Developer Intelliborn was quick to release a new update to the iPhone homebrew interface application, IntelliScreen. Bumping up the program's version to 0.93, it now includes a new Alerts option, as well as several bug fixes to help improve its performance. You can find out the details of all the new changes made since our previous coverage of IntelliScreen by clicking on the "read more" link below.

Apple just announced that a software upgrade will bring new features to the iPod Touch. Current users will have to purchase it for US$ 19.99, while it'll be integrated in subsequent productions of the gadget. If you wanna know what the upgrade does, head over to the full article.

As a collaborative effort on the part of the Google Calendar team and the mobile team, Google Calendar was retrofitted for iPhone use, since it can browse Google Calendar through the phone's second generation network. The Official Gmail Blog claimed that Google Calendar will sport the different calendars in their distinctive colors over your mobile phone.

This adds to Google's efforts to cater to many communities out there, no matter what the platform. You may recall that Google Reader Wii-fied itself for Internet surfers over the Nintendo Wii's Internet Channel, so this approach toward the Apple community would certainly be no surprise.

We'll have more developments on this as they come in. Keep your eyes glued to this space for updates.

According to a Gizmodo report, an insider source of theirs claims to have had some hands on time with the Apple iPhone. Some of the juicier details on the highly anticipated phone follows.

It was reported that as far as price is concerned that source believes that it's probably only worth half (the source's opinion) of the rumored US$ 500-600 price range.

As far as the software in the phone itself is concerned, it was reported that it has e-mail (AOL, Gmail, Hotmail) and web browsing features worked into it already. It was noted that you can also use your own POP email address. However, it was also expressed that would be constant firmware updates for the iPhone. How often is it exactly? "I'm talking nearly daily," the source says.

We've already reported about the Maps feature and the "secret" feature of Apple's iPhone. This recent batch of features should help contribute pieces to the puzzle. As for those who are patient and cautious enough to wait for official stuff from Apple about the product, relax. All will be revealed on the 29th.

MacNN reports that Google Desktop is now available to Mac users the world over. Google Desktop is a new Universal app that indexes the contents of a Mac's hard drive. This includes everything from applications and files to Web histories from Safari, Firefox, and Camino, enabling users to keep a closer eye on their files, including results from previous Gmail searches when offline.

Google Desktop for Mac is currently in beta form and supports Spotlight plug-ins. It also uses Spotlight privacy features to prevent some documents from being searched. The app also includes a new Google app that lets users stay updated and download more Mac apps from Google. It also has an optional feature that integrates with Google's Web search, allowing users to search their PC's local desktop from Google.

Future iterations of Google Desktop are expected to include support for Gadget integration. Google Desktop will run on PowerPC-based and Intel-based Macs with Mac OS X 10.4 or later. Mac users can download Google Desktop by clicking on the link below.

Download: Google Desktop for Mac beta

  
  

We're sure you guys have experienced this: Ever tried guiding a not-so-computer-literate relative through an image upload session? More specifically, ever tried guiding them through the rather long and fiddly process of uploading iPhoto files to Gmail?

Juan I. Leon had the same problem, and after thinking it over, decided to come up with this simple little solution called Photo2Gmail. For those asking what exactly it does, it's a plugin for your iPhoto that simplifies the otherwise complicated process of re-sizing and uploading images to Gmail.

From what we can see, it also comes with a pre-size function to allow for faster image uploads - very convenient for multiple files.

Be warned, though - Juan says the software's still in its early stages, so expect it to have a couple of bugs. All in all we like the idea, and we're hoping Juan comes up with an update for this plugin soon.

