TryPhone seems like a great idea on the surface—you can preview mock-ups of current phone models and test out their interfaces through your browser. In reality, the beta launch feels underdeveloped, even for a web service beta, with only four models to choose from and limited interactivity on each. The idea is good, but we hope they work on execution.
services
LeverageCard Lets You Store And Trade Gift Card Data Online
By 12.10.07
A new website launched last week that lets you store your gift card data from a variety of retailers in one location, where you can track usage, retrieve card numbers if you lose the physical card, or even swap card balances with other members. The site will also pay you 1% interest on the balance of each card you register, or 3.65% interest if you purchase the card through their site.
9 Better, Cheaper Ways To Search Amazon
By 12.6.07
The Amazon home page has somewhere around 16 different sales pitches, and more unnecessary graphics than a MySpace page. Here are 9 money-saving ways to shop the site without waiting for another customized ad to render.
A Casual Review Of Mint.com
By 11.26.07
Michelle Slatalla, the Erma Bombeck-David Pogue hybrid who writes casual articles about the Internet for the average person (she’s the mom who pestered her daughter on Facebook this past summer), has published a Chatty Cathy review of personal finance site Mint.com. Her verdict: it’s nice to not have to go to multiple sites; the aggregated information is a good feature; security worried her at first, but she’s okay now that she knows Mint is a read-only site and they don’t have her account numbers, just user names and passwords; and she has actually used the ads that Mint displays—not to open new lines of credit, but to negotiate lower interest rates for existing accounts.
4 Online Budgeting Services Reviewed
By 10.23.07
SmartMoney reviews four of the most popular, or at least best-publicized, online budgeting and finance-tracking services: Clear Checkbook, Mint, Wesabe, and Yodlee Money Center. They’ve created a simple chart comparing features, to help you decide which best meets your needs—for instance, whether you want text message alerts, or the ability to manually enter transactions, and so on. The most robust offering of the four is Clear Checkbook, although it’s missing a couple of nice features that the otherwise paltry Mint offers (specifically, text message alerts and merchant-based spending breakdowns).
Like Food, But Not People? Order Online
By 8.7.07
For all of us out there who are hungry but antisocial, the New York Times today presents an overview of online food ordering services. The benefits are obvious – it’s fast, (usually) more accurate, you can place an order the day before, and you don’t need cash. Lots of chain restaurants are now offering it (Pizza Hut, Subway, and Papa John’s are some examples), but there are also a few special websites that aggregate menus from multiple restaurants (after the break).
US Airways: A Window Seat is an Upgrade?
By 12.5.06
- “I had a ticket on a United Airlines flight that was the second leg of a trip booked though U.S. Airways, so I couldn’t get a seat assignment until I arrived at the gate. When a gate agent got the podium around 11 p.m., I requested a window seat.
Blockbuster: Some Stores Charging Late Fees Again
By 12.15.05
Looks like the ‘No Late Fees’ policy isn’t working out for all Blockbusters, as franchised stores in Arkansas are doing away with the program. While not all Blockbusters chose to participate in the program in the first place, if you live in Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, or Tennessee, be sure to ask your local store if they are still doing the ‘No Late Fees’ program.
Every Verizon Customer Service Number Ever
By 12.14.05
Want to know exactly how to reach the appropriate customer service tech at Verizon? Just look them up on this handy list of every number they have.
Notify360.com: Pay Robots to Find You an Xbox
By 12.7.05
We’ve been trying to score Microsoft’s new Xbox 360 game console for the last week without paying the ridiculous eBay premiums. (We are holding a charity raffle in Brooklyn and wanted to give one away. Seriously.)
