Accessing my Google applications from my iPhone has just been made easier by the good folks over on the Google mobile team. As a long time user of Google applications on many mobile devices, no interface has been so clean and light as this newest iteration of Google’s productivity suite for the iPhone and iPod Touch. According to the Google Mobile blog, the polished Google experience is also now “available in 33 new markets and 16 new languages, from Argentina to New Zealand, from Swedish to Chinese.”

Now, armed with my iPhone, I can be quick on the draw when I am challenged to “Google it!”. Having added the familiar www.google.com to my iPhone’s Home Screen, I have the added bonus of Gmail, Calendar and Reader at my fingertips in just two taps. With little effort, I also have access to Google Docs and News.

Google News for the iPhone launched on May 1, 2008, and is available to users in over 30 countries. I can now browse the front page of Google’s current news, events and stories. There is even a search box which enables me to see results of a search initiated from the News home page. Where available, many of my search results included a YouTube icon displaying associated video to compliment the written story. Clicking on the YouTube icon and video opened and played it right on my iPhone.

Ulf Waschbusch, Product Marketing Manager on the Google mobile team writes:

“Furthermore, if you use Google Apps - now is the time to use your domain name on the iPhone as well. Just bookmark http://www.google.com/m/a/YOURDOMAIN for fast one-click access to Google. Please make sure to replace YOURDOMAIN with your actual domain name.”

I am using a personalized domain, www.girlsgonegeek.tv, with Google Apps and am hosting my email there. To have access to the Google productivity suite, when logging in using my at girlsgonegeek dot tv email address, I had to configure my settings within Apps administration to have access to all of the modules (Documents, Calendar, Reader, etc.). Also a user of a separate, free at gmail dot com account, my Apps run like clockwork without any setup or permissions needing to be configured.

There is no better price than free, and Google has done a great job of building applications that work well on the desktop and now on the iPhone and iPod Touch. Bravo!

Let me know what you think of the new interface. What is the next step for Google’s mobile UI?

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We covered this subject more than a year ago - wondering when/if AT&T and Apple would work on accessibility issues with the iPhone. Turns out AT&T has responded with the TAP Plan.

It is intended for deaf people and other customers with a hearing disability, as a substitute for the phone’s normal voice bundles. Plans start at $40 per month and to get the service, customers must submit an application to AT&T’s National Center for Customers With Disabilities (NCCD).

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by Liana Lehua

I was listening to the Pat Metheny Trio today, and I was lost in the music. The quality of the trio’s sound was really coming through on my desktop speakers, and I really wanted to share my thoughts with you. I have taken these speakers for granted for quite some time. I have the Audio Engine A2B Black model on my desk connected via the 1/8″ mini jack (aka the “headphones” jack) to my MacBook Pro. Other devices I have connected to them include my Asus Eee PC, any one of a number of music players (iPhone, iPod, for example), my Playstation Portable, and Nintendo DS Lite. Continue Reading »

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by Liana Lehua

As a matter of fact, this is an iPhone in my pocket. And, in this other pocket, I have my iPhone ear buds. You all know me by now. iPhone cases and I go together like Imelda Marcos and shoes. This case is a little different, and some of you may already know about it, while others have merely heard about it in passing. Either way, it probably has never been presented to you as the ultimate iPhone case. For me, the new women’s travel vest from ScotteVest is my favorite piece of outerwear at the moment. The men have many more styles and options from which to choose, and I hope to see the women’s line follow suit. Continue Reading »

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by Liana Lehua

As the warrior protects his blade with a sheath, so shall you protect your iPhone with DLO’s HipCase. I decided on the black, leather case, but it is also available in brown leather and black nylon. Made of premium soft leather, this is the most elegant case I have used to date. And, believe me. I have plenty of iPhone cases. This one retails for $34.95, but I found it for $17.92 at Amazon.com. Continue Reading »

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by Liana Lehua

I love my music. Don’t you? I listen to and enjoy all styles of music. I know you think that if you’ve read one headphones review, you’ve read them all. I suggest you read on. The quality of headphones keeps getting better.

Monster Cable, the company most well known for its line of high end audio video cabling, has teamed up with West Coast hip hop producer, Dr. Dre, to create Beats By Dre. These are the most amazing sounding headphones I have ever worn. Continue Reading »

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by Liana Lehua

Thank you, iTunes Movie Rentals. As I perused the top ten movie rentals list in the iTunes Store to find a movie I wanted to rent, I came upon The Waitress. Of the top ten, it was the only movie I had not seen. I wasn’t feeling like I wanted to watch the movie on my iPhone or my sixth gen. iPod video and instead wanted to watch it on a television. I don’t have my Mac talking to my television in any way and my AppleTV is on order. So, I employed my Apple Component AV Cable. Continue Reading »

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