Here’s what got me excited about today’s announcement:

1. BLUETOOTH KEYBOARDS.  In a October 2008 post, I wrote: “Only once Apple takes my advice (Ha!) and creates a iPhone-compatible keyboard will I really be able to leave my laptop behind…“. Perhaps that time has come!
2. Multitasking! iPhone users have been waiting for this one for quite a while. Now, I can use other apps while listening to Pandora, etc.
3. Folders to group app – which I had been doing anyway by grouping like apps in separate pages. But this will certainly save time and make it easier to navigate. Also, for app addicts, this means being able to have 2160 apps instead of the current possibility of 180.
4. A better mail app! The ability to read by thread and to have more than one exchange account linked to a particular iPhone!

Check out the full live coverage from Gizmodo and engadget.

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Boxed In	I’m not a big “gamer” on my iPhone, but I do enjoy a game that makes me work my brain. Boxed In certainly fits the bill for an addicting, intellectually stimulating game. In this puzzle game, you guide a robot through each level with your finger. There are boxes that must in the correct order and into the correct location in order for the robot to be able to make it through. I swear I used to play Boxed In on the computer maybe, oh, 15 years ago? In any case, it’s a fun little game to play!
LetsTans	LetsTans is another game I enjoy that allows me to put my problem-solving skills to the test. The premise is to correctly fit eight(?) shapes into an outline. The only downside is that I finished all the different configurations last night and have to say – now what? (There are additional similar games that one can purchase but I’m afraid I’ll run through them just as quickly as the original…)
LoseIt	I’ve included LoseIt in this list because it is a great, user-friendly, simple app to help one track their caloric intake, daily exercise, and weight. The accompanying website also has forums, different exportable reports and even predicts when one will reach their goal weight based on their weight-loss trend. Oh, and for extra motivation there are settings that will Tweet and update your Facebook when you weigh-in!
Meebo	I used to recommend IM+ as an all-in-one instant messaging application — until Meebo came out with its own. The “original” Meebo function is to serve as a web-based instant messaging aggregator. Now, the company brings those same capabilities to the iPhone. You can sign in to different instant messaging services while on the go. The interface is easy to use and you can sign in with your existing Meebo log-in (if you have one) or simply with the different services that you’d like to use.
TripIt	I do a fair amount of travel (mostly back to Boston although I have been lucky this year to have a full vacation itinerary as well). TripIt has been really useful for keeping all my airline boarding information in one place. It has further capabilities as well, but that’s what I mainly use it for. The app is an extension of the TripIt website which, again, lets you keep track of your travel. You sign up and then when you book travel, you simply forward the confirmation to an email. TripIt sorts it and allows you to see who will be nearby. A must-have, especially for business folks who travel frequently for work!
WhiteNoise	Remember those old machines with crickets chirping and rain forest noises that helped the masses (okay, so not the masses, but people from all over) fall asleep? White Noise is exactly what it sounds like – an app that has a variety of “white noise” sounds that can help lull you to sleep. My favorite? Waves Crashing. It takes me instantly to my summers on the Cape.

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**The following is a guest post by David, a good friend and former colleague, who loves finding hidden features of the technology he uses. Below, he reveals a few iPhone features you may have missed. (The original post can be found

Okay, that’s a bit too Penn & Telller perhaps, but there are some fun little nuggets somewhat buried in the iPhone that I’ve slowly been discovering.  I feel like in the past month especially I’ve dug up some good stuff.  I’ll start off with the stuff that most folks know.  If you didn’t, great.  If you did, I never said I was the great Houdini

Special Characters
We all know that you can find some add’l characters by tapping the 123 then the #+= button on the keyboard.  This provides us with some European currency characters, as well as the important hash tag for twitter.  But what about the eñe in spanish?  Or the upside down exclamation point for spanish?  If you simply tap and hold the “n” on the keyboard, the ñ will appear.  Same with the accented letter “e” or the exclamation point.  If you play around, you’ll find other fun hidden characters lurking above the letters (ooh, m-dash!).

