Welcome back! It's good to see you again. Please note that I am now publishing all new material at my hub site: In Context Blog

After getting laid off for the second time in three months, programmer Daniel Higginbotham knew he had to make job hunting less stressful. So, he built Happy Job Search (www.happyjobsearch.com), a tool for keeping track of the tens or even hundreds of job listings people encounter when looking for a job.

“The first time I got laid off, I made a lot of mistakes. I emailed some organizations twice and a few times forgot to attach my cover letter. I had to keep track of when to send a follow-up in my head. It was very stressful. This tool allowed me to approach the job search in a methodical, intelligent way. It also showed me how much effort I had put into job hunting, which felt good,” Daniel said.

Happy Job Search also allows you to keep track of your cover letter and “interview reminders” - those bits of information you want to have fresh in your mind before an interview.

Happy Job Search is completely free.

The Lovely Bride is using this service right now while she is looking for a new job, and I will do my best to - ah - help her write a post about it.

Kelly at Web Design Schools Guide points out a very useful list of iPhone applications:

Whether you’re running a small business, or just trying to knock out your daily to-do list, we can all use a little help being more productive. For those with an iPhone there are a wide array of instantly download-able applications that can help you get more done in less time. For this article we’ve sorted through hundreds of applications to bring you 20 lesser known iphone apps which are designed to make your day to day life easier and make you more productive.

Using the iPhone for Organization

From basic to do lists to homework these are a few ways to help you get organized:

1. Jott: Tired of to do lists and sticky notes. You can turn your voice into text and place it into your lists on your iphone. After you have completed the task you can cross them off with a quick finger strike.
2. SplashID: With so many passwords and usernames it is hard to keep track of them all. You can now have them at quick reference. You can store them under a record type created by you.

Read the whole thing.

Early Look: Top 10 Android Apps - Website Magazine Consumer Corner - Website Magazine

T-Mobile released the G1 mobile phone to the public this week, the first true competitor to the iPhone. And what makes the G1 a legitimate threat is Google’s Android operating system, complete with apps, just like the iPhone. But Android apps will play a significant role in attempting to dethrone the iPhone - mostly because its open source, developers will face less scrutiny and easier acceptance for app creations, and because Android apps will eventually work across more networks, and more phones. So, let’s take a peek at some of the early apps, ranked somewhat loosely in popularity according to Website Magazine’s Peter Prestipino’s shiny new G1. The numbers are current as of this writing. (If the apps below are not linked, it’s because the Android website is not displaying them, but they are available through the G1 itself.)

1. ShopSavvy: 10,000-50,000 downloads, 538 ratings (4.5/5 stars). Scan barcodes with your camera and find the best prices on the Internet, and at nearby stores. We recently wrote a review about a similar, non-Android application, with mixed results. My guess is that the Android app is much more capable.
2. The Weather Channel: 10,000-50,000 downloads, 432 ratings (4.5/5 stars). No surprise here, and the name pretty much sums it up.
3. MySpace Mobile: 10,000-50,000 downloads, 348 ratings (3.5/5 stars). Again, the name says it all. What’s interesting is that this is the lowest rated (by stars) app on the list. It’s unclear whether that’s because of its functionality, or the G1’s audience.
4. WikiMobile Encyclopedia: 10,000-50,000 downloads, 125 ratings (4/5 stars). Over two million articles, including images. “Faster and uses just a fraction of the network data vs. the Android browser.”
5. T-Mobile HotSpot: 10,000-50,000 downloads, 146 ratings (4/5 stars). Automatically determines when you are in a T-Mobile WiFi hotspot, enabling the user to connect that way instead of the 3G network, saving battery power. Theoretically, would also allow a connection to Skype, saving on minutes.
6. Accuweather: 5,000-10,000 downloads, 205 ratings (4/5 stars). Not much information on this one yet, but one forum I read found that this app was “way better than The Weather Channel app.” Accuweather app includes a live Doppler radar map, also according to the forum.
7. Compare Everywhere: 5,000-10,000 downloads, 205 ratings (4/5 stars). Similar to ShopSavvy - scan barcodes, find out if you’re getting a good deal. Includes reviews, shopping lists and wish lists. The personal favorite of Website Magazine’s editor - and his wife’s.
8. Pro Football Live: 5,000-10,000 downloads, 119 ratings (4/5 stars). A football fan site, with live updates and scoring, news, photos and a personalized home page.
9. Translate: 5,000-10,000 downloads, 81 ratings (4/5 stars). Language translator - type in a word or phrase and get the translation in the language you select. Supports 150 language pairs.
10. PicSay: 5,000-10,000 downloads, 126 ratings (4.5/5 stars). An on-the-fly photo editor. Distort images, add shading and effects, speech bubbles and props to your photos, then share them with friends via email, your blog or online phot sharing sites.

Keep in mind that these are actual applications, and not games. However, many of these applications have more ratings than games and just as many downloads (at least as far as we can tell from the less than precise download numbers.) It’s interesting to note that two on this list are shopping services. It perhaps indicates that the G1 audience is a little more business- or consumer-oriented than the iPhone - also indicated by the low rating of the MySpace app. It might also be a sign that mobile e-commerce is going to heat up, now that consumers are armed with more viable tools.

I was recently contacted by the the OnePlace Chaos Management System, created by former High Jump Software CTO, and current Riverock Technologies CEO, Steve Kickert. They have a 30-day free trial going for using the OnePlace system, so I thought I would give it a shot and perhaps review it for you all.

Recently reviewed by web consultant Steve Borsch in MinnPost, this ground-breaking online project management software combines team collaboration, information sharing and management features in its goal to eliminate the chaos felt in all aspects of a team’s business life.

Here is a snippet from Borsch’s post:

What did I like about OnePlace?

It’s easy to use, and within 15 minutes, I’d used most of the key features that enabled project/task management; time tracking; reporting; calendar; discussions; file sharing; notes; lists and more.

I loved the iPhone interface. Connecting what we do on our desktop computers or laptops to Internet/web server functionality “in the cloud,” isn’t enough when we carry around devices like an iPhone (or the rumored touch tablet) and other small devices growing in penetration.

Let me remind you, OnePlace is not a sponsor, nor do I receive any compensation for posting this. I signed up on Saturday and decided to share this with you. If any of you would like to give it a try as well, please click on info.oneplacehome.com/projectmanagement.

On the other hand, (in the interest of full disclosure) Wrike.com is a sponsor, and I have also signed up for the new Enterprise version, which I will be reviewing in the next week or so. I do like the Wrike system very much, and wrote a review of the original platform here [link].

Highlights

The unlimited users feature is definitely one of Wrike’s strongest. As a person who does not have a lot of group-interactive work to manage (UPDATE: Hoo boy, I do now!), I tend to have more of the one-off projects that require a short period of collaboration between users in different parts of the world. You can create a Project (Group) and a task by email.

I also like the automatic updates and the feature of uploading and attaching a document as part of a task. Each time this document is downloaded and changed, the user can upload the new version and a record is created that retains each successive version. Each Group can have all of the data needed for the project’s completion right at hand, whether it is a text file, a spreadsheet, or even images.

Feel free to come back and share your thoughts and comments!