Back in July we took an initial look at MightyDocs, a free app for accessing documents created and stored in GoogleDocs from your iPhone. At the time, it was a remarkable application that made the iPhone and iPod Touch a far more useful productivity app than it had ever been previously.

A short time later, MightyDocs allowed Google Docs that were accessed from the iPhone/Touch to be cached on the device for offline access. Coming from a year using the iPhone with web apps that only worked when an internet connection was available this was a big deal.

Now, post 2.1 firmware and oodles of new apps later, I took a fresh look at MightyDocs. The result?

Fring is out and available as a free download in the App Store. (It currently does not appear when searching but is there if you go to "Apps" and then "Social Networking".

What is Fring??

"fring™ is a mobile internet service & community that enables you to access & interact with your social networks on-the-go, make free calls and live chat with all your fring, Skype®, MSN® Messenger, Google Talk™, ICQ, SIP, Twitter, Yahoo!™ and AIM®* friends using your handset’s internet connection. "

Translation- Fring brings VOIP to the iPhone in a HUGE way. We’ve already loaded it and are making some test calls. So far- so good.

We’ll be back with more information on the experience soon.

In the meantime, you can get it HERE.

According to Forbes magazine the iPhone has emerged as the most popular eBook reader in the United States. What is surprising is that the finding was based on the number of downloads of the Stanza reader NOT eReader.

The numbers are amazing. Stanza (a favorite of Jamie’s) has been downloaded 395,000 times while the Amazon Kindle has sold 380,000 so far. I have to imagine that the gap would grow far far bigger if downloads of eReader (my eBook reader of choice), were added to the mix.

Like the Kindle, Stanza and eReader can download a book over the air.  Stanza and eReader also have the added benefit of always being with you (so long as you always carry your iphone) and, oh yeah, the applications are FREE.

In Kindle’s defense, moving from a "dead tree" edition to the Kindle is far less a stretch, since the Kindle has a generous screen.  Still though, the numbers are pretty amazing.

While I know it is an aquired taste, I am enjoying having my iPhone and touch as my reader more and more.  Now I just need some time to kick back in front of a fire with a good iPhone.

via TUAW
 

reQall, the amazing web-based memory aid service just updated the iPhone/iPod Touch app again. This update isn’t as big as previous one but it does add some important optimization to the service that makes it easy to create to-do lists, appointments, shopping lists and visual reminders.

With reQall’s Memory Jogger you can just shake your iPhone to jog your memory.
With its voice recognition, reQall understands key words like "buy" and "meet" and places shopping items, to-dos, appointments and ideas in their proper place.
Recent updates have added to the speed, stability and usefulness of reQall and this update is no exception.

The update…

–improves stability, performance, and data synchronization.
–allows you to delete items before they are synced to your reQall account

UPDATED: Version 2.0 of Note2Self is live in the App Store now. You can get it HERE.

There are numerous apps that take voice notes (including Evernote and YouNote).  They work well, but because they are not dedicated voice note apps they are limited feature-wise. There are even voice note apps, such as Jott and reQall, that will transcribe what you say. Although they too work well, they limit your recording time to 15 or 30 seconds.

Then, there is Note2Self.

Note2Self is a powerful dedicated voice note app that is worth having EVEN if you use Evernote, reQall, or Jott (as I do).

Why?  Because as a dedicated voice note app, Note2Self work’s far better and faster than any other voice app I have tried.  With it, you can start a voice note just by raising the iPhone to your ear and end it by lowering the device.  This is a huge convenience.  Note2Self also compresses and sends voice notes faster than any other app I have tried.

Best of all, Note2Self version 2.0 is awaiting approval for release in the App Store and it brings the app to new levels –

I never thought I would see the day, but I am seriously considering jailbreaking my iPhone 3G.

"Why?"  Because as Apple seems to further limit which applications are allowed on the iPhone (or perhaps they are just enforcing what was already on the books) there are numerous apps and features that are out of bounds.

For example–

We just received an email from Pandora letting us know that the Senate passed the Webcaster Settlement Act of 2008.  H.R. 7084, as it is called, made it through both houses of Congress. The bill allows Pandora and internet broadcasters like it to continue to negotiate fair royalties fees. This means Pandora and other internet radio stations will likely come to a fee structure that works and remain on the "air".

The note read-

The iPod Touch continues to be a bit of an enigma to me and I’m not totally sure Apple knows WHAT they want it to be.

Let’s look at a quick history of its 13 months in existence.

Apple initially released the Touch as a “Touchscreen iPod”.

A few months later, Apple moved it into the realm of “PDA” when Apple made apps like mail and notes available (for a price).

When July 11th hit and the App Store finally opened for business, the Touch entered it third phase. Now it could do more things than ever imagined. In essence the touch became the first mainstream MID (mobile Internet device).

Last month, rumors swirled that the Touch was about to take a leap forward once again. This time the rumors suggested GPS and bluetooth might be coming. The iPod Touch was about to become everything the UMPC had tried to be. It was a far cry from the “touchscreen iPod” of the previous year.

Then the Gen 2 Touch was released. The updates of an on-board speaker and hardware volume controls were nice but the GPS was no where to be found and Apple began to position it differently AGAIN.

So what exactly IS an iPod Touch???

We recently reviewed Maildash (we liked it) and updated our review of Quicksend (we went from hating it to liking it).

Not surprisingly, we received a question yesterday asking us which we would recommend (since you really don’t need more than one such app).

So, which WOULD we recommend?  It would definitely have to be…

In a surprising but, we suspect welcomed, move, Apple just announced they will drop the NDA for approved applications.

This is a HUGE deal. Last week, I was speaking confidentially to one developer who commented that one of the most difficult things about develping their apps is the inability to speak to other developers and learn form their tricks AND mistakes. Basically the message I got was

"We are trying to play by the rules but the rules are making it rather difficult to deliver the best products to users of our app."

Well, that all changed with Apple’s release of the following note-