Due to a combination of the recession and the never-ending love fest between Google and 95% of the press, it might seem as if the once steady stream of innovative products and services has finally dried up. I am here today to report that that is simply not true. Sure, there might not as many new apps and the like out there, but that doesn’t mean they have gone away completely. That’s where we come in. Over the next three days, we will be proudly showcasing apps that are both turning heads and taking names. First on the docket is JAHJAH. It calls people! It outsmarts the “phone company” on a fairly regular basis! It has one of the most cutesy, annoying names out there today! But is it any good? You are about to find out.

Website: http://www.jajah.com
Developer: JAHJAH Inc. (For now, at any rate)
App Type: Voice over IP
Why It Matters: Rumor has it that Google is interested in outright buying the service. That should tell you something.
How It Works: The “JAHJAH” experience is a bit different than what you might be expecting. Unlike Skype and Google Voice, all of the calls are handled directly from the website. After typing the relevant phone numbers — both the person you wish to call and your own home/cell number — you are given the option of either dialing from the web or connecting using a provided telephone number. The latter is apparently designed to eliminate pesky long distance and international calling fees. For the purposes of this Showdown, I will be using both methods.
Dialing from the Web: When I first hit the “dial now” button, I was greeted by an error message that really didn’t make much sense. After staring blankly for a few seconds, I found that it could only be corrected by signing up. After a simple and completely painless registration form, I was ready to give JAH JAH another go. I logged into the site, only to find that the number I that I wanted to dial was nowhere to be found. I did, however, get the opportunity to call the “test” line … three times. After each call, I was asked if I wanted to “add funds” to my account. I chose “no,” as I really don’t have any desire to drop the “Skype/iPhone” combination that I use now. I was then whisked back to the “test call” page for seemingly no reason. I had to dig through the unorganized mess that is JAHJAH’s site in order to find the number that I was looking for. I clicked on the button, only to discover that a totally mediocre phone experience was waiting for me on the other side. The audio was muffled, distant sounding, and had the tendency to “cut out” from time to time.  I hung up, hoping that the “JAHJAH.direct” service would be a bit more rewarding.
JAHJAH.direct: Before I could even start the call, the robotic lady on the other end of the line informed me that I have no money left on my account. I can, however, sign up for “pre-call advertising.” I did and dialed the number, only to find that I have, again, run out of funds. It turns out that the advertising is designed to give users a “refund” at the end of each month. I was running out of both options and patience. As a last ditch effort, I signed up again, this time using a different email address and phone number. It didn’t exactly work out as planned, as I still needed to add a credit card to my account. So I can’t try JAHJAH.direct without paying money. Big deal. I have a whole eight minutes to burn. This could mean only one thing…
Dialing from the Web … To a Skype Phone: That’s right. I used one VoIP service to call another. Did it work? Yes, but the sound quality wasn’t anything to write home about. Oh well. At least I can say that I tried.
Final Thought: While it’s a nice way to avoid international long distance, JAHJAH is just too “pedestrian” to become a full-on “Skype alternative.” Upgrade your systems and redesign your site. Then we’ll talk.
Overall (Out of ten): 6

Come back tomorrow for part two of our three part series. Until then, I bid thee a fond adieu.

Note: Today’s Free Line is designed to be one thing and one thing only: Fun. Expect to see the Free Line back in its normal, quasi-serious state tomorrow. With that said, here we go…

My apologies gang, but we are going to be cutting things a tad short today. Between my well documented problems with Flock, the confusing mess of menus that is Lunascape, and the mandatory swimming lessons that everyone here in North Georgia seems to be taking these days, I am unable to deliver the “literary impact” that I usually provide. Still, that doesn’t mean that I am going to take the day off. Not by a long shot. So sit back, relax, and enjoy a nice round of what I like to call “comparisons 101.” Think of it as a combination of a Barbara Walters interview and the old Dating Game, only, you know, not completely obnoxious.

Question: Okay browsers … If you could be something other than a web browser, what would you be?

Internet Explorer - The greatest hits album of a musician, band, or composer that you absolutely despise. You know it exists and you know that other people like it. You just don’t want to have anything to do with it.

Opera - A complex Alternate Reality Game. It all seems simple enough at first, but there are enough hidden messages and features to keep the user busy pressing buttons and loading things for weeks on end.

Chrome - An over hyped summer movie that ends up not only being terrible, but a gigantic bomb as well.

Safari - A fuel efficient car. It’s practical, easy to use, and just ever so slightly boring.

