I was surfing around this afternoon (quiet Friday here) and found a few neat new freebie things I did not know about. Some might come in handy to more than just me, so I thought I’d share them.
Need to fax or scan something but you’re out in the wild with nothing but a cell phone and a signal? Snap a picture of what you want to scan or fax, and text or email it off to Qipit. They will turn it into a PDF and email it to you, or fax it to wherever you need it to go. The service is free.
I already knew about these but had convenienty forgotten them. More and more often, despite the online yellow pages resources that are available, I just need to look up a number in an easy way. If I call 411 from my phone, that costs me. Both Google (1-800-GOOG-411) and Free411 (1-800-FREE411) offer free directory assistance. Google depends on voice recognition and non-human responses, but Free411 will give you a real, live person. Free411 is ad-based, however so be prepared to hear ads while you wait for them to look up the number.
Need a Wi-Fi hotspot where you’re going? Think ahead and do your research; there’s no reason to pay for Wi-Fi if you don’t have to. Many coffee shops, hotels, restaurants, and independent bookstores are now offering free Wi-Fi (one of my favorites is the Panera Bread stores). Also, if you pay for broadband service at home, oftentimes you are also given access to that provider’s Wi-Fi where available. For a great way to search for potential hot-spots, check out JiWire, a free search service for open, free Wi-Fi. When I used it several years ago, it was not very accurate, but when I looked up a few locations this afternoon, it gave me some really great results.
All long-distance calls are free, using Talkster services. Using their system, you an get a temporary local number to use to calla friend in another location. It’s bit complicated, but it works, and it’s totally free. This service is ad-supported, as well, so expect to see ads on the screen when you’re setting up the phone call.
Do you have any freebies to share? Post them in the comments!