Lifehacker: The Guide to Working Smarter, Faster, and Better, Third Edition

Hack 78: Break Down the Barrier Between Your Computer and Mobile Phone

Level Easy

Platform iOS/Android

Cost Free

Your smartphone and your desktop computer share a lot of duties, but each device has its strengths and weaknesses. You may prefer to look up directions from the comfort of your desktop because you can type in an address more quickly on your full-size keyboard, but ultimately you want the directions shuttled over to your phone so that you can use them on the go. You could send an email to yourself containing the link to the directions and then open it from your phone, but that’s not streamlined and can create a lot of clutter in your inbox.

This hack covers tricks and tools that break down the barriers between your desktop and your smartphone, making it easier to shuttle bits and pieces of information back and forth between the two so that you can work from whichever device is more convenient.

NOTE The most common sharing scenario involves sending links and text from your desktop browser to your phone, so the following sections walk through setting up one-click sharing tools on iOS and Android devices.

Computer to iOS

The free service Site to Phone (www.sitetophone.com) sends links and text from your desktop or laptop to your phone with the click of a button. Here’s how to set it up:

1. Open www.sitetophone.com/create.php in your computer’s web browser. Site to Phone can create a unique ID and generate a URL for that ID — such as http://sitetophone.com/848054-3693 ...