SeaMonkey – A period piece. Sure, no one actually wants to go back to the time depicted, but it sure is fun to visit from time to time.

Netscape – An episode of Barney Miller. Granted, it might have been great in its day, but it simply did not stand the test of time.

Sleipnir – A short story by Richard Matheson, the man behind such works as I Am Legend, The Incredible Shrinking Man, and several hours of classic TV. Like the bulk of Matheson’s stories, Sleipnir is a terrifying, yet thought provoking, character study of the unknown. It has its good points to be sure, but the sheer terror derived from its very existence is enough to make a man go mad.

Flock – An original Volkswagen Beetle. It’s a great way to get where you want to go … provided that it’s working properly, however.

Lunascape – The vision of Alice in Wonderland described in the classic Jefferson Airplane song “White Rabbit.” It all seems normal enough at first, but eventually, you begin to question the nature of the things around you. By the end, you realize that you are as far away from “normal” as humanly possible … and somehow, you’re okay with that. It’s not perfect, but you can deal with it.

In the past few weeks, I have been almost everywhere the standard web browser has been willing to take me. I have seen the good (Safari), the bad (Internet Explorer), and the painfully over hyped (Chrome). I have seen the past (Netscape Navigator), the future (Opera), and a misguided, albeit well-meaning, attempt to combine the two (SeaMonkey). I have even suffered through Sleipnir, which is more akin to a Serling-esque tale of psychological horror than a web browser. That said, I have never seen anything quite like Flock. Unbelievable, I know, but bare with me here. It will all make sense in a moment.

I, like many of my generation, grew up on a strict diet of “80’s sci-fi,” a sub-genre so expansive that it could fill an entire book. At its best, an 80’s sci-fi movie is the direct result of when action, futuristic sounding techno babble, and quotable, yet completely over the top, dialog decide to have a picnic together. Who cares if Driving Miss Daisy and Hannah and Her Sisters were nominated for a truck load of awards? Given the choice, I would take classics like Highlander and The Last Starfighter over those films any day. At its worse, well … let’s just say that names like Lou Diamond Phillips, Christopher Lambert, and Don “The Dragon” Wilson tend to show up a lot. Still, all of these movies have one thing in common: Each and every computer has to look downright alien.

Think about it this way: Let’s say for a moment that you are a lone soldier trying to hide a baby from a ruthless cyborg that high-steps like he’s in a high school marching band. You want to find out where the mechanical “drum major of doom” is located, but you just do not feel like looking around the corner. So what do you do? You go on a computer. But not just any computer, mind you. You find one filled to the brim with rounded corners, oddly shaped buttons, and links to other programs that you have never even heard of. Sure, you might not be using any of that now, but it might come in handy someday. Believe it or not, we humans are closer to experiencing the scenario listed above than once thought. Okay … so maybe the scientists are still working on the whole “robotic band director hellbent on destruction” thing. But the “alien computing experience” is here today. It’s called “Flock.”

As I sit here, typing what no doubt will be another award-winning Free Line, I am at once intrigued and baffled by the odd mix of buttons and options that sit just above my text window. One apparently has the ability to “open the blog editor.” Another allows me to “start the photo uploader.” I want to start pressing buttons, but at the same time, I’m kind of scared that I might do something bad. So for now, I am going to my best to cruise on this browser’s basic features. Randomly pressing buttons is something that only an veteran user should be doing, and I’m not to that point … yet.

…And there you have it. Expect to see more about this interesting, “future-perfect Firefox” tomorrow. Until then, I bid thee a fond adieu.

PS: I would also do my best to avoid those musically inclined cyborgs that seem to, pardon the pun, flock around futuristic looking browsers like Flock. After all, there is nothing scarier than an army of Borg drones carrying trombones or a Dalek playing a snare drum.

My journey with Chrome continues in earnest. After palling around with Google’s pride and joy for the last few days, I think I have finally figured out my root problem: It’s boring. Now before I get into the crux of my argument, allow me to detail the things that I actually like about the oft mentioned “browser of the future.”

• The Speed – It truly is as fast as Google claims, for the most part. There are some sites that seem to be rather slow on the uptake, but that’s just nitpicking on my part.
• Tabs in the Title Bar – I know that I mentioned this yesterday, but it bares repeating. It really is a great idea.
• Download Bar – I have always been a fan of putting the “download bar” at the bottom of the screen. My installation of Firefox does this as well, but that’s only because I have an extension installed. Having it as a part of the “standard package” might be considered a “minor innovation,” but I don’t care. It makes me happy.
• Application Shortcuts – The process of turning a website into a freestanding program is nothing new. That said, it’s nice to actually have it built directly into the browser for once.
• Incognito Mode – Extra security is always nice to have around.

