We use the spiffy Gmail integration on the current iPhone 3G to keep in touch with clients and ideas on the move. We also use the fantastic Wordpress app to draft (and update) content of our site, and our client sites, whenever we need to make a quick change.

So here's a quick update on what's new, and what's not new, in the just-announced iPhone 3Gs.

We've been using the 3G for around a year, and love its organisation tools, the integration with Google Calendar (we never did get into iCal - too propriatery), and it's 'ok' touch-screen keyboard. We must admit though, as a telephone, it has been lacking. Dropped calls on 3G network, confused iPod when SMS arrives. That aspect of it just doesn't seem finished - we guess we should have got a touch instead. The fact O2's 3G network is oversubscribed in London leads us to believe they should really not advertise "3G" as a useable feature in high density areas. We haven't had a hands-on with the 3GS yet, so will not touch on the phone features.

But what's new in the 3GS that will aide our output?

The 3 mega-pixel camera will be a handy addition to our blogging projects. We don't often use the existing 2 mega-pixel camera on the 3G as it is really poor quality. Maybe you'd like to have a bit more spontaneity on you blog and post photos you've just taken. Hopefully the improved camera will make them look a little more professional, rather than the 'taken through a sheet of scratchy plastic' pics we get at the moment.

The Voice Recorder app that's coming with OS 3.0 will be great for keeping little reminders to yourself. We've been trying to get into Evernote for a while, but the lack of a useable 3G network in London means we got bored waiting for it to sync.

Cut-and-Paste. Oooh. Despite the grumbles that it should have been there at the start, now it's been implemented it really does work a treat. Edit your notes or your Wordpress posts right from your phone. Nice. The pinch-and-stretch highlighter works well, and is simple to use.

If you've got a lot of notes for articles, or client contacts you need to get to quickly, the Spotlight Search is a great addition to the OS. If you splashed out for MobileMe and the contact or email message you’re looking for isn’t on your iPhone, you can continue your search on the server. Search responds with all the results so you can display them on your iPhone.

Now there are so many variables in dozens of permutations and from every Big Corp. electronics firm you can think of that some guidance may be required before putting your money down.

Here we take a look at 5 of the newer models on the market.

HP Mini 1000 £400

HP's first foray into the market wasn't that great. The 2133 Mini-Note was appalingly slow and it's screen was far to shiny to be used outdoors. Expectations were low with their latest baby.

Thankfully, HP has learned that they need to produce something special to get a share of this competitive market.

Looks and Usability
It's a big ol' footprint, but that means the keyboard is a good size and comfortable to use. It does have a mouse trackpad is a bit tricky to use as the buttons are weirdly positioned to either side of it, but you get used to it. May be best to have a trial run at your local Dixons.

Unfortunately, HP have cut a corner on the screen, and it suffers from the same glare that defeated the 2133 Mini-Note.

Battery Life and Power
The majority of the netbooks on this list are powered by Intel's Atom N270 CPU so they are much of a muchness. You'll get around 3 hours of video play off a fully charged battery. Again, that's average.

Put your money down?
It's ok and comfy to use, but the glossy screen, and not enough USB ports make it a 'um, sorta'.

Eee PC 901 £299

The 900 model gave a kick up the ass to the mid-size netbook market, and maybe underlined that the 7-incher was just 'too wee'.

Looks and Usability
This has brawn over beauty. It looks clunky, but it's solid. Good if you're lugging it around in your school bag. The keyboard is slightly dinky, so it started to hurt our hands after about 30 minutes of touch typing. We are getting old though.

The winning feature is the gesture mouse pad, allowing you to pinch and stretch and scroll and zoom with ease. Web surfing is a lovely experience.

Battery Life and Power
Again, using the Atom N2370, it's got the same horse-power as most netbooks on the market. 4 and a half hours of lovely video playback is not to be sniffed at off one fully charged battery.

Put your money down?
If word processing your latest novel is not your priority, the 901 covers most bases. Enough USB ports and a nice wifi and Bluetooth availabilty makes this good for file transfers too.

Acer Aspire One £209

Oooh, it looks nice and colourful.

Looks and Usability
The keyboard hits the spot. Easy to type on and good clicky feedback. Bah! But the mouse has all gone wrong. Why put the selector buttons on the left and right? We don't have little extra stumpy bits on the heel of our hands, and are forced to move our entire hand to click.

Battery Life and Power
You can get this with XP, or a custom port of Linux Linpus - and if you go for the latter you will be very pleased indeed. Booting in less than 20 seconds, and easy to use for the novice. Standard performance from the processor (Atom N270 again), but the battery power is a disappointing 2 hours.

Put your money down?
It's got a built in 3G modem which is a really nice feature, if you've got a 3G sim. Wifi and Bluetooth and USB etc as normal. It's cheap, but your batter suffers. You pays your money...

Samsung NC10 £320

Samsung have bitten the bullet, did the math and realised there's good market share to be taken with the NC10.

Looks and Usability
Silver-impregnated keys make for an apparently anti-bacterial keyboard. The display is non-glossy, so makes it more usable outdoors than some of the competitors, which gets it some points. It falls down on the mousepad though, it's a bit weedy.

Battery Life and Power
Again, performance the same as the rivals. However, the battery life in our video test is a staggering 5 and a half hours. We're told it'll survive up to 7 hours with more prudent use.

Put your money down?
It's a funny one. It doesn't have any super-duper standout features, but it covers every base well and is a good contenter for our top pic. The lack of a digital video out is a mere blip.

Eee PC 1000HE £330

They've had a couple of attempts to get the 1000 series right, and Asus have pretty much nailed it on this one.

