Windows only: If installing Service Pack 1 for Outlook 2007 has caused your personal data manager to freeze and stall, Defrost Outlook is definitely worth the small download. The plugin, developed by one programmer's study of post-SP1 problems, fixes at least one lockup-causing issue with receiving HTML-formatted meetings and appointments by slightly re-formatting them. There are, of course, other bugs that cause freezes, and the author aims to incorporate them in future releases. For now, though, this app can't hurt to try. Defrost Outlook is a free download for Windows systems only.

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The Mysticgeek blog at the How-To Geek's site has a clever series of posts up that use free software tools to give Windows Vista Home Premium—the version that most often ships with standard laptops—the same kind of super-user powers you get with a copy of Ultimate. Mysticgeek uses FileHamster to replicate Ultimate's "Shadow Copy" function, installing a DreamScene power toy to get moving backgrounds, and DriveIMage XML to create sturdy backups (as Gina once detailed). Hit the link below for the FileHamster tutelage; and check out part 1 and part 2 for the other tweaks. What other tweaks do you use to add Ultimate-like features to your copy of Vista? Share them in the comments.

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While dozens more are bound to emerge in the next few weeks, Australian banks appear to have been the first local organisations to get onto the iPhone 2.0 bandwagon. ANZ has rolled out a specialised version of its site for the iPhone, which should be auto-detected if you access the site via the phone. The feature set is currently limited to contact and branch location features; ANZ has promised balance checking and transfers in a future release. You can access the regular Internet banking features on the phone using the standard site via iPhone Safari, though how well that would work on the smaller screen is debatable.
A more specialised application is the Commonwealth Bank's CommSec share trading application, which has been customised to use the touchscreen interface. We've not tested either yet; if you've got good or bad experiences to share, let us know in the comments.

While Gmail users might favour the sort-nothing-and-search-when-you-need-it approach, there's still a lot to be said for moving mail into folders, especially if it's from a mailing list or other regular source. But how many folders should you have to ensure you're not overwhelmed by unread mail in loads of locations? In a post discussing ways of controlling email overflow, Microsoft blogger Doug offers his suggestion:

Set up a few folders to automatically send system emails to: status reports, system issues. Set up a few folders for key projects, key emails from your managers, personal emails, FYI's. But limit yourself. Say, no more than 12.

Personally, I have a lot more folders than that -- more like 40 -- though probably 10 or so of those are archival and could be collapsed without my really caring. What do you think the optimal number of email folders is? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Dear Brother: This is how I tamed my email [Inside Office Online]

On the face of it, Vodafone's iPhone plans don't look particularly cheap and doesn't offer any free Wi-Fi hotspots, but it turns out that there's a catch you may be able to use to get a lot more data. Futurist Mark Pesce, an existing Vodafone customer, realised that his current cap plan could be spent on data as well as voice and text. While this isn't mentioned anywhere in Vodafone's explanations of its iPhone plans on its site, Pesce asked for the full printed terms and conditions in store, and it turns out that this also applies to the iPhone: you can spend your cap on data for 12 cents a megabyte (with a 50 cent minimum each time).
So if you're not planning on making heaps of calls, you can spend your cap value on data instead, and potentially get several gigabytes without spending anything extra. If you want to do this, insist on seeing the printed terms and conditions in store and get them acknowledged by the salesperson, to save any possible billing arguments later. If you try this at a Vodafone store, let us know how it works for you in the comments. (Thanks Mark!)

Windows only: The My Mobiler desktop application controls your Windows Mobile device through its Active Sync connection. We've already covered the GetPDAScreen program, which allows you to see your mobile device remotely and capture the screen, but My Mobiler adds so many more features. What you see in the desktop application is real time and you can interact with your mobile device using the mouse and keyboard as through you were holding the phone in your hand. It has screenshot and video capture capabilities as well as the ability to cut and paste between the phone and desktop environment. The MyMobiler desktop interface even has the ability to emulate the physical keys on the phone which lets you fully interact with the device. My Mobiler is a free download for Windows only. Thanks, joelena and fellow savvy readers!

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As last telco off the rank to release its full iPhone pricing, you'd think Telstra might have had a few surprises up its sleeve. Unfortunately, it's no surprise that its deals turn out to be the worst value of the lot, reflecting its commitment to charging a premium for access to its Next G network. Click after the jump for our analysis of the available Telstra options.

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Adventurous iPhone users willing to jailbreak their device have had third-party applications for almost a year now—so now that the App Store's open, you may be thinking: So what? Truth is, the iPhone 2.0 software update and its App Store offerings actually are something to talk about. The 2.0 software update has introduced better applications, better app management, and tons of otherexcellent features worth the upgrade, but they still haven't made jailbreaking obsolete. Here are some ways iPhone 2.0 one-ups jailbreaking, and then the stuff jailbreaking offers that we're still waiting on from Apple.

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Has to be Hold On!, a button which times how long you can, um, hold it down, to "improve your concentration skills." Screenshot, App Store link. [via]

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Windows only: Although the quality of camera phone pictures has increased over time, many camera phones still leave a lot to be desired. If you have a bunch of camera phone pictures you'd really like to keep but the quality seems a bit off, a run through the free Mobile Photo Enhancer might be your saving grace. With single and batch processing, Mobile Photo Enhancer has a host of tweaks to correct problems like low contrast, vignetting at the edges, poor sharpness and artifacts. While it won't make your photos of Mardi Gras revelry look like they were taken with a medium format camera, it will put a little sparkle back in your beads. The Mobile Photo Enhancer is a free download for Windows only.

More than 550 new applications arrived for the iPhone and iPod touch this morning in iTunes' brand new App Store and more than 130 of them are available for free. Today we're taking a look at the best free applications for your iPhone and iPod Touch, available after the 2.0 software update officially arrives (or after you've grabbed the unofficial update). Check out our list after the jump.

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MacRumors unearthed a link to the iPhone 2.0 Software Update which we've confirmed does indeed work, if you can't wait for Apple's official push. Download the update, sync your device, then hold down Option on the Mac (Shift on Windows) when you hit the "Check for Update" button inside iTunes and choose the file you downloaded. The update takes several minutes and will wipe your device and re-sync it. From our tests it only worked on iPhones, not the iPod touch, and it's obviously going to cause problems with any jailbroken iPhones here in Australia. Here's the direct link to download the iPhone 2.0 software update. Thanks, jarhead!

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Windows/Mac/Linux (Adobe Air): MeeBone, an Adobe Air implementation of chat aggregation service Meebo, makes the previously web-only chat service feel like a standard instant messaging app, complete with a skinny buddy list and pop-up chat windows. You can sign into AIM, GChat, MSN, ICQ, or any other service supported by Meebo, and you'll get all the integrated video and voice chat options offered on Meebo's website. It doesn't have all the options of dedicated desktop clients like Pidgin, but it is slick, easy to use, and adds simple video. MeeBone is a free download, requires the Adobe Air platform to run.

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Firefox with Greasemonkey only: The Google Contacts Autocomplete user script adds a drop-down of your Gmail contacts on any web-based email form where you'd enter an address. You must be signed into your Gmail account for the script to work; once it's installed, just start typing into an email text field to get search-as-you-type results from your Gmail address book. The first day or so it was installed, the script did nothing for me—then it magically started working (see screenshot)—so your mileage may vary. When it is working, this is a nifty way to access your contacts quickly and easily. The Google Contacts Autocomplete user script is a free download and requires Firefox with Greasemonkey. Thanks, Matt!

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