Google Talk is probably one of the few messaging clients that doesn't have a way for you to interact with other Google Talk users unless you know their email address. GTalk Profile provides the perfect solution to this problem. Using Google Maps, GTalk Profile allows users to plot where they are on a map and also find other users around the world. Simply type your city and state into the search box and GTalk Profile will provide you with a list of users near you along with a description of each user. Clicking on a name takes you to a profile page where you'll find a longer description, photos, interests, location, and the option to request a user's Google Talk information.

Sign Up for GTalk Profile

Currently the most active countries seem to be Europe, Africa and South America. The United States is the least active country on GTalk Profile. Hopefully that will change soon. GTalk Profile is a great way to expand your Google contacts, though we'd be careful about accepting any and every request on this service.

Profile 2.0 is going to make a lot of MySpace users unhappy, but only if they're truly happy with their current profile. We think anyone that's been waiting for Myspace to do some serious spring cleaning on how users can customize their profiles is going to love Profile 2.0. To access Profile 2.0:

• Make sure you're not logged into MySpace
• Head to MySpace Canada
• Login to your MySpace account as you normally would

You should now see a small yellow box at the top of your MySpace homepage inviting you to try out the Alpha of Profile 2.0.

What MySpace Should've Looked Like in the Beginning

Profile 2.0 allows for users to customize a lot more of their profile than words. Users can now drag and drop modules, add and remove modules, change themes, privacy settings, profile layouts and more. The advance edit mode allows those with more advanced HTML knowledge to fill out their profile with custom CSS and offers more control over module styles. You are also presented with a visual preview of every change made.

Rearranging My Space

All in all, the new Profile 2.0 will be a great tool to use once it goes public. However those that are already using custom templates from the thousands of sites that offer free MySpace themes may be at a loss until web designers catch up. Profile 2.0 will break most of the custom MySpace themes available. If you choose to try out Profile 2.0 MySpace reserves your 1.0 profile just in case you don't like what you see in Profile 2.0. In any case, back up your current profile settings before trying out Profile 2.0.

Formerly known as iSlsk, MewSeek is a native P2P Soulseek client for the iPhone. If you wish you could download free songs legally to your iPhone, then this is just the app you need. MewSeek works over EDGE, Wi-Fi, and a 3G connection. Since being released in the past few hours, this app has already seen over 3000 downloads. According to the developer's site,

"MewSeek is only was released only for experimental and testing purposes. I admit it is not quite stable yet and I also had to disable a few features temporarily until I find better ways to implement them (e.g. the "Downloads" screen, the ability to prevent Wi-Fi from disconnecting when locking the device, and a few others). However, the core and basic features are working as seen in iSlsk."

Basically, it's still a little buggy. To get started you'll need to set up a username and password first. Once that's done, click the connect button and you'll be good to go. MewSeek found just about every song we could think to search for, legal and otherwise. We advise you to use it at your own risk and MewSeek clearly states not to use the app to download songs that you do not have legal rights to.

Could MewSeek Be Worth The Effort?

To listen to anything that you download you'll have to also download PwnPlayer from Cydia. PwnPlayer is a unique alternative to the native iPod player on the iPhone and worth checking out even if you won't use MewSeek. Just remember that these apps are for jailbroken iPhones only.

We're already fans of the iPhone optimized version of Brightkite. However, it does leave room for some improvements. This is where the iPhone app picks up the slack. Once you login with your credentials you're greeted with the "I am..." screen. Here you can check in to another place, post a note or photo, or allow Brightkite to locate you via the Location Service feature on the iPhone. Locating a user is where Brightkite shines! The "Find Me" feature was extremely accurate with locating my location and also offered several other options of where I might be for me to pick. Brightkite also has a "place snapping" button that lets you allow the app to automatically update your location while you're on the go. It keeps tabs on how long it's been since your last update and the accuracy of your location.

You can also view your friend's activities, the activities of the Brightkite universe, view your address book of friends, see who's nearby, check your messages, accept or deny requests, and tons more. The Brightkite app also plays nicely with Google Maps on the iPhone so that you can get directions to where your friends are on the fly by simply touching the map of your friend's latest location. All in all, this app rocks!

Better Than Its Web Counterpart

If you have any room left on your iPhone for another application, Brightkite is worth the space. Though some users will still be haunted with the various problems that plague most mobile social networks, Brightkite's iPhone app makes the service seem a little more convenient and could cause many to use it a lot more. We only warn you to be careful with leaving the "locate me" feature on as this can be a battery life drainer on the iPhone, but is necessary to turn on if you want to use the app. Check out this awesome video of the Brightkite iPhone app in action just below:

Brightkite for the iPhone from Brightkite on Vimeo.

Moderator is a simple app that does its job well. The app provides you with notifications of how many comments are waiting on your approval both inside the app and also when the app is docked in your taskbar. Moderator also gives you the option of deleting, approving, or marking a comment as spam. You can also choose to view the gravatar of a commenter and set the refresh interval at up to 60 minutes. All of this is nicely packaged in a small and clean user interface.