Keyboard Settings: Periods & Caps Lock
I’ll admit it.  I never really got into the whole text speak.  Sure I LOL and might wonder WTF occasionally.  I am also a fan of FML – makes me laugh when I see it.   But I don’t write “Wr U @? C U L8r.”  With full keyboards, the inner English Major in me just can’t stomach it.  I write things out.  I tend to still use proper sentence structure.  Call me fusty, but I can’t help it.

So I like that if I double-space after a word, I get a period.  That makes it nice and easy.  And while I’m not a big YELLER when it comes to texting, there are times when you want to write a bit in Caps.  And hitting the shift key each time is tedious.  There are settings for both these features.

Go to Settings>General>Keyboard.  Toggle “Enable Caps Lock” and “‘.’ Shortcut” to On.  Now when you double-space after a word, the period pops in.  And if you quickly double-tap the shift key, it’ll turn blue and Caps Lock is on.  Pretty nifty.

Contacts View
I mentioned I’m a little old-fashioned.  I can also be a little OCD too.  I have set up my iPhone Contacts to sync with my Google Contacts.  I like having a back-up and over-air syncing is still pretty cool to me.  But the other day I realized I had 6 more contacts in my iPhone than I did in my Google Contacts.  Quite frankly, I’m still confused how this happened.  But to make matters worse, Google Contacts are sorted by first name.  My iPhone Contacts were sorted by last name.  Trying to eyeball over 400 contacts is tough enough, but when the lists aren’t apples to apples, it’s even harder.  Enter Settings.  Settings>Mail, Contacts, Calendar.  If you scroll to the Contacts section (near the bottom), you’ll see that you can change both the Sort Order and Display Order.  While I prefer to sort by last name, it’s nice to be able to toggle this when comparing to Google.  I’m sure there are other benefits to this toggle as well.

Screenshot
I’d seen plenty of people showing their Weather app image on Facebook to indicate a crappy/fantastic week of weather ahead.  I just presumed they had purchased some app that enabled this.  Nope.  The iPhone has a built-in screenshot feature.  Which I think is pretty cool. When you have what you want on your screen, simply push the top button and the bottom home button on your iPhone quickly at the same time.  The screen will quickly fade and come back.  That image is now saved in your Photos.  Pretty nifty.  It is great when you happen to be in 1st place in foursquare or something and you might want to share that with your friends

I heard at&t will finally be supporting the updated MMS features on September 25th.  I’m looking forward to that.  I’ll be happy if I never see the following screen againg – scribbling down those ridiculous message ids and passwords – only to open a picture of someone’s dog.

Any hidden secrets that you’d like to share?

