Tired of Talking to Machines? Time to GetHuman!

Do you hate those automated menus you get when you call a business for support or information? I know I often do. Sometimes, let’s face it, you just want to talk to a real, living, breathing, human being. Is that really so much to ask? The folks at GetHuman have created a site designed to help you bypass those automated phone systems to get to the people on the other side.

Their site is simple, as it well should be. Almost 1000 businesses and organizations are listed and the number is growing. GetHuman is easy to navigate, just start typing the name of the company or organization in the searchbox and GetHuman will start showing your possible listings. For each entity listed, the site provides the contact number and instructions on bypassing its automated phone system. You can also get and post ratings on customer service experiences with that business. A great and simple model for getting things done!

Gazelle.com: Go Green and Get Paid!

We all have them … old gadgets that were great at the time, but which we have since replaced with something newer and/or different. The problem is what we do with these old tech toys when we no longer want them. Please do not throw those old tech toys away! Why put them in landfills where they will only pollute and maybe even poison the planet, when you can get paid for giving them up? Gazelle can help you be a greener tech-addict and put a little of the other green in your pocket at the same time. Simply list your old cellphones, MP3 players, cameras, etc. on their site and let Gazelle do the rest. They guarantee that every unwanted gadget gets an offer. If you take that offer, Gazelle will even send you a free box in which to ship it … AND … ready for this? … PAY THE SHIPPING! Now HOW COOL is that?

We gave Gazelle a try with a well-used, but outmoded netbook we were looking to be rid of. We had not had much luck with eBay or Craigslist, so we had nothing to lose. We were actually pleasantly surprised with what Gazelle offered us. We filled out the online form with all the details of our item and had a really great offer in no time. Within days, we received our shipping materials and sent the netbook off. We received a notice when the netbook made it to Gazelle and were able to track the whole evaluation process online. It did not take long for us to get the money for our computer. The whole transaction was easy and we could not have been happier!

With Gazelle, you can be earth-friendly and be a friend to your bank account at the same time!

iBraryGuy’s Best of the Best 09: Best “Best Gadgets” Lists

Another year is quickly drawing to a close. It is that time of the year during which all those “Best of” lists begin popping up. From books to music to movies and even moments, everyone has an opinion on what were the best of 2009. We at iBraryGuy are no different. However, with so many available “best of” lists out there, we decided to decline the chance to reinvent the wheel and publish our own lists on specific topics. Instead, we thought we would help our readers find some of the best of the “best ofs”. Between now and the end of the year, we will be sharing them with you.

Best of the Best of 2009: Gadgets

We had initially expected, especially with the biggest buying holiday of the year just days away, that lists of Best Gadgets would be a dime a dozen. The surprise was on us! There were not as many as we had hoped and many of the ones we found were written early in the year as predictions of the months ahead. You can bet that many of the folks who penned those predictive lists are now wondering what they were thinking! Here are some of the best “Best Gadgets” lists for 2009, in no particular order, and sans crystal ball:

T3’s Best Tech 2009: For gadget lovers, T3 is one of the best sites out there. These guys live and breathe technology! Their reviews and insights are always interesting. Their round up of the year’s best tech toys was one of the best we cold find. You can read it here.

Huffington Post’s 15 Best Gadgets: The Huffington Post has taken a much different approach to it’s best gadgets list. Their list is all about the best geadgets to get and give during the holidays. Talk about some fun suggestions! Are you done with your holiday shopping? You can check out their list here.

Gizmodo’s Best Gadgets: The good folks at Gizmodo are constantly updating their list of the year’s best gadgets. So what you see is really rather fresh and fantastic! From phones to computers, it is a gift list for the true tech afficianado! You can the Gizmodo gallery of best tech toys here.

The world of technology is always in rapid and exciting flux. From tools to make us more productive to toys designed to take our minds off of work and responsibility, there is always something new on the gadget front. Of course, we all know that technology makes great gifts. So whether shopping for yourself or someone special . . . or even just pining for a new toy . . . we hope these lists help you figure out what’s hot!