New iPhone + New Data Plan = Bad Combo

by Catherine L. Tully

This isn’t a good thing.

I’m not going to go over all the details–you can read them for yourself. Long story short–limits on data use are coming. And as a writer–you should be very, very scared.

AT&T has just started charging for data based on useage when it comes to the iPhone. Will this have an impact on you? Probably not…at least…not yet. But as we use mobile devices more and more, we’ll stream video, “tweet”, play music, send e-mail and plug coordinates into our GPS. Data use will continue to rise. And one day in the not too distant future, this harmless ”new plan” will wind up hurting us all.

App developers will stop shooting the moon with their ideas and scale back. After all–who will want to buy an app that will hog the data use allotted for the month? Other companies will start following suit and charging for data use–and before you know it–the limits will go down and the price will go up. You know–like how some fast food places start out serving large portions which then get smaller and smaller as time goes on?

I see nothing good here for the consumer. Save five dollars a month now–and pay 10 (or even more) later on down the road. The fact is that once this door has opened, it could start a whole new chapter in computer use. I see the writing on the wall, and I don’t like it one bit.

I have always dreaded the fact that one day we might get charged for the amount of e-mail we send, or the amount of time we spend on the computer. This is our job. The way we make our living. It makes me very nervous.

Big business is getting greedy again. Watch out.

As for me? I’m going to stay on the iPhone/AT&T plan I have as long as I can–and hope for a revolt. Anybody with me?

Why Hoot Suite Rocks

by Catherine L. Tully

If you are into social media (which you should be in my opinion), you need Hoot Suite. Seriously.

Hoot Suite helps you manage all of your social media accounts from one place, and it has a host of useful features, including:

- The ability to schedule tweets

- Easy updates on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook–all from one page

- The ability to shorten URLs without leaving the page

- Auto complete on your @usernames once you have used them before (I think this may be my fave feature)

- Statistics on how many people click through on the URLs you tweet. And yes–I’m serious!

I tried TweetDeck before, and while I think it looks much better (very slick interface), it is more confusing. I accidentally sent an update meant for Twitter to all of my social media accounts….

Not good.

If you are looking for a simple way to manage your social media without a big learning curve–this is it. I haven’t used the app yet–but there is one available for the iPhone as well. Check it out and you will really be glad you did! No more multiple log-ins and no more time suck. Do it all quick and easy.

I’m loving it!

Freelancing With the Apple iPad

Transparency: Nobody at Freelance-Zone.com has gotten a hands-on with the new Apple iPad. The information we’re presenting here is based on other people’s hands-on experiences with the 10-inch tablet, not our own. But even secondhand information is most helpful in deciding whether to become an early adopter or to wait for the inevitable price cut and major upgrade of the next version.

Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad on Wednesday, showing off its web browsing, e-book and gaming potential. Rather than do a complete rehash of what’s already available at Wired.com, we’ll cut right to the chase and discuss the iPad’s impact on the freelance community.

… Continue Reading

The Tablet Wars Begin

Wired reports an interesting development for the Amazon Kindle. Amazon has opened Kindle to third-party software developers to allow them to create apps for Kindle the way people create apps for the iPhone.

Did you know there’s a Kindle app for the iPhone? Wired speculates that Apple and Amazon are simpatico on this, giving one another a mutual benefit in the name of making sales. In Apple’s case, a Kindle app encourages more sales for the iPhone, in Amazon’s case it’s to sell more Kindle publications.

All this could mean very interesting things for the right freelancers. When Kindle apps that deliver web content start surfacing, does that web content come with a fee? Is the dawn of widespread fee-based content delivery via mobile the wave of the future for freelancing? Let’s put on our prognosticator’s hats for a moment and speculate: … Continue Reading

iPhone Apps For Writers

by Catherine L. Tully

By now most FZ readers know I am a rabid fan of the iPhone and all its wonders. Today I’d like to share some appps that are especially great for writers. Here goes…take your pick:

+ CNET did a piece on apps for writers which gives five good ones to try, including the SAT vocabulary builder and “name shake,” which can generate some names when needed.

