Enrich your site
Choose engaging social features from a catalog of gadgets by Google and the OpenSocial developer community.

Attract more visitors
Your users can easily invite friends from social networks and contact lists to visit and join your site.

No programming whatsoever
Just copy and paste a few snippets of code into your site, and Friend Connect does the rest.

Not to mix up topics too much in one post, but just so you can test out Google’s new tool, here is a primer topic upon which you may comment.  ”Can you believe the Kansas Business Attorney — champion of the 8525 and Windows Mobile — is now wielding an iPhone?”

Go ahead.   You (probably) can’t break anything.  (Tip: begin by clicking the double blue box)

The sidebar ultra-handy view is great for a number of web applications:

Google mobile view:  no doubt, you’ve seen this on your phone; with search, maps, iGoogle, youtube, calendar … what’s not to love;

Gmail mobile: in case you don’t have it in 9 other places already;

Google mobile Reader:  personal preference will tell you quickly rather you prefer your reader here or its regular spot;

Google mobile Notebook:  if you’re a researcher or web-clipper of any magnitude, the notebook belongs in your sidebar;

gTalk:  a chat client you already love

Meebo: simplify your chat; for those times your trying to juggle your mother on MSN, friends on google and your nephew on AOL;

Hahlo:  it’s a Twitter client, designed for the iPhone, but give it a go (yes, on your PC even);

MojiPage:  designed for the mobile web; register, then see your Twitter, Friendfeed, Digg, Google search, weather, del.ic.ious, RSS reader;

Yahoo mobile: okay, so the list is a little Google heavy; Yahoo mobile offers mail, messenger, news, address book, calendar, flickr & more

So, give ‘em a try — your favorite web apps … on the side.

What do you want in your sidebar?

hahlosidebar2

Loading image

Click anywhere to cancel

To be sure, if you’re a “speller of big words” (as my friend calls a good, critical thinker) you know the infamous “kill all the lawyers” line from Henry VI suggests that such a move will rid them of those who have an ability to find redress for grievances.  Some even refer to attorneys as  “guardians of independent thinking”.

Consider, however, the reporter.  (Does a tree really fall in the woods if it isn’t reported?)  One need not look far to recall a reporter who finds the right opening, really probes, digs into unfamiliar and uncomfortable territory, publishes her finding, and kaboom!  It’s viral.  If you read, you know how an important, well-reported story can sweep the earth, alter inertia, and move people so much more effectively than the best-crafted injunction, brought by capable counsel.

Even now, they’re gathered in Hungary at Global Voices Summit 08.  You know how to google; try “gvsummit08″.  They’re discussing fighting censorship around the globe.  They’re blogging.  They’re tweeting.  IM’s, emails, qik video…they know their effort — the mere fact that they are convening — is important.  They’re so right.

Sure, I want able counsel in my corner (or gone if I’m a conspiring malefactor).  But if I’m gonna scheme the citizenry, sneak one past “the people”, the first thing we do, let’s kill all the reporters.  Indeed.

Don’t stop here.  Google blogs for gvsummit08.  You have no excuse: click here.  Or here (for tweets).

Tiny Twitter is just what you are looking for and it will work on ANY Java enabled device (that’s a bunch & includes the CrackBerry) and ANY Windows Mobile Pocket PC or Smartphone (they’re pretty cool).

If you like Twitter, but wish there was an app out there to allow you to tweet from you cell, look no further.  Web Worker Daily comes through again, and shows us just the ticket:

“On my Windows Mobile phone the interface is crisp and clean and Twhirl like.  I can see and browse through my timeline and tweet, reply or direct message easily. Options let me choose how often it checks for updates which is great with the ever changing API limits that Twitter seems to be imposing.”

What’s not to love?

If I’m not mistaken, can’t one get a feed of his gmail inbox? If it’s not too cumbersome, I could see listening to email during morning commute.

But wait! It’s not that simple (read: it does not work). What to do?

Leaping tall buildings in a single bound, LH’s own Kevin Purdy comes through with a way:

You’ve always been able to email yourself with a phone call through voice-to-text service Jott, but with the introduction of Jott Feeds, Gmail (and Google Apps) users can now have a summary of their messages read to them by phone. The secret sauce lies in Gmail’s RSS feeds and a go-between web site that handles password requirements. I’ll show you how …

You know what Wayne and Garth would say, no?

Lifehacker, “we’re not worthy!”

“Our new visual voicemail service represents one more free and useful feature in our powerful and unique product offering.” said Alex Quilici, CEO of YouMail. At a glance I can see all of my voicemails and choose which to play and in what order. For people who get a lot of voicemails per day, this provides an organized way to determine priority. In a world where we seem to find bite-size messages in SMS or Twitter form preferable, many people find this approach better than spending time listening to and often forgetting an audio message.”

From YouMail,

With YouMail Mobile’s “click to play” beta feature you’ll save time and avoid having to make another call to listen to your messages. Plus, you can go directly to any of your messages without listening to the prior messages. It’s voicemail at-a-glance!