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CardStar	My wallet is filled with membership cards, which is super annoying. It means that I either have to make sure to bring it out or risk not having a specific card (and getting the membership benefits). With Cardstar, you simply enter in the number on your membership card and it creats a scanable barcode, effectively allowing you to leave the clunky cards at home and ensuring that you’ll always have the informatin (and the discounts) with you.
foursquare	My friends frequently ask me why I would share my whereabouts with the world (through Twitter, mostly). Now I have an answer: To unlock badges, become mayor and beat my friends at “nights out”.In Foursquare, I get “points” for checking in at different restaurants, bars, attractions, etc. Each Foursquare user starts out with just a “newbie” badge but things like 4 nights out in a row, checking in at three places in one night, checking in past 2am on a school night, will “unlock” other badges. I can “compete” with my friends (which can be added by scaning an address book, looking up someone by phone number, or finding Twitter friends who are using the service) to see who has the most check-ins or just as a way to see where they are.If you are a big going-out person and are maybe a tad competitive, you will be HOOKED on this app! (Add me on Foursquare!)
Photogene	Photogene brings photo-editing capabilities to the iPhone. I snap and upload pictures (to Twitter, to Facebook, to Flickr, etc.) on the go all the time so I think this app is completely worth its $2.99 pricetag. I use it mostly for cropping my pictures, but it has many more capabilities like adding special effects, straightening tilted pictures and correctiong the color.
PPB (Photo Phonebook)	This app is simple yet genius. Download up the app, create a user account and when someone calls you who you are Facebook friends with, their Facebook profile picture will come up. Did I mention it’s simple yet genius?
SnapTell	See a book (or CD or movie, for that matter) that you are interesting in buying but not ready to buy it at the moment and/or don’t want to overpay? Simply “snap” a picture of the cover and SnapTell will not only show you prices at other stores, but it will also save your query, effectively creating a wishlist on your iPhone that you can come back to later. For indecisive folks like me, this is great (or dangerous since it means I can put off making the decision)!
TweetDeck	I was a big, big fan of Twitterfon — until TweetDeck came out with an iPhone app earlier this month. Anyone using Twitter who has a smartphone needs an app to Tweet on the go. Tweetdeck originated as a robust desktop application in which users can create “groups” of Twitter contacts, searches by keywords and otherwise segment Tweets. Using the iPhone app, users get all that functionality on their mobile phones and it syncs to a user’s desktop instance of the application.
Yelp	Yelp is a phonebook, a map, and a guide book all in one. If I’m out somewhere and need to find the closest sushi restaurant, let’s say, Yelp will locate me and with a simple search provide me with nearby sushi restaurants, complete with reviews, addresses pinpointed on a map and phone numbers to call ahead. And after I’ve eaten, I can pull the app back out and write a review right then and there. In my opinion, its the reviews and other helpful information (like business hours) that helps Yelp trump other location-based restaurant/services apps like AroundMe and Urbanspoon.
DC Bonus: inauguration	This app was created to help visitors navigate around DC for Barak Obama’s Presidential Inauguration. Five months later, it’s still installed on my phone. I use it primarily to find out which Metro station is closest and the upcoming train schedule (Do I have 2 or 20 minutes to catch the Red Line train to Glenmont?). I know other Metro apps do exist, but whether it’s laziness or an unwillingness to pay for an app when I already have one for free that will do the trick, I’m sticking with this one for now.

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1.  Movies by Flixter – With this application, you can check to see all movies that are currently out in theaters, find nearby theaters with address and phone information, find upcoming showtimes (by movie or by theater), see upcoming movie releases or recent DVD releases, get to review sites like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB with just one click…

In the words of George Gershwin:  Who could ask for anything more? (Interestingly enough, this application was created by a Jeffrey Grossman, a sophomore at Carnegie Mellon University, and it became the first acquired iPhone app when Flixter bought it in August 2008. Read the full story here.)

2. Fring – Fring brings instant messaging to the iPhone – which isn’t that impressive since other applications can do that as well – and do it better, I might add. The IM Plus application allows the user to sign onto MULTIPLE instances of different Instant Messaging platforms like Google Chat and AIM.

But what sets Fring apart is that it enables you to use Skype from your phone and have it count as a (free) computer-to-computer call. This means that Micki in Israel will be getting to hear my voice a lot more frequently now.  Is your best friend studying abroad this semester? Have family overseas? All I’m saying is, you can thank me later.

Back in October,  I made a list of my favorite iPhone applications. I’d like to call out my favorite three that aren’t newly discovered (and therefore don’t qualify for the preceding list) but are now tried-and-true staples that deserve mention just the same.

3. Sportacular. Pro: Allows you to get updated scores for a variety of sports. You can even set it up to see all your favorite teams in one view. Con: Means that I know right away when my Red Sox and Pats aren’t doing so well. Ignorance is bliss sometimes, my friends.

4. Shazam. Pro: Hear a song on the radio, at the gym, during a night out, etc, and don’t know what it is? Shazam will tell you the title/artist and save it for you to view/listen to later. Con: Sometimes it does get stumped. (For example, it didn’t recognize Christina Arguilera’s “Keeps Getting Better”)

5. Twitterfon. Pro: Allows me to update my twitter status from my phone and shows my friends’ statuses. UPDATE: Allows me to see top trending twitter terms, locates nearby users and makes it super easy to reply, retweet and load others’ timelines. Perfection. Con: I’m not convinced that it provides any additional functionality that twitter.com is lacking. Sometimes, my friends remind me that I MUST put my phone away when I’m with others.

So, there’s my five. Now, what have I missed? What’s the iPhone application you just couldn’t live without?

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According to him, in 2004 we had blogs, 2005 brought audio podcasts, followed by video podcasts in 2006, and finally, 2007 was the year of microblogging.