+ The Pen and Muse also has some good suggestions. Here you’ll find apps such as BlogPress, which allows you to blog on the go.

+ Also, don’t miss this great post from the Writer’s Technology Companion on apps. (And by the way, visit this site often–it has consistantly great information for writers and other freelancers.)

Freelancer Freebie For iPhone Users: Track Your Snacks

by Catherine L. Tully

Do you find yourself snacking too much throughout the day? Many freelance writers find that it can be hard to stay active when they log so much time on the computer. Eating extra calories is something to try and shy away from, but it can be hard to keep track of how many you are taking in… … Continue Reading

iPhone Screenshots

I fully realize that for some iPhone users, this is a “no duh” moment, but as I’ve just discovered this (being the slow deep features discoverer that I am) I thought I would pass it along.

How many times have you been surfing a freelance writing resource on the go, a cool logo you want to emulate, or perhaps looking at a writing job on Craigslist and wished you could just get a screen shot for later review?

iPhone screenshots are easy–just click the Home button (the round one below the screen, feh) and the Sleep button (at the top of the iPhone on the right) and you’ve just done a screen capture. The image is stored in the Photo section along with all the others. Voila!

Mac Hack for iPhone Loving Travel Writers

Here’s a secret you should know about the iPhone 3G. If you are a travel writer with some international travel coming up, you can spare yourself some nasty surprises on your next AT&T bill by turning off your roaming and deactivating Fetch New Data. That’s the “no duh” part of the advice. What might come as a surprise to some iPhone 3G users (mostly the new ones) is that you can turn your iPhone into the equivalent of an iPod Touch by using Airplane Mode (where no signals are received or sent) AND turning on Wi-Fi.

Step One: Turn on Airplane Mode to render your iPhone incapable of transmission or reception.

Step Two: Once Airplane Mode is on, go into the menu and turn ON Wi-Fi mode. Now you can get signals via wi-fi hotspots AND block incoming calls. It’s not just handy for preventing you from accidentally roaming on the cellular network, it’s also great when you just want to hop on and check your e-mail and do a bit of surfing without being hassled every ten minutes by a ringing phone.

When you’re done with Wi-Fi mode, you can turn it off manually, but deselecting Airplane Mode turns off Wi-Fi automatically when using with this “hack”.

Brilliant, eh?

Incase Power Slider for iPhone 3G

by Joe Wallace

We haven’t test-driven the Incase Power Slider yet, but the potential for this third-party phone case/battery pack is just what the doctor ordered for iPhone addicts at Freelance-Zone.  The Incase Power Slider is two things in one–a protective case for the iPhone 3G, plus a battery pack which the marketing hype claims will “more than double” the life of your iPhone battery.

I won’t go so far as to say that all good freelancers should be using the iPhone, since there are Sprint products which rival the iPhone 3G’s ability to stay connected, respond to editors, and keep you in the game no matter where you go. But some of us are Mac addicts, plain and simple. The Incase Power Slider does add a bit of bulk to the phone (based on customer reviews I’ve been poring over) but no more than you might expect from any other third-party addon for the iPhone. One customer review warns of increased heat from the unit when charging, so it seems best to babysit the Incase for the first couple of charges until you know what to expect.

The idea that I can get double the amount of surf and talk time out of my iPhone 3g is pretty tempting. The Incase Power Slider sells for about $80, a worthy investment if the reviews are to be believed. I’m getting one…look for a review in this space soon.

Previously Featured On Oprah: Grammar Girl

I can’t say enough about Grammar Girl. I stumbled across her podcast when I first got my iPhone and really enjoyed it. Every single writer out there can always use a little help when it comes to grammar, and this resource provides quick, easy bites of it that are not only useful, but clever. She has been featured on Oprah, in the New York Times and other major publications. Check out her site and brush up on your grammar–and while you are there, sign up for her “tip of the day”.

