Zillow.com Launches Android App

"It's springtime which means the home buying season is starting to kick off. Coincidentally or not, Zillow.com has just released their Android application into the market. If you're not familiar with them, Zillow is an online source for homeowners, buyers, sellers, and everyone else to find and share relevant information as it pertains to real estate. As of right now, they have information on over 90 million homes across the US.

Their new Android application gives users all of the great features they've come to expect, but with some great mobile additions. For instance, GPS can pinpoint a user's location and dynamically provide updates to the handset as they walk or drive through a neighborhood."

read more on androidguys.com 

DIY Compression Bookcases Provide Airy and Wall-Friendly Shelving

"If you'd like a lot of shelf space for less money than you'd spend on traditional bookcases and without all the damage to the wall that comes with wall-mounted shelving, these DIY compression shelves are a great alternative."

Read more on lifehacker.com 

Where to dine in Sydney: VAustralia employees dish on their favorite joints

"Virginia Woolf said, "One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." So, where does one dine when in a new city? What's the best cuisine the city has to offer and where can you find it? Where do residents go on a Saturday night when they need to break free from the week and still feel the comforts of home?

The tourist attractions, museums, tours and of course, the shopping, are all great ways to see a new city, but if you really want to experience the flavor of a new city, dine with the locals and indulge in the delicacies that make each restaurant special in its own right.

On a recent flight to Australia, I caught up with the men and women who spend their down time down under at Sydney's best restaurants and bars. Next time you find yourself in Sydney, take these suggestions from the flight attendants of VAustralia (and a few from me), and don't forget to let us know your favorite spots."

 Read more on gadling.com

A renovated NYC boutique hostel, from $24 per person per night

"The recently renovated Broadway Hotel & Hostel on the Upper West Side is blurring the line between backpacker digs and, well, boutique hotels. Billing itself as New York's first boutique hostel, the property is promoting dorm-style rooms that start at $24 per person per night, while a private space like the one to the right will run at least $119 for two people.

The dorm-style rooms have been switched to a more spacious setup that features one bunk bed for two people, as opposed to squishing four people into the space. Booking the dorm-style room category means you'll have to share bathrooms, though there's a sink in your room. (How very European.) Like other hostels, a solo traveler can be paired with a roommate of the same gender if you ask."

read more on gadling.com

MakeMKV Rips DVDs and Blu-Rays with Just Two Clicks

"Windows/Mac/Linux: It's still slim pickings when it comes to finding a good freeware application for ripping Blu-Ray discs, but ripping and converting tool MakeMKV is free for as long as it's in beta—and it's undoubtedly the simplest ripper around.

Those of you with large Blu-Ray collections have probably already invested in a good ripping tool, but those running a bit behind on the format changes (or that don't have the space on your HTPC to hold all those 50 GB files) should take advantage of this limited time opportunity. MakeMKV is a two-click decrypting, ripping and converting tool for DVDs and Blu-Ray discs. Literally all you do is pop in the disc, click the DVD or Blu-Ray icon, and then hit Make MKV—30 minutes later, you've got yourself a high-definition MKV file that can be played in most media players (like Lifehacker favorites VLC or XBMC). You can opt to rip only certain chapters, as well as edit a few advanced preferences, but the default settings work just fine for those not well versed in DVD ripping lingo.

MakeMKV is a free download for all operating systems. DVD ripping will always be free, but Blu-Ray ripping is only free as long as it's in beta, after which it will go to a to-be-determined price, so get ripping now!"

Read more on lifehacker.com 

The 5 Coolest Voice Apps For Your Android Phone

"Ever since I got a Motorola Droid, I’ve been searching constantly for mobile voice applications that can transform my mobile experience into one that’s much more hands free. I finally did discover Google Voice, and wrote about it, but that wasn’t enough. So, digging into Google Voice, I finally figured out a way to use it for voice blogging.
Still, while Google Voice is awesome, it has a long way to go to provide a lot of very useful features that work really well. So, I continued searching for cool mobile voice applications that would enhance the mobile Android experience.
This article is a collection of some of the best voice-enabled mobile apps that I discovered in the Android Marketplace. Searching for applications that incorporate voice features is a difficult task, because there’s so much junk out there – apps that just don’t work right. So, I’m pleased to offer you this list of high-quality, useful apps that will help to transform your mobile experience into one that is a bit more hands-free and convenient."

Read more on makeuseof.com 

DIY Magnetic Spice Rack Doubles Your Shelf Space

"Those that live in smaller apartments (or have small kitchens) could always use more shelf space. Thankfully, DIY web site Instructables has a guide to using magnets to make your own under-the-shelf spice rack—essentially giving one shelf the space of two."

Read more on lifehacker.com 

Grow Bags Create a Low-Maintenance Garden Anywhere

"Maybe you want to get started gardening with just a few herbs, but, like us, feel like a natural born plant killer. Grow Bags provide breathe-able, portable containers you can plunk down just about anywhere to grow herbs and small vegetables."

Read more on lifehacker.com 

Add "My Dropbox" to Your Windows 7 Start Menu

"Yep, that’s right. You can add it to the Start Menu… using a silly hack to the Libraries feature and renaming the Recorded TV library to a different name. It’s not a perfect solution, but you can access your Dropbox folder this way and it just seems to belong there."

Read more on howtogeek.com

Turn a YouTube Video into a Ringtone

"With a free service called Tube2Tone, you can turn any part of any video on YouTube into a ringtone. So, besides using unknown artists’ music as ringtones, this means your dreams of having a different Weird Al song for each person on your contact list could come true—for free!"

Read more on onlinetechtips