Download Squad

Our favorite Web 2.0 company, 37Signals, must be working overtime these days.  They have announced the availability of an API for their popular Basecamp project collaboration product.  With this API, Basecamp users will be able to unleash their creativity in developing OS X dashboard widgets and Yahoo! widgets, or just generally hooking up Basecamp to all kinds of external systems.

Not to rest on their accomplishments, the crew over at 37Signals also signalled that calendaring will soon be added to Backpack.  For Backpack fanatics, this was the most requested feature on the popular list tracking web site.  Some would even say that calendaring is the missing link on Backpack.

While all this is exciting, it does make us wonder when we can expect Sunrise, their CRM application?

Now that the excitement has died down, software products are starting to appear that are 'tuned' for the UMPC's form factor.  Yes, we know that Microsoft has made is a point to tell everyone who will listen that the UMPC's greatest appeal is that it can run any Windows XP application.  While that may be true, the smallish screen size of the UMPC made us wonder how we'd squeeze some of our favorite applications into such small digs.  While it looks like some applications from Microsoft (namely OneNote) will account for the new screen real estate, an entirely new cadre of applications are being readied to fill the (smaller) void.

One of the first applications to be released that is UMPC sensitive is abletFactory's abletFoodCalc.  FoodCalc is a nutritional calculator for keeping track of your eating habits while on the go.  FoodCalc comes with a large database of nutritional values for foods that will allow you to quickly accumulate your daily consumption habits with your UMPC.  This sounds interesting enough, although we're forced to ask one practical question:  Since input on the UMPC is mostly hand driven, won't our precious UMPC get 'all greased up' if we enter food data all day?  Well, it seems like a sure opening for another UMPC accessory, the UMPC sanitizer.

Like many of you, much of my daily work pattern revolves around Microsoft Outlook.  Over the years, I've grown accustomed to Outlook, and have an understanding of its strengths and limitations.  One of the biggest limitations has been the ability quickly file inbox messages.  Outlook lets you build rules to auto fule stuff, but those rules tend to be pretty rigid.  Plus, I'm not a fan of auto filing, at minimum I want to glance at any incoming subject line before I banish it to a sub-folder.  Drag and drop is slow, and the built in filing command isn't powerful enough to give you folder options as you search. 

The last couple of days I've been testing a new, tiny application called SpeedFiler.  SpeedFiler does one thing, and it does it well.  The Outlook Add-in gracefully extends Outlook's filing command (Ctrl Shift v) with a smart window that narrows your folder list as you type.  This means you don't have to go searching for the appropriate folder by scrolling through a huge list of folders. Nice.  Need to get to a folder quickly?  Just begin typing the folder name in the SpeedFiler toolbar and optional folder names begin to autopopulate.  Cool stuff.

SpeedFiler can also be setup to request a folder to file sent mail, every time you send a message.  SpeedFiler has quickly become a part of my routine.  If you want to check it out, you can download a trial copy, valid for 30 days.  To purchase, SpeedFiler will set you back $19.95

Sometimes the simplest applications make us smile.  Around here, we're generally not too fond of funky interfaces or whiz-bang graphics on every piece of software.  That is especially the case for PDA applications.  Take, for example, this wonderfully made donationware application called Flight Status.  Developed by some high school kid (Andrew), Flight Status fills a great gap on the Treo platform for the mobile professional.  You punch in your flight number and airline, and it sends you back real time flight status.  Don't remember the flight number?  No probs, just select the airline, departure and arrival airports, and it'll get the rest.  Simply said, it works.  Andrew has done a great job in designing a simple GUI, but we are wondering one thing:  When did a high school kid start thinking about mobile professionals?  Thanks to Eric Mack for the link.

While the Tablet PC world may still be considered a niche space, there are some really interesting applications that have been developed for tablets that cross boundries into the mundane computing world.  One of these is Agilix's GoBinder.  Agilix has just released a radically updated version of its note-taking, file storing, PIM capable flagship product.  Designed primarily for the college student (it has integration into the Blackboard course system used by many universities), GoBinder is a heck of a tool for all types of packrats and copious note-takers.  GoBinder 2006 takes a very strong inking capability, and expands it by building, from ground up, a totally new architecture.  This new architecture is designed for users to trade notes and forms through a WebDav syncing capability.  That means those of you who are still in college, and may skip a class or two, you can have notes from your friends synched right into your GoBinder.  In addition to that, the Calendar, Contacts, and Tasks capabilities get a major overhaul with this release.  You don't need to own a Tablet PC to take full advantage of this great application, as its features are great for anyone looking for a place to keep all their notes and stuff.  You can download a trial here; it will set a student back $49.95 and for the rest of us, it costs $99.95.