• Instead of calling your voicemail box to retrieve messages, simply click the message you want to hear for instant playback
• Instantly see who called, message length, city/state, date/time
• Includes auto-transcriptions of messages
• Works on Blackberry, Treo, iPhone and Windows Mobile

Sign me up!  Oh wait…

Voice-to-text service Jott has up and reversed their game a bit with their latest service offering—having custom-picked feeds read back to you, over your phone connection. If you’re already a Jott member, you should see a feed notice when you log in starting today, where you can choose highlighted feeds (including Lifehacker) or give Jott your custom feeds. Call into Jott, say “Jott feeds” when asked “Who do you want to Jott?” and you’re on your way. …

It’s Jott, and it’s nifty. What kind of use might you make of it?

We all pack appropriate clothing when we leave for a business trip, but most mobile users will still feel naked if they don’t have easy, fast access to the Internet.

Sure, you can stop at a Wi-Fi hot spot or catch up at the hotel at night, but what do you do the rest of the time? Enter cellular providers that offer 3G data service over their networks at broadband-like speeds.”

…

Their conclusion?

“All the cellular data networks are reasonably fast (although AT&T pretty much swept the field). In the course of my tests, I was able to click, connect and get online, on average, in about 4 seconds; download data at 614Kbit/sec.; and upload at 337Kbit/sec. That’s more than enough for most basic on-the-road business applications such as e-mail, connecting to most Web sites and even watching online movies.”

If you want/need to get more done and nifty is not as important as can-do, you might look to an 8525 (Tilt is its successor w/precious few improvements) or Centro.  The Palm Blog recently presented a decent review of what a Centro offers versus other smartphones.  At conclusion, it conceded some of “what you don’t get” with a Centro:

1. Built-in Wi-Fi. Current Palm models lack built-in Wi-Fi, though Palm CEO Ed Colligan said last year it would be added to future Palm devices.

2. Built-in GPS. Given how clueless GPS-based driving directions can be, I don’t see this as a terrible loss. Also, Google Maps came preinstalled on my Treo, and it has often served me in a pinch.

3. A Pleasurable Web Browsing Experience. Surfing the Web on my Treo is painful, even using Sprint’s fast EVDO network. If a meaningful mobile Web experience is crucial, your best smart phone choice currently is the iPhone.

4. Style and a Large Screen. I’d love to see a sleek new Palm OS handset that combines a large touch screen with the usual sturdy Palm keyboard.

Now, do you “don’t get” those spec’s with a Tilt (improved 8525)?  No.  Understand?  The Tilt has:

1.  integrated wi-fi;

2.  Telenav GPS Navigator(TM) support

3.  web-browsing with Explorer on 3G network (Opera mini is a free-n-easy add-on for “pleasurable” full internet zoom in/out function); and

4.  style and large screen?  2.8-inch screen (versus Centro’s 2.2) and let’s just leave “style” to the eye of the beholder.

If you think the Kansas Business Attorney is off-base on the 8525, ie. your phone is better, do tell because I doubt it!  I realize there are a few out there which will stream live video to the web.  My 8525 will not handle that (guess whether I need that function), nor does it handle GPS without add-ons (yes, that’s one of the improvements in the Tilt, along with a tilting display and 3.0 vs 2.0 mp camera; see previous “guess whether…” comment).

Your phone is more productive than mine?  Prove it and say on.

[display_podcast]

makes your comments more interactive for readers and easier to manage for you — all while connecting your community with other blogs.

We shall see.  Have you tried it elsewhere?  on your own blog?  Leave a comment regarding experience you’ve had with the Disqus comment system before, or how you like the mechanics or look of Disqus as used here.

So, here we are: 4,992 “absolute unique visitors” since I released the traffic-tracking hounds. (While I can’t really think of the punchline, it reminds me of the old joke: the guy’s jumping on a manhole cover, counting “29…29…29…” just over and over; perhaps you know the rest.)

As one who tends to recite (perhaps it goes with the territory) the it-is-what-it-is assessment from time to time, I guess I’m not really going to sing (and I’m certainly not going to cry). Probably some time during tonight’s commute I’ll have the quiet (and mild) satisfaction that this little corner of the web by an amateur blogger on a fraction of a part-time basis has found its way in front of 5,000 different browsers.  Neat.

Moreover, I’ve come to know a handful of these absolute unique visitors, and that is certainly my privilege.   And I thank you.

Tags: 4992+visitors

• the iPhone has 28% of market share among “smartphones”;
• it makes up 71% of US mobile browser usage (their figure, not mine);
• but iPhone (enterprise) users want push email, push calendar, push contacts (you can see where this list is going);

Captain Jobs able Lt. was “happy to announce” [drum roll] “we’re doing all of these things in the next release of the iPhone software”.  That’s it … straight from the apple’s mouth; they’re working directly with Microsoft … licensed the ActiveSync software … supporting Microsoft Exchange …

So there it is: the iPhone for business.

(Stay tuned to find out:  iPhone: All things to All people yet?)

Tags: iphone, iphone+microsoft, iphone+microsoft+exchange, iphone+push, iphone+for+business

Tags: iphone, quasi+clipboard, copy+and+paste, copy, paste