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QuickSend Sends Simple, One-Hand Emails from Your iPhone
Posted by Adam Pash at 7:00 AM on July 19, 2008
iPhone/iPod touch only: Free application QuickSend creates and sends simple emails in a flash through a one-hand-friendly interface. When you fire up the app, you get two scrollable sections: the first with email addresses of your contacts and the second with messages. Line up the two you want and tap the Email It button. QuickSend launches a new email with the necessary fields auto-populated, and all you have to do is hit send. While it's a great app for one-handed emails, it could use some improvements. First, if you've got a lot of contacts, finding the right address in the unsorted list is a pain. Second, this really seems best suited for an SMS-integrated application, since these are the sorts of messages you want to send when someone isn't necessarily at their computer. Either way it's a good start. QuickSend is freeware, requires an iPhone or iPod touch running 2.0 firmware.
Most everyone seems to love the iPhone, but the same can't be said for Apple's MobileMe service, which has performed so badly at launch that the company even issued an uncharacteristic apology. If MobileMe is driving you nuts, or you just don't fancy the annual service fee, blogger Beau Giles 
Lots of publishers and developers are pushing their content onto the iPhone, but not everything necessarily takes advantage of the format. Travel publisher Lonely Planet's audio phrasebooks are a logical inclusion however, including both written and pronounced versions of common phrases in 10 different language versions. The phrasebooks are selling for $12.99, but as an Olympic promotion you can download the Mandarin version for free until August 24. [
If you're a free software lover who's concerned about your privacy and the limitations of 
iPhone/iPod touch only: Mocha VNC Lite, the latest free utility added to the iTunes App Store, is one of those great programs that jailbreak enthusiasts probably thought would never appear in official form. Having arrived, however, it's a simple, easy to use tool for remote-controlling a Windows, Mac, or Linux system from your palm, with full keyboard access, double-click abilities, and support for 32-bit colours. You can flip your phone to landscape for widescreen desktops, and zoom in and scroll just like you would with a Safari web page. The only apparent restrictions on this "Lite" version are a lack of support for right clicks, a QWERTY-only keyboard, and no macros, but for controlling your media centre or desktop from another room, Mocha should work just fine. Mocha VNC Lite is a free download for 2.0 iPhones and iPod touches only.
It's hardly news that the bucketloads of applications (rather than 3G) are the biggest selling point for iPhone 2.0, but now we've got the official numbers. According to Apple, 10 million applications were downloaded from the store in its first three days of operation. To find the best programs amidst the sea of options out there (which includes, scarily, 
iPhone/iPod touch only: Free music discovery service Last.fm has launched its own iPhone/iPod touch 2.0 app, and it does exactly what you'd hope it would, with a few caveats. The interface is straightforward and simple, at least for experienced Last.fm users—launch the app, then choose from your "Recommended Radio" or enter an artist name to hear other tracks you might like. You can ban, skip, or "Love" tracks while they're playing, and get artist bios and other information. The big downside (inherent to the iPhone) is the lack of backgroung playing, so you've got to keep the Last.fm app up while you're streaming your music. At the same time, the app makes Safari recognise direct 
iPhone/iPod touch only: Freeware application Light, created by Lifehacker alumnus Erica Sadun, has one simple use and purpose—projecting a blank white screen onto your iPhone or iPod Touch. Depending on how bright you keep your screen normally, this turns it into a low-powered, omni-directional flashlight. Sounds silly, and it kind of is, but I can attest to the usefulness of a white-screened iPod touch, even at the standard brightness setting, for navigating a household in the dark, as long as you don't mind the battery loss. If you're resisting a 2.0 upgrade this week (or just haven't been able to get one), you could also try stopping a web page from loading in Safari, or use the "Settings" screen for a reasonably bright substitute. Light is a free app for the iPhone or iPod touch running the 2.0 software update.
Has to be Hold On!, a button which times how long you can, um, hold it down, to "improve your concentration skills." 
