While NetNewsWire continues to be my RSS reader app of choice, I have been toying with the idea of switching to Byline. The reason?

Once I add a post to "clippings" in NetNewsWire there is currently no way to access it from the iPhone app. That kind of defeats the "read it later" aspect of adding something to clippings.

This morning I realized that one work-around is to take screeen caps of the post in questions. While this awkward process often requires multiple screen caps for posts longer than one "screen’s worth", it is effective and does work. The better option, of course, would be NetNewsWire adding this functionality to the app.

Of more interest was a post on the NetNewsWire blog. It listed some current user stats. According to the post…

I knew the iPhone/iPod Touch was a good gaming device. I didn’t know HOW good until last night, though.

Out of curiousity I downloaded demos of Pangea’s Billy Frontier and Cro-Mag Rally. I didn’t try the iPhone versions mind you, but rather, I downloaded the Mac versions to my iMac and was amazed at the similaritites. The Mac and iPhone versions look, feel and play THE SAME! (In fact, the image above looks like it comes from the iPhone game but it is actually a picture of my Mac!)

Then I bought Enigmo for the iPhone and loaded a copy of it the desktop version that I got with an application bundle. All I can say is "WOW!" Wow as in, "I am absolutely blown away, I can’t believe they were able to get this onto an iPhone, this is stunning- WOW!". Both the graphics and the physics of the iPhone version are remarkable!

Since all but Enigmo were demo versions I don’t know if there are as many levels in the iPhone versions or not but I do know this- if there were any doubt that the iPhone/Touch runs a real version of Mac OS X before, there aren’t now. If there were any doubt that the iPhone/Touch renders graphics beautifully, there aren’t now either.

It was kind of mindblowing to realize that the iPhone version is the same as the Mac version… on a smaller screen.

Now two bits of good news come from Pangea…

So, I’m back from my iPhone-enhanced roadtrip. Along the way (600ish miles since last night) there were a number of applications that were incredibly helpful. Before I post on that, though I want to talk a little bit more about entertainment.

Yes, I listen to music on the way back but I also had the opportunity to catch up on some podcasts. About an hour into my trip home I realized I had missed my favorite Sunday morning news programs. Of course I could watch at home tonight since my iMac recorded them using eyeTV, but I realized… why wait if I didn’t have to.

So I turned on my iPhone, started the “Podcaster”, typed "Meet the" into the search window and within 3 seconds the app asked if I wanted to subscribe to "Meet The Press". I subscribed and within 35 seconds was listening to this morning’s broadcast. (Depressing stuff talking about the financial meltdown, the current government bail and the future of the country… but that’s besides the point.)

I can’t recommend Podcaster strongly enough. It is one app EVERYONE should have on their iPhone…

Oh, wait… that’s not possible is it?

I ended up having to take a bit of a road trip this weekend. 4 1/2 hours last night, another hour to my destination this morning and then 5-6 hours home later today. Not terribly much in the scheme of things but certainly more than I am used to driving. What I discovered came as no surprise… the iPhone makes for a great traveling companion.

Yesterday’s drive was actually rather nice. It was a beautiful fall day in the Northeast, the roads were pretty much clear and my iPhone kept me entertained throughout most of the 4 1/2.

On July 11th, the iPhone (finally) gained access to native instant messaging. There were a number of services immediately available. The one I chose–  AIM.

It’s a simple app that works well enough. In fact, the biggest issue with AIM is the inability to run in the background- but that is Apple’s fault not AIMs.

This morning, however, Palringo, another IM client, was updated.

Palringo is a “rich” messaging service which means

not only can you send text-based messages to your contacts, but also pictures and vocal instant messages.

Since it works with tons of services, including iChat, AOL’s AIM, Google Talk, Yahoo! Messenger, Gadu Gadu, ICQ, Jabber and Windows Live Messenger, Palringo sounds like a one-stop IM shop.

Best of all, Palringo’s iPhone client apparently remains connected for a short period even if you navigate from the app. This means, for example, you can check email or take a call and return to Palringo without losing your connection.

?The update makes it even more powerful and includes some of the following additions–

“When you were talking about apps for your iPhone I didn’t realize the kind of garbage to which you were referring.“ said my father-in-law with more than a bit of a perplexed look yesterday.

What a great conversation starter! 

Turns out he had just read an article in the current edition of Fortune Magazine entitled ”Is Your iPhone Cool Enough?“ The article lists some of the sillier apps and discusses the challenge of transforming such Apps into real-life dinero.

As one Bay Area technology tester is quoted to say, ”We’re all amazed that people are trying to monetize stupidity,“ 

And stupid the article highlights.

A box toward  the bottom of the article lists the ”Top 10 Must-Have iPhone Apps“. Included on the list are such apps as iLightr, RimShot and Wooo Button.
It is no wonder my father-in-law was suddenly perplexed as to how and why I am spending what little free time I have on an iPhone app site.

And THAT is the problem…

It has been almost two months since Pandora, our favorite music app, was updated from its initial release to Version 1.1.

The iPhone app worked well from the start but with each update it gets incrementally better.

I’m actually a bit surprised by how often I turn to Pandora when I want to listen to music these days. It works especially well in the car. I plug in the stereo’s aux in plug, fire up Pandora and I am good to go. 3G streaming of my both favorites and new discoveries fill the air.

Well, Pandora just got updated to Version 1.2 and this new version makes great even great.

The update includes…

By far my favorite writing app for the iPhone and iPod Touch is WriteRoom. I love the clean simplicity of it. I love the fact it shifts from portrait to landscape by simply tilting the device. (This is key to actually using the iPhone/Touch to compose text since because I find that I am far faster and more accurate in landscape than portrait.)

No, WriteRoom isn’t as full featured as my other favorite writing app TextGuru, and it doesn’t have cool input system like WritingPad  but here’s the thing- It isn’t supposed to be.

Like WriteRoom for the Mac, WriteRoom for iPhone is meant to be quick, simple and distraction-free. And it does it beautifully. Add to that the cool approach it takes to file sharing and you have a real winner.

Over on the HogBaySoftware site (yes, that IS the name), WriteRoom guru Jesse Grosjean posted news that WriteRoom.iPhone 1.1 is awaiting approval for admission into the App Store. The update promises to make my favorite writing app even better. 

The update includes

(This is off focus but important.)

You know the usb adapter that shipped with the iPhone 3G?

The one where you looked at it, and then the one you got with your IPhone "Classic", and thought,

"Man did Apple go cheap here to save a few cents!"

Well, that small, cheap-looking adapter was apparently smaller and cheaper than anyone knew. But it won’t be saving Apple any money now.

It seems that

"under certain conditions the new ultracompact Apple USB power adapter’s metal prongs can break off and remain in a power outlet, creating a risk of electric shock."

That’s right…  it’s recall time folks.

Thanks to the iPhone and some terrific apps there are a number of activities that have almost entirely shifted away from my desktop and onto my handheld. Among them… checking eBay.

At its initial release the eBay Mobile iPhone/Touch app was pretty good. It let you see what you were selling and looking to buy and that was enough. After a few updates, however, it is pretty terrific. 

The updates include-