As you can plainly see, I don’t think that Chrome is a horrible waste of hard drive space like Internet Explorer. I just feel that it’s the web browser equivalent to cottage cheese — intriguing when it’s combined with something, but painfully dull when eaten alone. So what would it take to make it a bit more interesting? Funny you should ask.

• Extensions and/or Widgets – I know that this is a big complaint, but again, it bares repeating. Why should I believe that Chrome is this grand “Microsoft killer” when it doesn’t even let you do anything to it? When asked about the API needed to make extensions, the folks at Google say cryptic things like “it’s on its way” or “its currently scheduled for a 2009 release.” “Theoretical” is fine when one is talking about the speed of light or alternate universes. Programming toolkits … well … that is something else entirely.
• More Options – The options menu in Chrome can be described using only one word: pathetic. Even Internet Explorer, the bane of my computing existence, has a better options screen. Now I’m not saying that every option screen should resemble the “about:config” menus found in both Firefox and Opera. I just wish that the “Under the Hood” tab allowed me to do something other than turn off the “phishing controls” and check my proxy settings.
• Bring Back the Search Box – I know that the so-called Omnibox is the wave of the future. But here’s the thing: not everyone wants to jump on it yet. There are still people like me out there who would much rather “stay in the past” and stick with the search box that they know and love. It doesn’t have to be enabled automatically. I just want it to be an option.
• Bring Google to Task for Once – There … I said it. I’m sorry, but sometimes it seems as if there are more “softballs” thrown in one Google interview than there are in an entire season of fastpitch. Before anyone gets the wrong idea, I am not saying that Matt Cutts and the gang should be treated like the hierarchy at Microsoft. I just believe that a few “tough questions” would force the team not to rest on its proverbial laurels.

…And there you have it. If anyone out there has a suggestion on how I can defeat this “boredom problem,” be sure to say something. Until that time arrives — or tomorrow, whatever comes first — I bid thee a fond adieu.

One Final Thought About Opera: To say that I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. I am extremely pleased to report that the days of paying $40 for a subpar browser that is crawling with oddball “browser windows” and obnoxious advertising is long gone. Today’s Opera is solidly built, extremely fast, and has enough options to keep an “experienced user” like me busy for weeks. While I do wish that I had access to Firefox-esque extensions, the loss truly wasn’t that big of a deal. I quickly realized that I simply wanted them, instead of “needing” them like I did in Internet Explorer. Besides, Opera allowed me to rekindle my life-long love affair with Pipe Dream. What other browser can make that claim? All in all, Opera 10 is definitely worth the old “once over.” Even if you don’t like it, you won’t regret trying it. I can guarantee it.

All of this praise, of course, leads us to one major question: Is it better than Firefox? The answer is a sad, but completely matter of fact, no. It comes close, but at the end of the day, I still find myself longing for my Mozilla-based friend. After all, I spent tons of time — years, actually — modifying and tweaking the browser to get it just the way that I like it. I’m not going to throw that effort away on a whim. I will, however, be keeping Opera installed. It’s always nice to have a “backup” browser that isn’t Internet Explorer and besides, there are still several options that I have yet to try.

…So where do we go next, you ask? Easy: We are going to try Chrome again. As fans of the Free Line are already well aware of, we have a rather tenuous “love-hate” relationship with Google’s so-called “browser of the future” — it loves us, but we hate it. The bizarre, one-sided love affair that many of my colleagues in the tech world  seem to have with both the browser itself and its developers doesn’t help the situation. That said, I plan on going at things with as open of a mind as humanly possible. Unfortunately, it is already proving to be “difficult” at best.

First Thoughts About Chrome: Let’s get at it from the top.

• It’s fast. I’ll give it that much.
• After installation, Chrome asked if I wanted to import my saved passwords from Firefox. I said yes. Sadly, it didn’t work right. All of my saved information was either wrong or corrupted.
• I don’t care what the press says — the Omnibox is a horribly bad idea. Yes, combining the search bar with the URL bar is a good idea in theory. In practice, however … well … it only leads to a tension headache.
• Having the tabs sit in the title bar instead inside the browser window is actually a good idea.
• The options screen is sad. I’m talking “Internet Explorer” sad here.
• Several of the hidden menus — namely about:network, about:ipc, and about:objects — are not coming up for me. I honestly have no idea why.
• In the span of ninety minutes, I had to “force close” Chrome twice.
• I miss the status bar. The “pop-up” box that appears in the bottom-left corner of my screen simply does not cut it.
• I can apparently readjust every text box that I run into. That’s nice … I think.

