Web Worker Daily

It’s WebWorkerDaily’s fault that I’ve bought an iPod touch (s aapl). (That’s my excuse, anyway.) As I looked at potential subjects to write about, I kept seeing cool apps, and I need to be able to test them, right?

But why not buy an iPhone, or a Palm Pre, which I’d had my eye on for several months? The Pre seems to be a good phone, but it doesn’t yet have the apps that the iPhone does. And the monthly fees for Pre service are considerably higher than what I’m paying now. The iPhone’s monthly fees are even higher, and many folks I’ve talked to don’t find it to be a very good phone.

So, keeping my current phone and buying an iPod touch seemed like a good compromise. I can get good Wi-Fi coverage in most areas where I live, so I’ll be able to go online, even without the phone function.

Many of my WWD colleagues already have iPhones. Aliza has recently written about good apps for web workers. Dawn’s shared her favorites, too. But with the holidays coming up, here are some of my ideas for apps to put on that brand-new iPhone or iPod touch: Read the rest of this entry »

Nimbuzz has launched a premium calling service called NimbuzzOut that adds the ability to use the mobile messaging client to make calls to wireless and landline phones worldwide, as reported by Om over on GigaOM.

Om has been using the pre-release version of NimbuzzOut for about a month and recommends it for making cheap international calls — the call quality is good and the app is easy to use. Check out Om’s post for full details.

Have you tried NimbuzzOut? What do you think of the call quality?

There’s not much in a web worker’s life that beats a cheap or free phone service. Perhaps a supporting role in one of David Pogue’s next iPhone video musicals might, but odds are slim. Especially for me and my voice. Or maybe it’s because I have a face for podcasting, I don’t know. I do know however, that the iPhone Mr. Pogue sang about many moons ago can be a powerful VoIP tool if you have the right applications installed. Here’s a quick look, complete with links to the iTunes App Store, at four inexpensive or downright free solutions that are worthy productivity contenders.

Read the rest of this entry »