What does everyone use to send SMS alerts to employees for things like server alerts, planned downtime, that sort of scenario? Do you go to an SMS provider, buy the credits and then make your own sending system (or hook in to their API)? Or do you use the gateway provider's sometimes rather rubbish system to send?

Or is there a really swish third-party system you recommend taking a look at?

It used to be a nightmare trying to get screenshots on the BlackBerry platform. But the introduction of the AppWorld marketplace has really changed things -- I've downloaded a few and centred on 'Quick Shot' as my preferred one, but I'm wondering if you have another suggestion?

Quick Shot appears to be without a button-activated screenshot facility. Instead you simply use the task manager to switch back to the app and boom, the screenshot is taken. This suits me fine, but it would be nice to simply click a button -- something the other screenshot apps on AppWorld seem to all have.

Quick Shot is $2.99 on AppWorld

On the train again and goodness me I keep seeing folk with weird and wonderful phones. This evening I saw a chap with one of these. It's definitely a Sony Ericsson (the guy has the stupid one-inch wide bollocks headphone jack that SE used to offer their customers). I can't remember the model name though. Can you?

Good news if you've been enjoying access to The Times iPad app.

If like me you were one of the first to stump up the cash for the app, you'll have been delighted to find that you got 30 days extra free when the end of the month arrived.

Well, they've done it again. Another 30 days free access!

Here are the details (as received just now by email from the Editor, Daniel Finkelstein):

As one of the first people to sign up, we would like to reward your decision with a further complimentary 30-day renewal.  We want you to have the chance to see the many enhancements to the product - both editorial and technological – that we have planned. You will need to upgrade to version 1.4.1 this week, if you haven’t already, to take advantage of this offer.

Feedback from readers has allowed us to identify and implement many improvements to The Times app.  Thank you to those of you who have sent us your comments and suggestions so far. We have been able to make sure this innovative product overcomes some of the technical teething problems that are inevitable on a new device like the iPad. But we know that there is more to do. Our next update will make the product more stable, fix bugs and help prevent crashes. Technical improvements will also help avoid the late delivery of editions as experienced on Monday.

On one hand I'm a little alarmed that the team at The Times don't quite feel ready to charge for the app after almost two months. But on the other hand, I'm thoroughly impressed at the iteration speed -- and the manner in which they've responded to the various challenges and teething troubles that have arisen. I would imagine that this extension is only going to endear The Times more to their iPad subscribers. Thoughts?

It was reader Kip Hakes who suggested I check out Endomondo, the GPS sports tracking app a few weeks ago. Well, on Saturday it was my turn to take baby Archie out for a stroll. My instructions were to exit at 930am and not to return until 11am. He was supplied fed and sleeping. All I had to do was leg it around Marlow keeping him quiet for a few hours. I thought it might be interesting to track my movements so when I was half way down the road, I risked a pause in the gentle rocking of the buggy to locate and download Endomondo from BlackBerry's ever-improving App World. Endomondo is free, light-weight and entirely brilliant. I installed it, registered an account in 5 seconds. set it to 'walk' and pressed 'start'. 4.7 miles later I arrived back bang on 11am. I then sought out Endomondo.com and boom, there was my 'workout' ('buggy walk') highlighted and route perfectly documented via Google Maps. The service itself offers a heck of a lot of flexibility -- including the ability to challenge your friends. If you've been looking for something to use to track your walks or sports, do check out Endomondo. They've apps for nearly all the platforms too. Thanks for the recommendation, Kip!

Last night I blew 7 quid on an Above & Beyond trance album. I find good trance music useful when I'm working on extended projects that need focused attention. I bought the album on my iPhone. I listed to some of the tracks immediately and marvelled at the technological advances that made the experience possible. I listened to the album on the way to work. I then synced my iPhone to charge it up. Big mistake. I just didn't think at the time. iTunes upgraded my 3GS to the incremental 4.0 release. It obviously copied the album over to my main computer. I used my other machine to listen to the tracks whilst I worked today. Alas iTunes negated to place a copy back on my iPhone when it had done the upgrade. Why should it? The album wasn't marked to 'sync'. I just... I thought it was rather obvious. So the music I purchased last night is now on my desktop. Which is no faaaking use to me when I'm mobile. Because Apple's Cloud Strategy doesn't quite extend to doing things properly. I bought the right to access that music. And I still have to frak about managing my own personal data structure?

Rubbish. Absolutely rubbish. But everything else about iTunes is really quite enjoyable. So we shall all shut up and hope el Jobso & Son get round to fixing this in the next half-decade.

I can't believe it even qualifies as to be called a 'client'. Sort it out Evernote. I've been patient for a long time. Developing on BlackBerry isn't a sodding black art. Three times I've gone to look something up with the piece-of-shit 1995 BlackBerry client and had to stand about while the app loads the BlackBerry browser. Yes. That's the Evernote response to everything you want to do with their app beyond uploading. Everything loads in the BlackBerry browser because some idiot decided that was a quick, cheap way around servicing the BlackBerry platform. You then have to wait for the sodding browser for every sodding search/edit/cut/paste/query command. Utter bollocks. This was a valid programming decision two years ago. Today it makes a mockery of the whole 'Evernote' concept. I am seriously considering putting shit BACK into my flipping address book so I can access it quickly. Fix it.

I thought it was fitting to take a picture of 3's new MiFi unit operational. In this photo the iPhone is connected to the MiFi unit whilst it uploads the unboxing video!

The best feature of the new device, apart from the rather funky screen? The always-on element. You just switch it on and boom, it connects and gives you a WiFi network. No other buttons required. I shall publish the video shortly.

I've just taken delivery of 3UK's next generation Mobile WiFi hotspot unit, the Huawei E585. This second edition even better looking than the first edition -- boasting a nice new integrated display and enhanced hardware. How will it perform? Well, I know 3 has one of the fastest data networks going so I have high expectations. I will let you know!

Ah dear me. I am both elated and saddened by the fact that walking through the City of London today, Vodafone stores I'm passing are filled with small, but determined queues of people buying iPhones. This is weeks after the actual launch day. I popped into one store and had a chat with one of the sales guys. "We just cannot sell enough of them," he told me. So this is broadly good news for the industry. But goodness me, you have to ask yourself -- if you're Samsung, Nokia, Motorola, HTC... What *are* you doing wrong? Why can't you generate this response from normal mobile customers. (I snapped the picture above outside the Liverpool Street Station Vodafone branch)