…And there you have it. Be sure to tune in tomorrow, when I continue to fight endlessly with experiment with the enigma called Chrome. Until then, we bid thee adieu.

As long time fans of the Free Line know, we have absolutely no problem interrupting our daily routines in order to provide you with a clearer view of the world around you. In the past year for example, we have done everything from run Linux for a two week period to adopt the GPL as gospel and everything in between. If we think that it will educate the masses, then we’ll do it. It truly is as simple as that.

So what is our latest plan, you ask? Simple: It’s web browsers. We don’t know about you, but we find that it’s hard to truly formulate an opinion on something this “heavy duty” just by running it for a few hours. No … In order to get the big picture, you have to truly integrate it into your life. And that is exactly what we are going to do. So without further adieu, allow us to present to you latest plan: The Great Browser Experiment.

The Browsers: Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, Chrome, Sea Monkey, and Sleipnir. Firefox, also known as our browser of choice, will be used as a “control.”

The Rules: Each browser will be run for a period no less than three days, but for no longer than five. During a test period, no other browser is allowed to be used, unless a “head-to-head” style comparison is used. Aside from that, the world is our oyster.

Note: While The Great Browser Experiment is important to us, it will not be the only thing that we will be covering. If and when something big happens, or if something strikes our fancy, you better believe that we will be reporting it.

…And there you have it. Be sure to come back tomorrow to see about the first browser on the list: our good friend/bitter enemy, Internet Explorer. Until then, we bit thee good day.

Despite what your friends might be telling you, not everything worth using is a mainstream attention grabber made by Google. Sometimes, the best programs and webapps are the ones that sit just below the surface. That is about to change. On this action packed, two-day edition of the Showdown, we will be giving (yes, ten) of these semi-obscure marvels the patented “Free Line once over”  that you have come to expect. With that said, on with the introductions!

App #1: Evernote

Website: http://www.evernote.com/
Company: Evernote Corporation
Specialty: Note taking
Program Types: While Evernote is primarily a webapp, a separate download version is available for many of the major platforms, including Windows, the iPhone, and the Palm Pre.
Competes With: Namely Microsoft OneNote.

App #2: TurboCASH

Website: http://www.turbocash.net/
Company: Pink Software
Specialty: Finance
Program Type: Windows download
Competes With: All of the major players in the accounting market — Peachtree, Quickbooks/Quicken, DAC Easy, GNUCash, etc.

App #3: Lavabit

Website: http://lavabit.com/
Company: Lavabit LLC
Specialty: Email
Bold Claim Ripped Directly From the Site Itself: “…A system so secure that even our administrators can’t read your e-mail.”
Program Type: Web service
Competes With: Gmail, AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.

App #4: First Page 2006

Website: http://www.evrsoft.com
Company: Evrsoft
Specialty: Web development
Program Type: Windows download
Competes With: Adobe Dreamweaver

App #5: Adventure Game Studio

Website: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/
Developer: Chris Jones
Specialty: Programming, with a special focus
Program Type: Windows download
Full Disclosure: Angela the product tester is a huge fan of this program.
Competes With: N/A

App #6: Runecats Explorer

Website: http://www.runecats.com/
Company: Runecats
Specialty: Web browser
Program Type: Windows download
Rendering Engine: Trident (Internet Explorer)
Competes With: Other web browsers — IE, Firefox, Opera, etc.

App #7 Theora

Website: http://theora.org/
Company: Xiph.org
…You Might Remember Them From Such Codecs As: OGG Vorbis
Specialty: Video
Program Type: Open source video codec
Fun Fact: The codec in question is named after Theora Jones, Edison Carter’s highly talented “partner in crime” on the short-lived Max Headroom television series. Hmm …  Max Headroom … That name sounds familiar, but I’m not sure why…
Competes With: Divx, XViD, H.264 (The kind of files you would find on iTunes), etc.

App #8: aTunes

Website: http://www.atunes.org/
Company: The aTunes Team
Specialty: Media player
Program Type: Multi-platform download
Competes With: Mainly iTunes and Songbird.

