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...

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...

The problem with many online to-do list managers is that they don't support sub-lists for tasks that involve several steps—but outliner webapp Checkvist does just that, and with a clean interface that supports tons of keyboard shortcuts. Sign up for a free account at Checkvist to make your fir...

At our brother site Gizmodo, Jesus Diaz posts a ripping rant against what he calls "beta culture," and consumers' tolerance for half-baked software and hardware that breaks more often than it should. Diaz writes: We have surrendered in the name of progress and marketing and product cycles and consum...

Windows/Mac only: Freeware application and web service Dropbox instantaneously backs up and syncs your files over the internet and to any computer. After you install the application, it will create a Dropbox folder on your hard drive. Any file you put inside that folder will automatically be synced ...

While we've covered how instant messaging can make you more productive, but all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Freshly-launched beta Digbsy Themes lets users of the multi-platform instant messaging client Digsby customize their client to their hearts' content. The MakeUseOf blog offers a ha...

Editor: Productivity blogger Jared Goralnick says that Windows Live Writer saves him a whole lot of time when it comes to publishing his site. Read on to hear Goralnick's best blogging tips and tricks with Live Writer and its new Technical Preview (beta) release. Last week Microsoft unveiled a numbe...