Moderating Comments From Your Desktop

Developed by Daniel Dura, Moderator is a nifty AIR app and WordPress plugin that allows WordPress users to moderate comments from their desktop with ease. To get started, all you will need is version 2.6+ of WordPress and the latest version of Adobe AIR. To download Moderator, the app requires you to first install the Moderator plugin into your WordPress plugins directory. Doing so provides an added layer of security for your blog. Once the plugin is installed and activated you will be presented with a download link for the Moderator AIR app. As an early release, users may encounter some kinks and quirks depending on the amount of unmoderated comments you receive on a daily basis. However, Moderator is a great app to help you keep up with your comments as the day wears on, without having to constantly refresh your WordPress dashboard.

• YouTube has brokered a deal with Viacom to run full-length episodes of television shows from CBS
• Hulu.com saw a 52.5% month over month increase in traffic in September 2008
• According to Reuters, YouTube boasts 330 million users and Hulu just 3.3 million users

CEO Bill Stone stated that:

"Handango is now offering developers the opportunity to sell the paid apps they create for the Android platform as well as offer any free apps when the first Android device launches. Customers can purchase apps via the Web and then download them to their device."

Handango will provide this golden opportunity to developers looking to profit from their apps on October 22, the anticipated launch date of the G1. Developers will be given several options for selling their app:

• Sell an app for a one-time purchase fee
• Sell an app for a monthly, quarterly or annual subscription fee

The plus side for Google and Handango is that App Store developers don't receive this many options to sell their apps. It could tempt a nice portion of developers to port their apps over to Android if the G1's launch is successful enough.

How Long Will it Last?

A small selection of apps have already been announced for Handango's catalog including Monopoly, The Weather Channel, Voice on the Go, EzQuote, and FitSync. Unfortunately, Google already has plans to allow developers to charge users to download an app. What will happen to Handango? If developers are smart, they'll offer their apps in both marketplaces if possible. Unless Google takes too long to implement the same payment options, Handango may have a little trouble in the future catering to developers trying to sell their apps.

Developed by Jay Freeman, the creator of the Cydia and Cycorder apps, Veency is a free app that allows iPhone owners to remotely control their iPhone from the comfort of your PC or Mac desktop via a VNC client. Some of the neat things you can do with Veency are:

• Launch applications on your iPhone
• Reply to emails, text messages, and more
• Rearrange icons
• Lock/Unlock your iPhone
• Browse through Photos and Contacts

Unsurprisingly, you cannot do two finger gestures with this app. All other actions can be done with the click of your mouse. The only area in which Veency fails tragically at is when opening any video recording application on the iPhone. We could not view any videos or video recordings on-screen and opening any video application resulted in significantly lower performance from Veency.

Charge Your iPhone From Anywhere

Now iPhone users can charge their iPhone in one room and still answer messages or play with their apps without needing their iPhone to be around. Veency allows you to see any incoming calls, but you obviously shouldn't try to answer them from your computer. Be sure to restart your iPhone after installing Veency and connect to the server using a Wi-Fi connection. We recommend using UltraVNC or TightVNC to connect your Windows desktop. If you're using a Mac, we recommend Chicken VNC. For a great demo of Veency check out this video.

The Periscope Gadget allows users to control multiple Basecamp accounts from their iGoogle homepage. The gadget provides access to Basecamp activity and allows users to add and manage time entries, download files, and more. The design for the Periscope Gadget is simple and effective, with hover-over link effects to keep the interface as simple as possible without leaving out important details. On the downside, the gadget does not allow you to leave comments on an entry nor add/complete "to-do" items. It has been noted that the team behind Periscope is working hard to bring these features to users. The gadget is accessible from iGoogle, Windows desktops with Google Gadgets installed, and the iPhone for easy on-the-go access.

Allowing Access to Basecamp

To allow the Periscope Gadget to access your Basecamp account read the following instructions or watch this screencast:

"1. Login to your own Basecamp account. Your URL will be something like http://yourdomain.updatelog.com/ or any of the 5 domains that 37 signals owns (updatelog.com, grouphub.com, clientsection.com, seework.com, projectpath.com) and you'll need to use the username and password that you chose when you signed up with them. 2. Click on the Account (Upgrade/Billing) tab. 3. Scroll all the way down on the new page. 4. Close to the bottom is a "Basecamp API" section. Click on the check box that is labelled "I've read and agree to the Basecamp terms of service..." -- you should actually click on the terms of service and read them. 5. Click on the button that says "Yes, please enable the Basecamp API for this account" -- wait a few seconds, and voila! You're done! Basecamp API access is enabled!"

If you think the Periscope Gadget is worth a try or if you're already using Periscope in iGoogle, let us know your thoughts on the iGoogle gadget in the comments sections.