App #9: Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware

Website: http://www.malwarebytes.org/
Company: Malwarebytes Corporation
Specialty: Malware removal
Program Type: Windows download
Competes With: Anti-virus programs of all shapes and sizes.

App #10: QQ

Website: http://www.imqq.com/
Company: Tencent
Specialty: Instant messaging
Program Type: Instant messaging service
Fun Fact: QQ is easily the most popular instant messaging client in mainland China, with roughly 318 million citizens subscribing to the service.
Note: The official QQ client is considered by some to be low-level adware. Because of this, we will be accessing the network using the Pidgin third-party app. If we have a last second change of heart, or if we find that the nasty “ad problem” has been fixed, we will definitely let you know.
Competes With: AOL Instant Messenger, Live Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, ICQ, etc.

Hello and welcome to Odds and Ends, the one place where we can talk about ideas and concepts that tend to go unnoticed. With that said, here we go:

Question #1: How is the text message advertising campaign going?

Answer: Not so great at the present moment. After a few “dry runs” using cell numbers from around the office, we found that the service leaves much to be desired. We are currently reevaluating our options and are planning to work with an alternative service shortly.

Question #2: How is the mobile website coming? Have any late breaking updates to share?

Answer: No, not at the moment. That said, we highly advise that you continue watching this space. You will definitely be seeing something big come down the pike sooner rather than later.

Question #3: I see. So … what are your opinions on the current tech scene?

Answer: Rather boring and uninspired. It seems as if everyone who is involved with the tech industry right now — programmers, so-called “idea men,” the media — are more interested in gently mocking Twitter users and ignoring the continued success of MySpace than trying to find the “next big thing.” Now I do realize that much of this trepidation comes from the questionable state of the world’s economy and the effect it has had on “angel funding.” After all, it’s hard to build the next “Digg” if the kindly old rich guy down the street is suddenly and justifiably reluctant to “share the wealth,” as they say. That said, we are truly shocked at the speed in which “the creative elite” grabbed their C.Crane wind-up emergency radios and headed for their private “bad economy” bomb shelters. Until the day comes that they emerge to create once more, we “on the surface” will be stuck in the same boring cycle of Tweets, Facebook Walls, and Google news.

Question #4: Well that’s … um … really depressing. Is there anything that excites you?

Answer: Yes. The Creative Zii. And here is four reasons why:

1. It’s a highly powerful media device that doesn’t have a lowercase “i” attached to it. It’s nice to know that tech such as this still exists.
2. Users have the choice of two operating systems — the proprietary Plaszma OS or Android. It should be interesting to see what Google’s mobile OS is like away from HTC’s sub par hardware and T-Mobile’s mediocre mobile network.
3. It oozes with HD features – 1080p television tuner, support for high-def video formats, and a built in HD camera, just to name a few.
4. Few things get our creative juices flowing more than playing around with a promising new gadget.

…And there you have it. Until tomorrow, we bid thee adieu.

Okay gang. As promised, here is the exciting conclusion of Leavin’ On a Jet Plane. Enjoy!

Tool #1: MotionX GPS

Why We Checked It Out: To many, a good GPS system is a must. The problem is that we don’t necessarily have one. The closest thing we have is an unlocked Nokia smart phone that contains full maps for Finland and Germany. While that would be great if we wanted to drive from Helsinki to Dusseldorf, it makes driving from Atlanta to, say, Pittsburgh neigh impossible.
Our Thoughts Then: I honestly have no idea what I am doing here. There is a compass, a scrolling banner and several intimidating looking buttons, all of which are doing something completely foreign. This is definitely going to be interesting…
Our Thoughts Now: …We still have absolutely no idea what we were doing. All we did was press buttons until we either:

1. Found the compass utility.
2. Found that nifty overhead shot of our destination.
3. Got a gigantic headache and switched back to Google Maps.

To be fair, our lack of knowledge is partially our fault, seeing as how we eschewed the provided reading material in favor of the “hunt and peck” method. Still, we really don’t think that you can blame us here. The last thing we felt like doing was reading though an online manual the size of a Dungeons and Dragons rulebook in order figure out which way was north. If you have the patience for such things, great. We didn’t, obviously.
Overall: 8.5 (For people who “get” how true GPS systems function); 2 (For people who would much rather bring up/print directions from Google Maps than stare blankly at an odd looking compass for hours on end.)