This comes quite at a funny time, two weeks after fcodc of Mac Recon said that he was going to stop using the .Mac service, Apple has released a preview of their new version of .Mac webmail. The first reason on fcodc's list of .Mac pet hates was the webmail simply because other providers such as Gmail give you 2+GB of FREE space with POP3 access. Through the use of their .Mac webmail preview website, Apple has promised that the new version of Macmail will use the latest web technology and that "It'll remind you of the Mail application on your desktop, with a simple and elegant interface, drag-and-drop capability, built-in Address Book." Here's a sneak preview of what you can expect to come your way with the next generation of .Mac webmail:

• A new look - Everything will be rebuilt to create a new interface, which is a little easier on the eye compared to the dated .Mac mail service that currently exists. Your mail folders will be placed next to the Inbox, and you will be able to read full messages and access your contact info without leaving the page
• Drag and Drop - The next generation of .Mac mail promises the ability to manage your Inbox easily through the use of dragging and dropping messages, just like you do on your desktop.
• Message pane - You can read whole emails in a pane located right below your message list, just like you would in a desktop Mail application.
• Smart Refreshes - This new system involves the mail system refreshing only the portion of the page that needs updating instead of reloading the entire page, reducing refresh times and saving you hassle.
• Quick Reply - Just like the "Quick Reply" boxes in forums, this feature will allow you to email the person that send you the message back without leaving your inbox.
• Built-in Address Book - Start typing a name and .Mac mail will display all your matching Address Book contacts and show them in the address field.

Other features such as keyboard shortcuts, message previews and message flagging will also be present in the new version which, as of yet, doesn't have a release date. We guess 'coming soon' is the best we can offer, and lets hope that Apple get to work on the 'soon' part.

fcodc of Mac Recon made an interesting point in his blog about why he is going to stop using Apple's .Mac service. He cites the fact that the features that Apple gives you through the .Mac account are now being offered by other people, sometime at no cost. Plus there seems to be no new features for the .Mac in the coming weeks and months. In his post, he also gives some examples of these features that have alternatives.

• Mail - Gmail, gives you more that 2GB of FREE space (with POP3 access)
• iDisk - using software like gDisk you can store apps and the like in you gmail account
• Backup - there are free alternatives such a Silverkeeper
• Homepage - Apple is trying to sell people iWeb, which can upload your site anywhere, and  now, you can get a free web page from Google (not to mention that web space is cheap, much cheaper than that of .Mac's)
• Groups - Both Yahoo and Google have them

He also cites that Apple still has not delivered the .Mac exclusive widgets they promised with the release of Tiger. That's his argument for leaving, frankly, I've thought the same thing ever since I saw the price which is not worth it, in my book. Feel free to speak out loud through your comments.

The Gmail Notifier for Mac has been updated to incorporate alerts, not only from Gmail, but also from Google Calendar. Now called Google Notifier, the new application places two additional icons to your menubar. With it, you can set your preferences as to which email client you would use, notification of unread messages, and pop-up alert. These configurations are also available in the Gcal pane for calendar events.

The alerts themselves are are simple and clean; they show you the sender, subject and an excerpt from the email.

Please be advised that there have been reports about a bug regarding looping authentication requests, but surely, a patch is on its way soon enough. As always, we'll keep you posted on important Google Notifier updates.

We all know that most of us keep at least two different email accounts - one for work and one for personal use, then there's others who also keep emails for groups, community newsletters, website, for stalking, and so on and so forth. We also all know how tedious it can be to have to log in to each of these accounts separately. That was then. Now, say hello to the ability to access all your mail, all at once.

This is made possible by, first and foremost, having the WebMail extension installed in your system. This extension integrates website-based email accounts into Mozilla Thunderbird, and allows Thunderbird to download and to send emails using the website. The extension is known to be slick, as itÂ?s just a case of downloading the core package plus the package for the particular service youÂ?re using, installing them, restarting Thunderbird, and then setting up the account.

To get started, you will need to install WebMail first and at least one of its optional components. Once WebMail is up and running, the next thing to check for is if the the status of the enabled servers are "running". This can be viewed in the Options menu. This is also the menu that should display the list of supported domains.

From there, you can move to creating a POP account by going to the main menu and opting to create a new account. You may then set your name and email address in the Identity Page. Then, just enter the appropriate server information and the domain name, follow the instructions until you reach "Finish", and you're all set!

Support is currently available for Yahoo!, Hotmail, Gmail, Libero, Lycos, AOL and Mail.com accounts.