Introducing The iPhone 3GS

Those Freelance-Zone readers who have been around for a while already know that I am a big iPhone lover. I use this tool for many different things, and it has saved me in many work-related situations. I use the calendar, I love the e-mail on the go function and I can’t get enough of the “apps”.

This is all news of course because yesterday Apple announced the iPhone 3GS. This is the latest version of the phone and some of the new features include:

• Voice control
• Video recording
• 16 or 32 GB of storage
• Choice of black or white color
• 3 megapixel camera with autofocus
• Photo and video geotagging

See all the details here. New updates released with this version of the phone include a cut and paste feature, landscape keyboard and a “remote wipe” capacity that allows you to remove all your personal data if you lose your phone. (Getting it back on is as simple as synching the phone to your computer.) The best news for writers may well be the fact that the iPhone 3G price now drops to $99. If you want an iPhone…it just may be the perfect time to get one!

iPhone Update

I’ve had my iPhone for a while now and thought I’d ring in on how it is working for me thus far in the freelance writing arena. Here’s a list of the good and the bad:

The Good:

• The calendar is included for no charge and I keep all my appointments on it. Great for staying organized.
• The calculator comes with as well–great for figuring rates on the go.
• The weather feature comes in very handy if you travel. You can program other cities to keep an eye on the weather there before you go. A great help when packing.
• Google Earth is terrific for finding appointments quickly and easily.
• The alarm is great–I no longer use an alarm clock.
• All the “apps” give you plenty to choose from to customize your phone. There many that are free. I downloaded a mileage program to help me keep track of business miles for the car–terrific!
• E-mail on the go. This is the best thing in the world for any writer.

The Bad:

• My main disappointment with the iPhone is the call quality. Sometimes I’ll be in the middle of an interview and start to lose the person for no partiuclar reason. This is not a good thing. From what I understand, many people don’t care for AT & T’s coverage. I have to concur. I’ve had better.

I’ll post again on this after a while to update you on any cool features you might want to know about. In the meantime–if you have a phone that works great for you–feel free to clue us in!

Phone Interviews: A Few Tips To Get Started

Everyone knows by now that I am a huge iPhone fan, but this post actually isn’t directly about that particular phone. It’s a post about interviewing by phone. I thought I’d share a tip or two about this, since I had to learn on the fly. I paid my dues heavily when I first started out in this biz. Now, you can benefit from my mistakes! In that spirit, I’d like to share a few things with you here:

1. If you are going to interview by phone–prepare. Take at least 15 minutes before you call (or get the call) to go over what you know about the person and their related business or company. Pull up their webpage on your computer if you can. Jot down a few notes. It makes a huge difference if you are ready to go.
2. Jot down a few questions in case it’s hard to get things started. You don’t have to use them, but it can help if you get stuck.
3. Have them tell you a little about themselves to get things warmed up. Let them ramble a bit and then take notes on anything you’d like to come back to later.
4. If you get someone who rambles too much, don’t be afraid to re-direct the conversation. Be gentle, but firm.
5. At the end of the interview, check your facts. Go over statistics and figures to make sure you have them right. Ask them to spell their name and title. This is extremely important.

Just a few thoughts to get you going. Joe and I will be touching on this subject more as the New Year progresses, so stay tuned for more interview tips!

Snap Tell

Hello iPhone users……a quick “App” suggestion for writers out there…..snaptell can be found in the App Store and is a neat thing to have handy–plus, it’s free. Writers are generally readers, and this application works with books, DVDs and CDs as well. Simply snap a picture of the cover and you will instantly get back comprehensive information such as reviews and more on the item. Regular cell phone users can use it too. Simply take a photo of the cover and send to fun@snaptell.com.

Testing the iPhone Wordpress App

I downloaded the Wordpress app for the iPhone today and thought I’d try writing a post from the phone.

It is a bit of a pain the arse to use-I’d never want you to an article from the iPhone, but for quickie posts like this it can be quite handy.

Soon I will try posting via this app from the train and see how it goes. If you want to try the app yourself, just search in the iPhone App Store using “wordpress ” as your keyword. It’s the one simply called “Wordpress”.