You Can Get Something for Nothing

Free, or nearly free, is a good thing these days. Here is a list of a few of my favorite free (or pretty darn cheap) online resources that even the non-techno savvy person can easily use and enjoy!

Written Aug 26, 2008, read 599 times since then.

Ok, so technically, things might not be all that free, if, for instance, you have to have a computer and internet connection to get them. But I’m going to make an assumption that if you’re here, then those two things are covered and we can move onto the free stuff.

There are probably only a few things in life that one enjoys more than getting something for nothing. In the spirit of Karmic-Pay-It-Forward, I’d like to share with you all a few of my favorites. As a self-professed techno/gadget/online application geek, I thrive on finding useful stuff that just might make my life just a little simpler, swifter and playful. And maybe you do too.

1. Primo PDF
This free download will allow you convert any printable document to a PDF. Once installed, when you want to convert a document to a PDF file, you simply choose Print and in the Printer Name drop down box, you scroll down and select Primo PDF. Another window will open and ask you to name the file as well as choose whether you want it optimized for viewing on screen, printing, ebook or prepress.
http://www.primopdf.com/

2. Snipping Tool, ScreenHunter
The Snipping Tool is a cool little feature that comes with Windows Vista. If you click on your Start button and type in “Snipping Tool” in the search window, then program comes up in your Start Menu. This little tool will let you basically take a screen shot or a shot of a piece of your screen and save it as a picture or let you send it via email to someone. It doesn’t have a bunch of bells and whistles but can come in pretty handy if you want take a quick picture of something on your screen.

ScreenHunter is a free download which will also allow you to do screenshots and can be found here: http://www.wisdom-soft.com/sh/sh_free.htm

3. Any Video Converter
This is great little download that will help you to convert video to pretty much any format you might want or need. You can convert video to a format that is easy to upload to YouTube or other video sites. It will also let you convert video to formats for use on iPod and Sony PSP. The limitation is that the video cannot be more than
three minutes long. If you want longer than that, you'll have to get the paid version. They have also just released a version for Mac.
http://tinyurl.com/32rgad

4. Oovoo
Do you Ooovoo? Oovoo is a freaking cool way to video chat with anyone anywhere. It will allow for video conferencing of up to six people at a time. It can support high resolution video (with the right bandwidth and equipment.) If you want to relive the moments over and over, you can record the video call. The software also supports
recording and sending video messages to anyone, including those that do not have the Oovoo software. You can also video chat via your web browser with others who are not using Ooovo. They allow you to download and use their SUPER version for free for 30 days after that you can still use their standard version for free. (There is also currently a beta version for Mac users)
Go to Oovoo here.

5. Jott
Ok, Jott is the must have tool for person who thinks up the next greatest thing only to find that they lack pen and paper. You simply call Jott and tell it whom you want to email or text and then leave a message. Jott will convert your message into text and send it on. You can use this to contact others or to just send a message to
yourself for later. The message will be converted to email, text and a copy of the original audio message will be attached. There is a free plan and two paid plans which come with several other handy features including syncing it with an iPhone, Blackberry or Outlook.
Start Jott-ing here!

6. PassPack
Anything we sign up for on the internet these days requires a password and they all want one that’s different or longer or more complex than the one before. Go to PassPack and sign up for a free account and you can begin to reign in the password chaos. It has tons of security and since it’s online, it can be accessed from anywhere. You also have the option of downloading an application to allow you to use it offline as well. Another nice feature is the password generator which will generate a new super secure password for any of your accounts.
http://www.passpack.com/info/home/

7. Echo Sign
Echo Sign rocks. It will help you get a signature on a contract or other document in a matter of minutes and remain paperless all at the same time. You upload your document into your account and type in the email address of where it’s going. You will then have the option of asking for a written signature or an electronic signature. If you opt for an e-signature, then the other person will be prompted to type in their name and initials and an e-signature with date and time will be added to the document. If you want a written signature, the receiver will be prompted to print the document, sign it, and then fax it to Echo Sign. For both options, the “signed” documents are converted
to PDF files and sent to both you and your client. You are allowed up to 5 free signed documents per month.
http://www.echosign.com

8. Xobni
Xobni (Inbox spelled backwards) is a free plug-in available for Outlook which has some cool features that might be especially helpful to those who pretty much live and die by their Outlook.

This plug-in, which has the blessing of Microsoft, will do a variety of different things. Some of these feature are quite similar to how to Gmail works such as making several emails into a conversation and an email search feature where the email or person you are looking for appears as you type. It will also extract the phone number from a signature and puts it in the Xobni sidebar for quick access. If you have Skype installed on your computer it automatically puts the number in as a button that you can push to call that contact.

Another rather cool feature helps you auto generate an email with times you are available to schedule a meeting or something. It will scan your calendar and automatically place the available dates and times in an email for you.
http://www.xobni.com/

So there you have it. Perhaps you've now found yourself in a free resource nirvana state of being. But hopefully, you've found at least one resources here that will be useful. Feel free to let me know which ones you liked best or better yet post one of your own!

Learn more about the author, Kimberly LeRiche.

Comment on this article

Posted by Kate Stewart, Seattle, Washington | Aug 26, 2008

Great article Kimberly! It looks like the best things in life are still free. I can't wait to use Jott!

