ifttt: The startup with the crazy name aims to automate the Internet

Have you ever wished that you could call in status updates to Facebook? How about getting an SMS notification when something you have been looking for posts to Craigslist? Want to post a Tweet every time that someone uploads a picture to a specific gallery on Flickr? You can do that as well. You can even daisy-chain tasks together to create a slew of actions from a single trigger.

All of these things, and more, can happen via an interesting site called ifttt.com — if this, then that. The site is set up to allow you to create different triggers that correspond to actions. For instance, let’s say that you’re bookmarking things via Delicious:

What’s most compelling about ifttt is the power that it holds. What’s most impressive, though is how easy it really is to use. I have a couple of tasks set up already and following the process is amazingly simple. You litterally click “this” in a statement of “if this happens”, then you click “that” in another statement. You can customize the variables to many of them, but what you’re left with is a hugely powerful system of automation.

I’d love to say that I’ve really dug into the service, but I’m afraid that I haven’t even scratched the surface of what it can do. However, here’s a quick video that will walk you through and show you how everything’s set up. Simplicity at its finest, really:

For now, the service is in a private beta. But not to leave you hanging, the ifttt team has been nice enough to provide me with 50 invitations that I can hand out at will. So, leave us a comment. Tell us what you’d like to do with ifttt. We’ll pick the best ones and toss an invitation your way. Oh, and you’ll likely get bonus points if you

Just sayin’.

Oh, and a word of forewarning: If you’re outside of the US, the SMS functions won’t work just yet. The team is trying to get that sorted, but just be aware.

Follow TNW Apps on: facebook twitter rss

About the Author

Brad is a music and tech junkie who calls Nashville home. While he writes across many channels on The Next Web, he has a particular interest in startups located in the Southern US. Find him on Twitter @BradTNW.

Story Toolbox

Share31

E-mail ShareThis

Short URL + Title:

Pretty cool

Google Voice users, this is big: You might already be able to port your own phone number into the service. Google just unleashed a test program a few hours ago.

According to Google (

)

, this ability to port your own inbound phone number is currently in a test phase that’s available to certain users (such as us — we were lucky enough to be among the chosen few).

With a few clicks, you can have people call the regular phone number that you’ve been using all these years, without having to teach them to call a different number just so you can use Google Voice (

)

and all its Gmail (

)

-like features. Simply go to Phone, Settings, and if you see “change/port” next to your phone number, you’re in luck. Click that and you’ll soon be done.

Easy enough, except for that $20 charge you’ll have to pay to make it happen. Keep in mind that if you do select that option and pay your $20, whichever landline or cellphone provider you were paying to use that phone number before might want to charge you an early termination fee. Buyer beware.

On the other hand, this long-awaited feature will make it a lot easier for new users of Google Voice to adapt to the service. It’ll be simple to just drop your old service automatically by paying the $20 and importing that number to Google Voice. UPDATE: But you’ll still need that service to keep the 10-digital phone number. After all, you have to pay someone for that cellphone or land line service.

Too bad this capability was not available a couple of years ago when I first started using the free Google Voice service, and told everyone in my address book about my new phone number. Now, I like that my chosen Google Voice number so much, there’s not an old number I’d rather port.

[Via BGR]

Shout out to Google

Microsoft Mathematics provides users with a number of different mathematical tools that can help students and those interested in maths, get their work done quickly and easily. It will help users learn to solve equations step-by-step instead of providing a straight answer, educating the user and allowing them to better understand the fundamental concepts in pre-algebra, trigonometry, physics, chemistry, and calculus.

Its graphing calculator works much like a handheld calculator, also helping to evaluate triangles, convert units and solve different equations.

The application was once a paid download and is now free, it also comes with a help file to explain its functionality and provides examples of different math problems. Microsoft Mathematics is supported on both 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the Windows OS but it  does require the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1.

Pretty neat

Image: ECO, Inc.

Reader Poll: 87.1% think it's brilliant

The Idea: The Green Box is an eco-friendly cardboard pizza box. The top of the box easily breaks down into serving plates, while the bottom of the box easily converts into a storage container for leftovers. Not only is the design simple to assemble and collapse, the side flaps of the container overlap while the top snaps into place, preserving the pizza and maintaining freshness.

Whose idea: Environmentally Conscious Organization, Inc., a design, licensing, manufacturing management and logistics firm dedicated to improving food packaging.

Why we like it: Since pizza boxes are so cumbersome, it's hard to store leftovers inside them. Yet they take up too much trash can space when you throw them away. The Green Box offers a solution to both these problems, and one that also happens to be completely environmentally friendly. The storage container takes up half the refrigerator shelf space as a normal pizza box. A huge step for mankind? Maybe not. But a huge step for pizza parties, most definitely.

Brilliant

Really cool

Valuable for this day and age

InteraXon & SecretExit - Brainwave-Enabled ZenBound 2 from InteraXon on Vimeo.

InteraXon, leaders in thought controlled experiences, have connected brainwaves to the iPad in a new application that puts BCI technology in the palm of your hand. Showcased at CES2011, InteraXon has partnered with SecretExit, adding a new thought-controlled element to the award winning ZenBound 2.

Speechless

If this is true, bye-bye AT&T