Tool #2: Gas Buddy

Why We Checked It Out: Finding a place to get cheap gas is always a good thing.
Our ThoughtsThen: The website is absolutely perfect for the rookie traveler, telling us everything that we could possibly need to know in a straightforward, timely matter. The iPhone app, however, left us scratching our heads in confusion. Still, the trip (and the Showdown) is still young.
Our Thoughts Now: Despite our initial trepidations, the Gas Buddy worked as advertised. We were able to get gas, and we got it as cheap as humanly possible.
Overall: 8

Tool #3: TripIt

Why We Checked It Out: It’s always a good idea to keep track of your travel plans. Hey … It beats writing everything down on paper, right?
Our Thoughts Then: The site, while a tad cryptic, looks to be rather promising. We will have much more on this intriguing looking social service in a few days.
Our Thoughts Now: A service like this is great if your trip includes buying plane tickets and a hotel room. If it involves driving long distances in a car that you own, however … that’s a different story. Now that is not to say that TripIt isn’t a fantastic service. It just did not mesh with “our kind” of trip.
Overall: N/A — It simply does not make sense to assign a score right now. Check back with us in a few months.

Tool #4: Traffic

Why We Checked It Out: Just because we know the lyrics to “The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys” and “Feelin’ Alright” by heart doesn’t necessarily make us experts on “Traffic.”
Our Thoughts Then: The reviews on the app store were the very definition of the word “mediocre.” Here’s to hoping that our experiences buck the current trend.
Our Thoughts Now: Those reviews lied. Traffic wasn’t “mediocre,” it was downright abysmal and embarrassing. What’s the use of having a “traffic guide” if the program just does not work? Case in point: Traffic claimed that the “Pittsburgh stretch” of I-79 would be clear sailing through calm seas. It wasn’t. We were actually stuck in a rather large jam up due to some “impromptu” road work. Later on, it told us to be ready for “significant delays” around the borders of West Virginia and Virginia Prime. We still have no idea what they were talking about.
Overall: -8. It would be in your best interest to avoid this app like the cliche of your choosing (the plague, a bitter relative, the “rival” political party, etc).

Hello and welcome back to “Web Programming for Smart Phones,” our landmark five-part series dedicated to unlocking the mysteries of the mobile web. Today, we finish our journey by looking at the wild world of innovation.

So you can show someone being innovative? Man, I’d like to see that… – Actually, no, we can’t. Showing “innovative” is like showing “creative” — it exists, but the exact definition varies from person to person. We can, however, explain the one rule that we try to live by: find a niche, and fill it. Like most things in life, this can best be described by liberally referring to an episode of The Simpsons for guidance.

The episode begins with Homer suddenly realizing that he has done nothing truly meaningful with his 39+ years on Earth. After being talked out of a deep depression by Marge, he accidentally figures out what he is truly meant to do — become an inventor. Using the great Thomas Edison as his inspiration, he spends days upon days sitting in his basement, trying desperately to create a device that will “make sure that people never forget the name Homer Simpson.” After a few (quite literal) misfires, Homer comes to the realization that it is all hopeless and pointless. It is at that point that Marge and Lisa notice two extra legs attached to Homer’s favorite dining room chair. In the midst of his “work,” he explained, he kept leaning back a bit too far and wound up hitting his head repeatedly. In order to alleviate this “inconvenience,” he simply attached two wooden posts to the back of the chair using a few small hinges. That way, he could lean back in peace without causing any (further) brain damage.

Now what does “Homer Simpson’s Wacky Scheme #475″ have to do with websites on the iPhone? The answer is simple: Homer found a niche that was not being served by the rest of the world, and he filled it. This is exactly what you have to do with your website. You need to find that one item that is being ignored by your competitors and pounce all over it. Let’s say for example your site caters to people who are in love with gadgets. You read all of the “big deal” sites — Gizmodo, Engadget, CrunchGear — but are put off by their lack of “mobile style,” if you will. Right there is your “in;” your answer to extra legs attached to the dining room chair. You need to make your site more mobile friendly. While we are not saying that you’ll be rubbing elbows with Michael Arrington anytime soon, that one change should attract more attention to your site. More attention means more users. More users mean … I think you get where I am going with this. And all of this success came from filling a basic need. Isn’t innovation wonderful?

…And there you have it. We sincerely hope that you all had as much fun reading this series as we did writing it. Be sure to come back Monday for part three of our “Leavin’ On a Jet Plane” Showdown. Until then, we bid thee a fond adieu.