-Kate Stewart KateLStewat.com
Posted by Kimberly LeRiche, Cornelius, Oregon | Aug 26, 2008

Hi Kate, Thanks! I'm glad you found it helpful. Jott works great and I've heard others say good things about it as well.
Posted by Chris Cliff, Lynnwood, Washington | Aug 27, 2008

Good article, I am particularly interested in the EchoSign thing. Might make life easier for getting contracts signed around on my painting gigs.
Posted by Debbie Rosemont, Sammamish, Washington | Aug 27, 2008

I'm a fan of Jott as well and will be checking out Xobni right now. Thanks Kate!

Professional Organizer and Productivity Consultant
Posted by Stacy Willoughby, Lynnwood, Washington | Aug 27, 2008

Thanks for that info! You always hear about these types of things, but it is nice that you have several of them listed in one place. Thanks again!
Posted by Chris Wilde, Seattle, Washington | Aug 27, 2008

Thanks for link number #8, Free Xobni. I just downloaded and started using. Looks great for finding things and people in my Outlook email. Now please go find more cool stuff! :-)
Posted by Annie Jacobsen, Seattle, Washington | Aug 27, 2008

Thanks for the great article! A lot of new info that I will check out.

I have been a long-time JOTT addict and still love the tool. However, as of August 20th, it is no longer free, but still pretty darn close to free and well worth the tiny cost. You can check out their changes at: http://jott.com/jotters/index.php/beta-page/

Assisted Transitions ~ personalized move management
Posted by Kimberly LeRiche, Cornelius, Oregon | Aug 28, 2008

@ Chris C- yes, do try EchoSign. It works wonderfully and it's all I use.

@Debbie- I hope you find Xobni helpful and useful.

@Stacy- Yes a list is a nice way to check out several things at once. It's what I like, so I figured others would as well.

@ Chris W. - Oh, I have more all right...I had to work on limiting myself for this article just for the sake of length! Look for more in the future.

@Annie- Absolutely, Jott can totally be addictive and you are right, they have changed from just being a beta program. They have a free plan that is ad supported or another plan for $3.95 for most of their basic features...which is still a pretty good deal. Thanks for mentioning it.
Posted by Kate Phillips, Carnation/Seattle, Washington | Aug 28, 2008

Thanks Kimberly, I was wanting to know how to turn files into PDF's from my old Publisher, and here you are!

Also, Jott can come in handy when you have pen and paper but no laptop... I think I used Jott once (a friend gave me the number) when I was travelling sans computer; it was too late to ring someone's phone and I HAD to send them email for some reason (and fortunately had their email address). Great resources.

Coaching for Financial Transformation
Posted by Krista Dunk, Olympia, Washington | Aug 28, 2008

Oh my goodness this article is a lifesaver!! My PDF conversion functionality disappeared from my PC recently and we have a wedding eBook to complete ASAP.

That Oovoo service & the video converter are going to come in handy for us too.

Thanks!! Krista Dunk NWweddingplace.com
Posted by Kimberly LeRiche, Cornelius, Oregon | Aug 29, 2008

Hi Krista,

I'm so happy that you found something to help with what you needed to get done! If you have any questions or need any help with using any of these resources let me know...or if you find you might need something with a little different functionality, shoot me a message, I may know of other online resources that can work well for what you need.
Posted by John Huddleston, Seattle & Bellevue, Washington | Sep 04, 2008

Kimberly, I see a couple items I can't wait to try. I use http://www.moyea.com/ to get free downloads from youtube.
John Huddleston
Huddleston Tax Consulting

Tax Preparation & Accounting in Seattle Bellevue Tacoma
Posted by Kimberly LeRiche, Cornelius, Oregon | Sep 04, 2008

John, Thanks for the additional resource. I will definitely check it out.

Have fun with the items you try out. Let me know if you have any questions with any of them!
Posted by John Huddleston, Seattle & Bellevue, Washington | Sep 04, 2008

I'll have to call Jott to leave myself a note. Wait. What's my Jott password? Next stop, Passpack. (I don't really need my Jott password to send the note. It goes from my speed dial to my email automatically.)
John Huddleston
Huddleston Tax Consulting

Tax Preparation & Accounting in Seattle Bellevue Tacoma
Posted by Kimberly LeRiche, Cornelius, Oregon | Sep 05, 2008

Indeed, it can become a vicious virtual circle...
Posted by John Huddleston, Seattle & Bellevue, Washington | Sep 07, 2008

I have now signed up for and used two of these items (jott and Passpack). I believe I will use each of these tools at least weekly. I also intend to look at echosign. I'm not sure how the print and sign feature is different than what I do now but I am intrigued by electronic signatures. Thank you so much Kimberly. Ain't Biznik grand.
John Huddleston
Huddleston Tax Consulting

Tax Preparation & Accounting in Seattle Bellevue Tacoma
Posted by Kimberly LeRiche, Cornelius, Oregon | Sep 07, 2008

John, Indeed Biznik is grand!

The nice thing about the print and sign feature with EchoSign is that the client faxes the signed document back to EchoSign who then automatically turns it into a PDF document and sends it to both parties, plus it will store it for you online in your account with them. Actually, I prefer the electronic signature option because not only does this allow the whole transaction to be done paperless, but it allows for it to all happen within a matter of minutes. I used it recently with a client and had a signed contract within a half hour.
Posted by Gary Pickering, Bellingham, Washington | Oct 26, 2008

Cool, I just downloaded xobni, can't wait to try it out. Never would have found it without your article. Thanks!