He asks: “We are in November now of 2008 and I still don’t see any big transformative Social Media technology which has occurred this year. Has it stalled? What am I missing?”

This got me thinking… and I have two very different answers:

1. I disagree that 2007 was the year of microblogging. I would counter that 2007 was the year of the social network, with Facebook opening its doors to the general public in late 2006, and the continual growth of other sites like MySpace and LinkedIn.

That being said, I think 2008 could be the year of microblogging. It seems that everyone and their brother (and their brother’s business) has become a Twitter member, and the role of the site in the recent tragic Mumbai terrorist attack highlighted the platform’s reach and influence. And when Facebook comes knocking, to the tune of $500 million, and YOU TURN IT DOWN, you know you’re doing something right

2. Okay, so I know that I just told you that Twitter was the IT thing this past year, but there’s the thing, I don’t think it’s hit its peak yet… All though it has become a central part of my world, and probably yours, it still hasn’t been fully embraced by the public as a whole.

Given that, I really think that apps will be social media’s legacy in 2008. Seriously.

Think about it: Apple unveiled its app store for its iPhone, Facebook has been inundated with its app add-ons, and even LinkedIn has jumped on the bandwagon.

Companies realized that doing things the closed-off, aloof way is just sooo 2007. Instead, 2008 brought a spirit of openness and partnership… or at least the realization that it might be worth it to disclose some proprietary knowledge so that developers, both amateur and professional, can learn your product, become an evangelist, and help your site extend its capabilities — for free! Pure genius.

So there you have it. That’s my take.

Now it’s your turn: What do you believe to be the definitive social media aspect of 2008?

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When Will Apple Catch Up?

Recently, there has been a lot of buzz about whether smartphones will soon be replacing laptops for those on the go – and eventually, overall.

My personal computer is unbearably slow so I rely heavily on my iPhone to get me through my evenings, but I think one key thing that is missing is a compatible full keyboard.

The MacAlly BTKey mini, a wireless keyboard first seen at the MacWorld Expo, was supposed to be released in March 2008, but obviously, that date has come and gone. There are many reasons why a Bluetooth keyboard hasn’t been released, but if you believe that they eventually will be put into production, you can pre-order one here.

But how about a full keyboard that can fold up and be plugged into the iPhone, similar to the ones that exist for the  Blackberry? I think this is an untapped marked with a huge potential! Think of all the add-on sales!

Only once Apple takes my advice (Ha!) and creates a iPhone-compatible keyboard will I really be able to leave my laptop behind…

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Yes, this little black book has been constantly in the news for some quite some time now, between trying to find some use for the “outdated” version from last year, controversy regarding international ads (although it’s noteworthy that there even are international ads), and with companies of all types and sizes trying to piggyback on the phone’s success.

Well, I had waited patiently, and even though the whole ordeal of upgrading the family’s current AT&T plan, as well as adding my line, took almost two hours, my spirits were as high as Snoop Dog in Half Baked.

As I left the store, I noticed that I wasn’t able to connect to the internet. No worries. When this continued, I called AT&T just too make sure that everything had been set up correctly. As I explained my situation to the woman on the other end of the line, my phone began to work…. everything except Gmail, which I had – unsuccessfully apparently – set up. (I could get to gmail.com through the web browser, but not through the fun little “mail” icon on the home screen).

I tried deleted and recreating the accounts. I tried turning the phone on and off. I tried not touching the phone will the mailbox was loading. You get the idea…

Long story short, (not so short though, I guess), I finally got my lazy self to the computer and did some research. Apparently:
1. You need to set up the Gmail account as “Other”, not as “Gmail”. (Rather backwards, isn’t it?)
2. You need to make sure that in Gmail, “Don’t always use https” is checked under the General Settings Tab.
3. You need to go to some crazy website – http://www.google.com/accounts/DisplayUnlockCaptcha – to “unlock” your account!

The full discussion that saved the day is here. It’s funny how much better I immediately felt knowing that I hadn’t caused the error!

I LOVE the iPod and Google because I feel like they both have changed the way that we live our lives, but it was such as shame that my first experience with brand new iPhone was so negative. It shouldn’t have taken all evening to get e-mail working!

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