Hasta La Gadget!

This article was written on November 10, 2010 by CyberNet.

I’ve been getting into using Google Voice more and more these days since I’m able to send text messages to any phone number without having to pay for an outrageously priced SMS plan. With my iPhone I can use an app like Notifo to get free push notifications for SMS messages that I receive, and then there are several apps to choose from for sending messages using your account (or even Google’s free mobile-optimized site).

The even bigger benefit, however, is that I’m also able to respond to any messages right from my computer. With GVNotifier sending and receiving SMS messages with Google Voice doesn’t seem any more difficult than sending an instant message. If you receive a text message it will popup on the screen, and you can instantly respond from within that window.

Keep in mind that the app also handles calls and voicemails, and Windows 7 users will appreciate the jumplist support that provides quick access to your favorite contacts. At times GVNotifier still feels a bit rough around the edges, but from a functionality aspect it gets the job done.

Here are some frequently asked questions, and some answers provided by the developer:

• Can I change the polling rate?
  Yes. Edit %localappdata%\GVNotifierWPF\settings.xml. Look for UpdateFreq, which is in seconds. Using a zero-value will disable updating completely.
• Can I invoke a manual check?
  Yes. Call GVNotifier.net.exe /check. (Other arguments include: /signout, /quit and /update_contacts)
• Can I change the notification sound?
  Yes. Edit %localappdata%\GVNotifierWPF\new.wav
• Can I dial a number that isn’t in my contacts?
  Yes. Type the number into contacts search.
• What hotkeys does GVNotifier support?
  While on the message window, Ctrl+N will clear the message log, Ctrl+R will check for new messages immediately. Ctrl+Enter will insert a new line, Escape will close the window. You may also middle-click the tray icon to check for new messages immediately.
• Is GVNotifier portable?
  Yes, copy the application files from the GVNotifier install loction. Create a blank text file named settings.xml in the same directory as GVNotifier.net.exe. GVNotifier will then store all preferences and cached contact photos in the same directory.

Unfortunately the developer hasn’t released an update since June 2010, but for the most part it already does everything I want it to. The only thing I’d like to see at this point is an easy way to display the phone number associated with each contact. I have a few contacts that have multiple phone numbers assigned to them, and I have to double-click to open each of their contact entries to find the correct one. That’s just a minor annoyance, and definitely won’t keep me from using the app.

GVNotifier Homepage

Copyright © 2014 CyberNetNews.com

This article was written on August 30, 2012 by CyberNet.

I like to keep track of my of when my favorite TV shows are going to be on TV, and I’ve used all kinds of iOS apps to help me do that. The short list of the ones I’ve tried include TV Show Tracker, TV Forecast, and TvShow Time. Most of them are paid, and they each have their own strengths, but none of them felt like they were exactly what I was looking for.

Once I turned to iTV Shows 2 [$2.99 on iTunes] there was no looking back. This universal app looks beautiful on both the iPhone and iPad, and with the built-in iCloud syncing any show you add on one device will immediately appear on your other iOS devices. That also means the notifications for upcoming shows will appear on all your devices so that you know a little before or after they are going to come on. I find it to be a great companion to sites like Hulu since you can have it display a notification up to a day after a show airs, which in some cases is when they appear on the streaming sites. iTV Shows also keeps track of the shows you watch so that you know exactly where you left off.

There is only one thing that I don’t like about this app. If a TV show has multiple upcoming episodes, such as Burn Notice used in the screenshot above, it will only show the next upcoming episode in the list. I want an option to show all upcoming episodes of a show in the list so that I don’t have to click into a TV show to see the other soon-to-air episodes. It’s a minor complaint, and given how much better this is compared to the competition it’s something I’m able to overlook for the time being.

iTV Shows 2 Homepage [iTunes Link – $2.99]

Copyright © 2013 CyberNetNews.com

This article was written on September 05, 2012 by CyberNet.

It’s not a lot of fun when you’re caught outside in a storm without an umbrella, but the awesome If This Then That (IFTTT) service can be used as an advanced warning system for rain and thunderstorms. For those of you not familiar with IFTTT it’s basically a website that is able to tie multiple online services together. For example, you can have any image you’re tagged in on Facebook automatically saved to your Dropbox account. Or you can save any starred Google Reader items to Evernote. It’s a free and unbelievably awesome service that I have come to rely on.

IFTTT is also capable of sending you a notification via email or SMS based on the weather conditions. You can have it send out the weather conditions every morning if that’s what you want, or you can just have it give you alerts when it is about to rain. IFTTT checks the weather condition every 15-minutes, and if it finds that it is raining in your area it can send an email or SMS message so that you’re aware of the impending downpour. Alternatively you can have it push out a notification to you if tomorrow’s forecast calls for rain.

So how do you set these up? If you’re already familiar with IFTTT I’m sure you’ll be able to create “recipes” for these actions in just a few seconds. The good news is that IFTTT also lets users share recipes that have been created so that you don’t have to go through the hassle. Here are some pre-made recipes for getting notifications based on whether it is currently raining or whether it is supposed to rain tomorrow:

• Alert if it is currently raining
• SMS Notification
• Email Notification
• Alert if it is supposed to rain tomorrow
• SMS Notification
• Email Notification

Personally I set up alerts for both situations. I find that the notification about whether it is currently raining gives you about a 10-15 minute heads up which in some situations just isn’t enough. That’s where the daily notification comes in… each night IFTTT will send me an alert if it thinks it is supposed to rain tomorrow based on the forecast. That way I know whether I should grab an umbrella before I walk out the door in the morning.

Want even more weather alerts? IFTTT can handle any of the following conditions:

• Current temperature drops below…
  This Trigger monitors your local temperature and fires whenever the temperature drops below the value you provide.
• Current temperature rises above…
  This Trigger monitors your local temperature and fires whenever the temperature rises above the value you provide.
• Current condition changes to…
  This Trigger monitors changes in the current weather condition. When one of those conditions is met the Trigger fires. Currently only these simple conditions are supported: Rain, Snow, Cloudy, Clear.  
• Tomorrow’s low drops below…
  This Trigger fires every time tomorrow’s forecasted low temperature drops below a value you provide. 
• Tomorrow’s high rises above…
  This Trigger fires every time tomorrow’s forecasted high temperature rises above a value you provide. 
• Tomorrow’s forecast calls for…
  This Trigger monitors changes in tomorrow’s forecasted weather condition. 
• Sunrise…
  This Trigger fires within 15 minutes of the sunrise in your location. 
• Sunset…
  This Trigger fires within 15 minutes of the sunset in your location. 
• Wind speed rises above…
  This Trigger fires every time the wind speed rises above a value you specify in your location. 
• Current pollen count rises above…
  This Trigger monitors your local pollen levels and fires every time the pollen count rises above the value you provide (1-12). 

Copyright © 2013 CyberNetNews.com