Cool Websites and Tools (edition #92)

Check out some of the latest makeuseof discoveries. This edition turned out pretty good so I titled it as ‘Essential’. As usual, all listed websites are FREE (or come with decent free account option). Enjoy!

1. Asterpix – video annotation and editing tool. It allows users to easily create interactive ‘hypervideos’ and share them with others. Hypervideos enable viewers to: 1. Get more information on video objects of interest during video playback. 2. Navigate directly to specific video scenes without having to watch the entire video. More on Asterpix (incl. video demos).

2. BlueString – put your favorite photos and videos into an interactive slideshow and share it with others. You can also invite your friends (or family) to contribute to a slideshow by adding their own pictures. More on BlueSting.

3. FreeMusicZilla – allows users to download currently playing tracks from popular social music websites (i.e. Imeem, Last.fm, Pandora, etc.). Once installed it will automatically detect playing tracks from your browser and provide a one-click option to download them. FreeMusicZilla – Video demo.

4. Google Translate – highly useful web-based translation service from Google. Translate words, text, webpages, complete websites, and perform translated search. More on Google Translation.

5. Groovle – lets anyone create custom Google search page. Upload your picture, set custom background, and bookmark it. More on Groovle.

6. Jangl – excellent service that lets you send free voicemail to anyone via email. Jangl provides a local number for the message recipient to call you back, without sharing your real number. The recipient can get connected to you and pay only local calling fees from almost anywhere in the world. More on Jangl (incl. Video intro).

7. R-mail – simple service that lets you forward favorite (or important) RSS feeds to your email inbox. No registration required. More on R-mail.

8. Rst2a – Rst2a allows you to create easy-to-read documents in plain text format. Rst2a keeps document content and the style/formatting of content separate. This enables anyone to easily change the look, style and format of the document after it has been created. Seems like something heavy writers should find very useful. Read more …

9. UnwiredBuyer – really cool and totally free service for eBay users. Basically, it’s a last minute notification and bidding service for favorite auctions. Place last minute bids from PC or directly from mobile. Video Demos.

10. WhoCalledUs – a directory of unlisted phone numbers (i.e. for ‘name unavailable’ numbers); a site where people can share comments about the identity of phone spammers. In case you ever wondered who’s calling, WhoCalled.us is a place to find it out. More on WhoCalled.us

NOTE: These are just half of the applications we have added to our directory in the last couple of days. To keep up-to-date on all directory additions subscribe to MakeUseOf directory here (via RSS or email).

Cool Articles, Tips and News

• 30 Essential Pieces Of Free (and Open) Software for Windows [thesimpledollar.com] – Really nice list, definitely should be bookmarked.
• Google’s PowerPoint app goes live [downloadsquad.com] – Google Docs now offers presentation (i.e Powerpoint) support as well.
• Winamp goes where iTunes doesn’t dare [last100.com] – Winamp introduces new features.