporter hat to get all mushy, personal, and behind-the-scenes on you. Come in and grab a seat. (Note: This posts breaks two of our biggest editorial edicts, specifically, the "keep it short and sweet" rule and "it's not...

You'd think that getting soundly beaten by Google and Yahoo over and over in the online space would mean that Microsoft would take the web a little more seriously. You'd be wrong. Case in point: Today's epic failure around the distribution of the Windows 7 public beta download. This morning Microsof...

Author of new book The Power of Less Leo Babauta advises readers to simplify and focus only on the essential. Today he stopped by to tell us more about his timely message. Lifehacker: In a culture that encourages the acquisition of things like gadgets and the idea of "living life to the fullest," wh...

The Windows 7 beta offers a speedier startup than its predecessor: for me the beta boots to a fully functional desktop in under 30 seconds, faster than the preview or Vista. On the same exact computer, where I'm triple-booting Vista, XP, and now the Windows 7 beta (build 7000), I ran a set of startu...

Tech writer Mike Elgan brilliantly argues that while our parents taught us hard work and long hours will lead to success, in the internet age the ability to control what you pay attention to is the key. A person who works six hours a day but with total focus has an enormous advantage over a 12-hour-...

Reader Greg's biggest timesaver of 2008 reduces his trips to the office printer with a simple Automator workflow on his Mac. Greg writes: I work in a research lab with a shared printer that takes me around two minutes to walk to and from after printing something (desk, hallway, door, hallway, door, ...

While Mac and Linux users may be the most vocal (ahem), the overwhelming majority of Lifehacker readers get here using some version of Windows. Let's review the most popular Windows tutorials we've ever published. Format Your Hard Drive and Install Windows XP from Scratch (Published 2006) "Hey, Wind...

Lifehacker readers are nothing if not smart and opinionated. Let's take a look back at what you had to say about 2008's biggest tech questions in the top 12 reader polls we ran this year. Photo by ldcross. While we ran dozens of polls this past year, these are the top 12 questions that got the most ...