Inspir.es

First & 20 is a website that asks famous writers, designers, graphic artists and coders to show off their iPhone home screen and describe the applications they use. It’s an awesome example of how to create a simple, niche site that a select group of people will enjoy (iPhone owners) and it’s beautifully executed.

I’ll never be featured on First & 20 since I’m a terrible writer/designer/coder and don’t see that changing in the foreseeable future. Instead, I’m going to participate by proxy and write about it here.

Tweetie: The best Twitter client I’ve found for every day use. It’s probably the most popular as well…so I’m not exactly starting a revolution here. (my acct)

TheTumblr: The standard, free Tumblr app is awful. It’s essentially a mobile optimized version of the dashboard. TheTumblr is much better and even syncs with Disqus if you’re into comments, which I’m not.

Byline: The best RSS reader for the iPhone I’ve been able to find. It syncs with my Google Reader (both directions) and also caches your feeds for offline reading.

foursquare: If Yelp and Twitter went to a bar, had a few too many Malbecs, weaved back to Twitter’s place, sat down on the couch over neglected glasses of water, discussed what a fine evening it was and that they should do it again, began to kiss and soon to make out, culminating in an awkward but enjoyable night of lovemaking…only to discover three weeks later that they “should have been more careful” - then foursquare would be the result. Foursquare allows you to “check in” to a venue like a coffee shop, bar or public space. Your friends are then notified that you’re there and can join you if they want to. It’s indispensable if you have a group of friends who live in an urban area and have too much free time on their hands. I do. (my acct)

Encamp: Basecamp, created by 37signals, is an application I use to collaborate with freelancers and get work done for my company. Encamp provides access to my Basecamp account on my phone, so I can give feedback to someone even if I’m not at “my desk.”

Satchel: Backpack is another 37 signals product and is what I use to stay productive (or measure my laziness). I create a to-do list for every day of the week, Monday through Sunday. I then add tasks on the day I’d like to do them and check ‘em off when I’m done. Satchel is the iPhone version of Backpack. I may write a future post on using Backpack as a to-do list.

iClassMail: I have a PO Box in Chicago IL which I use as my permanent address. When I get mail, it’s scanned and emailed to me. In other words, my snail mail is converted to email. It’s an amazing service if you move around a lot, hate paper or like to recycle without the hassle. Earth Class Mail is the company that makes this possible and iClassMail takes it one step further by letting me check my mailbox on my phone.

Paypal: I pay most of my freelancers via Paypal. I also use it to send and receive money from friends. Paypal for the iPhone is brilliantly simple and allows me to check my balance and send money to anyone in my address book.

Droppler: Drop.io is a free web service that allows you to upload files and access them anywhere. It’s kinda like a flash drive on the web. I use it both for work and to share newly discovered albums with friends. Droppler gives access to these same files on my phone.

Evernote: In college, I used to print out articles, recipes and other interesting bits I found online. I would then three-hole-punch the paper and add it to a three ring binder I kept on my bookshelf. Sadly, the system didn’t get much use because it was a pain in the ass to do, I could never find anything and printing costs money. Now I use Evernote to add in anything I want to remember later. It easier and costs nothing.

Bookmarks: This is Delicious for the iPhone. Delicious has been around forever in Internet years and is a way to store your bookmarks online. With Delicious, if you get a new computer (or a new phone) or are away, you can still get access to any web pages you’ve saved. It’s useful and easy to set up, so check out Delicious regardless of whether or not you have an iPhone.

Instapaper: Instapaper makes my Sunday newspaper possible. The free version works great…but I purchased the “Pro” version as a transactional representation of my love.

Air Mouse: Air Mouse was created for the laziest people on earth, those who refuse to reach over slightly to find another cute dog video on YouTube. Air Mouse allows you to control your computer’s mouse and keyboard from your phone…so you can leave that bean dip on your belly and watch viral videos until you pass out in a cesspool of stench and shame.

Brushes: This is a painting application for the iPhone. I’ve used it to create my standard silhouette (house on a hill, tree, birds etc) but is powerful enough to create cover-worthy pieces of art.

Hazel Mail: Like a bizarro world Earth Class Mail, Hazel Mail allows you to take a picture on your phone, type a message and send a real, physical postcard anywhere in the world. Look out family…I’ve got 12 credits burning a hole in my pocket!

Birdhouse: This is a Twitter client created by the Internet famous Adam Lisagor. Birdhouse allows you to write witty, timeless 140 character messages and save them for future publication. You can then rank your masterpieces and continue to edit until eventually you grace the world with your genius.

VoiceCentral: Google Voice was famously blocked from the iPhone. Thankfully, I purchased a third-party application the week prior. It’s buggy and won’t ever be updated…but VoiceCentral still allows me to dial out using my work number.