I love Evernote, and use it a lot, on my Macs and on my iPad. It allows me to move data between my devices easily, and to keep track of different kinds of information easily.

This morning I saw a post on MacAppStorm called 9 Unique and Useful Ways to Use Evernote by Jorge Rodriguez that does a great job of describing how useful Evernote can be.

I was going to post something about Evernote one of these days, but this article covers the territory, and better than I could. If you have any use for a “notebook” app, Evernote deserves a look. It’s far and away superior in my opinion.

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Thanks to David Martin at MacLife.com for a great tip!

I’ve used the Maps app since I bought the first version of the iPhone, and I’ve always used the pinch method for zooming in or out. This tip makes it much easier:

Double-tap with one finger to zoom in one level, a single-tap with two fingers to zoom out one level. That simple!

I tried it, and it’ll take a little time to get used to… I’ll have to break old habits… but this is a very fast, simple way to navigate in the Maps app. Try it yourself and see if you like it.

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Nationwide Insurance, using remarkable foresight, released a free iPhone app that lets customers record important information in the event of a car accident. Location and other details can be recorded, along with photos of the scene taken by the built-in camera. You have the ability to call the police for help, call a tow truck, contact an authorized repair shop, and of course, a Nationwide agent nearby. It even has a flashlight app built-in, if you crash in the dark.

This can be helpful for non-Nationwide customers as well, and hats-off to an insurance company with imagination!

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This article from MacLife will be a good read while you wait for the Activation Server to become available.

1. Select and Delete
Deleting on the iPhone has always been lacking in elegance. Now you can tap and hold the delete key to show the Select|Select All popup. Now you can select what you want deleted, hit the delete key and it’s done. Easy as can be.

2. Quick Spotlight
If you tap the home button on your iPhone it returns you to your main iPhone hoem screen. Tap it again and you go to a Spotlight search page. You can also swipe to the left of your main home screen. You can turn Music Search off, and fine-tune your Spotlight searches to include or ignore most items. Navigate to Settings > General > Home > Search Results to use the options available, and even re-order them.

3. Use Copy to Email Photos Instead of Share
Now you can email multiple photos in one message. Previously, you could send up to 5 images using the Share option. Now you can use the Copy option and navigate to the Email app and paste them into a message.

If you get carried away with too many images, the Mail app will slow down. There’s a limit on size of messages you can send, too. MacLife editors found that 10 MB (25-30 pictures) worked, but then the app crashed.

4. Emoji is Still There
OK, this one doesn’t ring my bell, but if you like Emoji icons, you can still use them. If you haven’t yet enabled Emoji, you can use one of a couple of Emoji apps (99¢) at the App store. These only work from iPhone to iPhone, so if you rely on Emoji icons to convey meaning, make sure your recipient has an iPhone… or look very silly.

5. Who Called From Where
When you get a voicemail, or a call shows up in Recents, under their name you see which phone they called from. For me, this is big, because a lot of my calls are from people with as many as 5 different phones… Office, home, mobile, vacation home, 2nd mobile, etc. I hate to guess where to call back. This new feature takes the guesswork out.

6. Find My iPhone – Stalker Fun
If you have someone in your family or business who gets lost a lot – my ex-wife, for example – turn this feature on and you can locate them and give directions to get home. If your kids have an iPhone, and aren’t hip enough to turn this feature off, you can track them down too.

7. Exchange meetings without the cost
You can go along with AT&T and pay extra for Exchange service, or use this tip to get it for free!

Now you can send and receive invitations to meetings with the Calendar app.
Navigate to Settings>Mail, Contacts, Calendars. Set up an Exchange account via Add Account. You can get this information from your IT department or just get the information from your Entourage or Outlook client if you’re sneaky. Be sure to turn on the Calendar option and your ready to rock. Just be sure you’re on your employer’s Wi-Fi network so it can find the Exchange server. After set up we were able to set up meetings and we received alerts about meetings we were invited too.

8. Shake, Rattle and Roll
When you’re in the iPod app, you can Shake to Shuffle tracks. Be careful not to launch your iPhone, and it won’t work in other apps or if the phone is locked. You can double-tap the Home button to get to the iPod app tho.

It seems that if you have the iPod controls on the screen the shake to shuffle works, even with it locked, as long as the screen is on and the controls displayed.

9. Public Transportation
Google’s Map app was updated to show public transportation. You can tap on each stop along the route for info regarding that stop, and a sub-menu with info about the transport service you are using, with links to their website.

10. Not ready for Prime Time?
Some apps aren’t ready for 3.0 yet. If you have apps you absolutely need to use, be prepared to wait up to a week or so for them all to make it through Apple’s review process.

11. Sync your Notes
Enable syncing notes in iTunes by plugging in your phone, and go to the info tab. Scroll down and check the Sync Notes box. The notes will sync with Mail on your Mac under the Reminders drop down. Not perfect, but better than what we had… nothing!

12. Record Your Message
Voice Memo lets you record and email greetings or voice notes to friends and family. Record, edit a little, and email. The Voice Memos are synced to iTunes.

13. Copy with the Calculator
Now you can copy and paste to and from the Calculator app. Brilliant! My memory isn’t up to the task when a Calculator answer is over 6 digits… but sometimes I need to email or make a note of that number. Now I can do it without a pencil.

Can’t copy the whole equation, tho. Not yet.

14 Redeem your iTunes Gift Card on the Go
Yep. You can redeem gift cards, gift certificates or other iTunes codes, under the More tab in the iTunes app and the App Store app.

OK, that’s 14. MacLife counted a little differently than I did. I combined a couple of tips into one. Sue me. But go to the MacLife article to see the article, with screenshots to better understand the great new features.

Oh, and while I took time to write this, the Activation Server became available and I am installing the update as I write!!!

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Not sure this is a good idea, but if you are on handsfree, you can use this new app from G.P.Imports lets you “type while on the road”. Really. That’s a direct quote from the App Store listing for Talking Email Keyboard.

It makes sense for people who have difficulty with the iPhone keyboard, or are visually impaired. Please, don’t email while you drive! That said, this is a pretty cool idea. It announces each letter after you type, so you don’t have to look down at the screen. More importantly for me, I know if I made a mistake immediately, and can correct it more easily, than after I’ve finished the word or sentence.

Tests show that the voice, while pleasant and clear, lags a bit, so if you are a speed-emailer, it may make you crazy.

This is an interesting idea, but I am waiting for an app that does voice recognition, and will convert my voice to text. Not sure we’ll see it any time soon, but who knows? The App developers are doing things I wouldn’t have believed 4 years ago.

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