Jenneth has been busy over at the Web Worker Daily, this time finding out the best applications to turn your iPhone into a highly-capable business tool.

From the article:

Right now, the iPhone is mostly a consumer-oriented cellphone, but that’s set to change in June when the iPhone 2.0 firmware is released. This will likely add business-friendly features like support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, Cisco IPsec VPN and remote IT configuration and security capabilities. More importantly, it’s going to give iPhone users the ability to download third-party application through the new Apple-run App Store.

This follows her excellent look at turning a Windows Mobile device into a web warrior, capable of making sense of the diversity that is the World Wide Web.

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Got a Canon point-and-shoot? If the answer’s yes, you might have a more powerful camera on your hands than you realise. Wired How-To Wiki has a great article today on how to apply custom firmware on a Canon camera to super-charge its capabilities. The Canon Hacker’s Development Kit (CHDK) can add new features to your camera - like adding the RAW file format and the ability to run scripted actions - as well as enhancing the existing hardware (such as boosting shutter speed from 1/1,600 to 1/60,000 of a second).

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I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about social networking and online presences. I’ve been blogging for over five years, and I’ve loved the whole interactivity of it all, with people providing feedback and comments and contributing to all the various social microcosms around the Internet - a phenomenon that’s certainly accelerated with the rapid growth of social networking communities like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

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Once again, the Gear Diary Team invites you to listen in behind the scenes, while we talk about social networking. We also invite you to continue the conversation in the comments section…

Wayne: Isn’t it about time for a post on the use of Twitter? I see Judie and Joel on there. Anyone else? I find that FriendFeed is a pretty useful tool to keep up on what people are doing. I think techmeme overhyped it a little, but I enjoy seeing in one place what people are writing about, and especially when they post photos and YouTubes.

Do you think this is a passing fad? A lot of this seems pretty “early adopterish”. I know the blogging kings are all over it — but I’m not sure if it has “legs” beyond these hardcore folks that are connected 24×7 to a computer and more open to these faddish ideas.

Will the general public put up with what to many might be an invasion of privacy? Don’t know the answer.

I’m finding that it’s almost a replacement for social bookmark sites like Digg or Delicious, since you are filtering out people who you don’t know and other spammy submissions. It’s also a great way to track favorite writers and online friends.

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I’ve been using an iPhone exclusively for just a little over a month. Do I miss Windows Mobile? No, although in the early days of using it, I missed having a full-fledged PIM manager like Pocket Informant to keep track of my calendar and tasks in one place.

But because I like to shake things up every now and then, I fired up an old smartphone over the weekend - the HTC Artemis - and decided to see if I could possibly go back to using Windows Mobile after having sucked at the teat of Apple. Read on for my findings!

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Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes of the world’s two most popular gadget blogs, Engadget and Gizmodo? In an industry where having a ten-minute scoop on a particular gadget or new technology can drive thousands of additional page views, the cut-throat competition between these two power brokers is quite extraordinary to observe, as detailed in the excellent Wired article Gear Blog Rivals Engadget and Gizmodo Turn the Competition Up to 11.

And like a couple of rival hometown newspapers, Engadget and Gizmodo have seen their competition develop into a full-blown feud, complete with charges of malfeasance and sabotage. Engadget rarely links to Gizmodo, and often it’s to ridicule the site for faulty predictions; Gizmodo’s publisher, blogging impresario Nick Denton, has accused Engadget of being “amateurish” and “gullible.” “I don’t think we are nice or decent to each other,” Lam says. “There is so much animosity, so much pettiness.”

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Twitter account? Guilty. Jaiku account? Guilty. Never update those two microblogs after getting a Facebook page? Guilty.

If you haven’t yet discovered the fun world of microblogging, it’s a great way of keeping tabs on what your friends and online acquaintances are up to without having to make the effort of actually contacting them directly. And vice versa. Depending on the service you’re using, you get a certain number of characters (usually 160) to do with as you will, and the usual style of posts ranges from what you’re currently doing, to how your day’s been, to what mood you’re currently in.

What surprised me is the number of emails I’ve gotten in the last couple of weeks informing me that so-and-so is following my Twitter feed - despite the fact that I haven’t updated it in months! Hmmn, this makes my Internet self feel guilty for not making more of an effort. So I decided to do a bit of research and see whether anyone had come up with a microblogging aggregation service that would let me post one status update that would be pushed out to all of the microblogs. Okay, I lie, I actually just read about said service in my RSS feeds, but it makes me sound more proactive if I say I went out and looked for it!

HelloTxt is a free service that lets you update your status across pretty much all of the Web 2.0 services that offer this feature. The well-known ones like Facebook, Twitter, Jaiku, Plaxo, LinkedIn and Pownce are all on-board, but there are some I’ve never even heard of, like Gozub, Feecle, Fanfou and Meemi. All you have to do is sign in to all of the services you use through HelloTxt, then update your status message from the Dashboard. In my quick tests, updates are pushed out to all the specified services immediately, and there’s also a mobile version that’s optimised for small screen sizes.

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Part of the lure of a being on holiday is the ability to get away from all of your tech distractions. But if you’re reading this site, then you’re probably like me and derive an inordinate amount of enjoyment from having all of your toys and gadgets with you wherever you go. There’s a lot to be said for putting your smartphone, MP3 player, digital camera or laptop away in order to be able to fully soak in your surroundings, but when used in moderation, I think gadgets can actually enhance your travel experience.

There are all sorts of considerations to take into account when travelling with your tech toys. Will it have enough storage for all my photos and music? Is it durable enough to handle the rigours of the road? Will the battery last me until the next time I get to a power outlet? And what happens if my bag gets stolen?

Gadget insurance is something I’ll cover in another post, but the rest of the concerns are easily take care of with the right tech and accessories.

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I saw a pretty ugly crash scene a few days ago in front of my building. A truck had ploughed into the front of a flat across the road, and there was a lot of police and emergency crew milling about. Thankfully no one was hurt, but when my boyfriend asked for my camera to take a photo, I hesitated. Would we get in trouble for taking a photo?

(The photo we took)

This is probably a dilemma that many people face now that cameras are so ubiquitous. Are you allowed to take a photo of that interesting-looking chap at the park, or is it an invasion of privacy? Can you photograph the new donut place at the mall to show your kids, or will a security guard request to confiscate your camera/phone? And are you legally obliged to hand over your camera if someone states you’ve taken photos unlawfully?

If you’re based in the US, Photojojo’s 10 legal commandments of photography will clue you in as to what your rights are.* The law will vary in other countries, but I suspect the rules will be similar if your legal system is based on common law.

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