Click to viewIt's crazy to think that an operating system can fit every user's needs out of the box, even if we are just talking about looks. Luckily, if you're not keen on the cookie-cutter appearance of your OS, we've covered a handful of great tools for tweaking every last pixel of your desktop so it looks and acts just how you want. Earlier this week we asked you to share your favorite desktop

Click to viewFrom classic topics like Windows tweaking and iPod how-tos to more recent favorites like the iPhone or Wii, our most popular how-to features of 2008 souped up your hardware and squeezed more from your PC. We enjoy pointing our readers in the direction of cool software, web sites, and other various tips, but what we really love is writing up detailed how-to guides that walk you step-by

Our Hive Five feature series answers the most frequently asked question we hear at Lifehacker: "What's the best tool for the job?" In the past six months, we've covered the five best tools in a number of categories, from best instant messengers and DVD-ripping tools to anti-virus applications and BitTorrent clients. Each week, we ask our savvy readers to vote for the one tool they like best out of

Entice and excite your friends with a strangely addictive trick that utilizes some interesting CSS techniques to allow you to see a highlighted image within text. Choose your desired phrase (a paragraph works too) and input the URL of any image in the text boxes. Then press generate. Voila! You'll see a huge chunk of text. Now, highlight the text and watch it turn into the image of your choosing.

Click to viewIt's great that your iPhone has a data plan and a killer mobile browser, but when you're sitting at the airport waiting to catch a plane with your laptop right next to you, wouldn't it be nice to use your full-on desktop browser? Out of the box your iPhone won't allow you to tether your EDGE data connection to another computer wirelessly, but with a little ingenuity on your part you'l

With the release of the much anticipated Firefox 3 looming just around the corner, we got our hands on the latest beta build of your favorite browser to get a closer look at exactly what changes and exciting new features you can expect from the upcoming release of the 'fox. From a snazzy design update and stability improvements to smart folders and bookmark tagging, you won't be disappointed with

As more and more full-featured web applications look to replace traditional desktop apps, the concept of a web-based operating system has gained a lot of momentum. And since Wal-Mart began selling a $199 PC running a free Linux distribution—called gOS—with a hearty dose of webapp integration, we're getting closer. If you've got an extra PC gathering dust, gOS is not only a worthy operating system

Living in the shadow of Gmail, Reader and Calendar's got to be tough, but that's what a slew of useful Google products do every day. We give Google's front-running applications a lot of ink (or pixels, as it were), and the rest a passing mention in the fast-flowing river of news. Today's top 10 pays homage to the little brother and sister Google products that you forgot all about. 10. Google Code

Click to viewNo doubt you've got a home wireless network or you've connected to hotspots at the local coffee shop or airport—but are you getting the most out of your Wi-Fi? Whether you want to strengthen, extend, bridge, secure, sniff, detect, or obscure your signal, today we've got our top 10 best Wi-Fi utilities and tweaks for the power wireless user. Photo by thms.nl. 10. Improve Coverage with

Click to viewLess than two years after their beta release, Yahoo Mail has begun rolling out of beta after releasing an onslaught of innovative feature improvements along the way. On the other hand, a whopping three years into their beta release, Gmail remains one of the most popular but stagnant web-based beta email apps around—and most of Gmail's innovation since its release has come in the form

Click to viewMost people know Launchy as a simple and lightning-fast application launcher for Windows, but it's actually capable of much more than that. Using Launchy, you can append text to files, schedule appointments, add to your to-do list, set reminders, and more—it just takes a little setting up. Today I'll detail how I use Launchy for more than just app launching. The real brains behind mos

Click to viewFace it: If you use Google services like Gmail, Calendar, Docs and Spreadsheets, Reader, or Blogger, you've got a life's worth of data on Google's servers. Unless you back up your stuff locally, Google holds the keys to your digital life and you're out of luck if and when Google loses or denies you access to that data. Rather than run screaming for the hills, a few steps to back up yo

Click to viewSince the dawn of time, humanity has longed for a simple way to sync Firefox extensions, themes, bookmarks, and saved passwords between computers so that no matter where you're working, your browser is customized in the exact same way—the way you always intended it. Verily I say unto you, I have seen the road to synchronization! The solution comes in the form of the Microsoft-owned fo

Click to viewAnyone can drop cash on spendy office gear, but it takes a little ingenuity to rig up your workspace just right with stuff you've already got around the house. Today's top 10 looks at a few dead easy do-it-yourself office projects that reduce clutter and organize the cables, gadgets and office supplies in your workspace.

Our brother site Gizmodo just clarified their Digg policy, so we thought it was high time we do the same. First, let's state the obvious: Do we love the traffic that a link from the Digg.com front page brings into Lifehacker? Of course we do! We'd be in the wrong line of work if we didn't. But we enjoy Digg traffic with clean noses and clear consciences. Our official Digg stance (which has been in