Looks and Usability
It's big and it's heavy. It's almost not a netbook, but it is. The beautiful 10-inch display lets you see most of the web pages we use every day without having to pan and scan. It's got a keyboard that's about 90% of a standard laptop keyboard so it's pleasurable to type on, even if you're writting your magnum opus.

Battery Life and Performance
Asus claim a 9 hour batter life. We don't even get that out of our good quality office laptops. Some tests have got over 10(!) hours, though that was running some piddling light weight applications. Still, that is impressive. Average though, is 5 and a half hours. Astonishing.

Put your money down?
It's not attractive, and it's a bit heavy, but it is our pick. The keyboard is great, the mouse is good enough, it's got 802.11n highspeed wifi. It's very competitively priced and the battery knocks everyone else into a cocked hat for the best part of the working day. A thousand times, yes!

If you do not have a footrest, it can force your lower back into an arch, and put excessive pressure on your spinal discs. With a footrest, your lower spine will be placed in a more neutral position, and your back muscles will relax. The distribution of the weight of your torso will be correct and you will be less inclined to become tired while sitting.

Here are some options.

Humanscale Foot Machine 500
Its sleek design is a mixture of function and beauty. The wide, moulded plywood platform is stable and durable. The base has rubber grips for a non-slip surface if the floor is wood or linoleum. The die-case aluminium legs are curved slightly to encourage a relaxing rocking motion. This movement allows for the exercising of the lower leg muscles while you are seated.

The plywood is from sustainable forests. It is stained with brushed steel with straight black accents.

The ErgoWise Foot-Rest

This alternative helps to combat the discomfort and tiredness associated with sitting for extended period with its innovative design. It features padded rollers which move independly of each other and give a smooth massage to the soles of your feet.

The angle is adjustable with knobs which tighten to give stability to the platform and tilt to suit the user.

Budget Ergo-Comfort Adjustable Footrest

This low-cost basic model covers all the bases in the most simple ways. It elevates the feet (at least 2 inches is enough), and improves the circulation in your body. Allowing your shoulders to naturally relax backwards helps your posture. The 'Easy-Glide' design allows for the positioning of your legs and feet while the rest is in use, and the tilt angle will slide to any position that is comfortable.

Read our 6 tips on how to choose a suitable chair for your main office needs. If you work for a company, you should have a word with your department administrator in getting the chair that suits you.

One word of caution - the chair itself may not be the cause of any discomfort you may be feeling. You may need to adjust other elements of your work environment - such as monitor or foot rest.

Adjust your Seat Height
The is the first correction that should be made, and when it is correctly done, your hands should be allowed to float just above the keyboard, with your forearms laying parallel to the floor. If you can get close enough to your desk, your elbows should be in a vertical line with your shoulders.

Seat Depth
The depth of the seat should support your thighs so you do not strain your legs. You should be able to put 2 fingers in to the gap between the front edge of the seat, and the back of your knees.

Backrest Height Adjustment
You need to be sure that your back rest is able to be adjusted to such a degree as to provide lumbar support. The height of your lumbar region from the base of your spine differs from person to person, so you should be able to adjust this appropriately.

Backrest Reclining Adjustment
Although you ideally should have much of a recline on your seat when doing your normal day-to-day work, it can offer a pleasant respite if you are on the telephone or taking a break. Set the angle to a comfortable angle so it reduces back strain, yet will still maintain the lumbar curve.

Foot Rest
If you are of a dainty proportion, and when your seat height has been appropriately adjusted and your feet do not rest flat on the floor - you may need a foot rest. The rest should enable you to sit with your knees and your hips at right angles.

Adjustable Armrest Height
If you prefer a chair with arm rest, please consider these 3 points:
The are fully height adjustable within the restrictive height of your desk
Your arms do not rest on them while you are performing your task at your desk
Your shoulders do not 'hunch'

Clear and loud audio is achieved by way of their 'Voice Isolation Technology' and 'Noise Assassin' respectively. You can pair the devices with an impressive 8 different devices (and connect at the same time to 2). They cost the same, and the look pretty swish.

So where do they differ? The Jawbone senses your speech by way of a little doobery that touches your cheekbone, and it's controls are hidden under the casing. The Q1's controls are on the outside, but effective.

For our money (£80 of it), the Prime just feels comfier. The interchangeable earbud makes for a snug fit no matter how big your lugs. Q1 only has two different sizes, so it's just your luck if it fits or not.

Styling-wise, the Jawbone also takes first place. In shocking green, you'll stand-out (if you want to) with this kind of Klingon intergalactic communicator.

The winner? For our money, Jawbone Prime for adaptability and good looks.

[Jawbone]
[Q1]

Aliph Jawbone Prime Bluetooth Wireless Headset

1 Bid

US $25.00

JAWBONE 2 3 II PRIME EAR LOOP S HOOK S EAR BUD S 7PCS

0 Bid

US $11.99

Aliph Jawbone 3 Prime Bluetooth Noise Assassin EARWARE

US $89.16

Jawbone Custom 1 2 prime Adapter from Big Ear Inc

0 Bid

US $64.00

Jawbone Prime Bluetooth Earbud

US $50.00

Black Jawbone 3 Prime Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Aliph

0 Bid

US $36.99

Pink Jawbone 3 Prime Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Aliph

0 Bid

US $36.99

Green Jawbone 3 Prime Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Aliph

0 Bid

US $42.00

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Blueant Q1 Specs

Just stick a few centimetres of the 19mm (3?4") wide patented magnetic tape to the back of your photos, posters, notes, etc. and a matching piece on the wall, the fridge door or office cupboard etc.

The tape strips will stick to each other magnetically. And can be just as easily taken off again. Unlike conventional removable adhesive tape, you can use this tape again and again. Ideal, for example, if you need to reposition storyboards several times.

Silver medal at the inventors’ fair in Geneva, 2006.

The acrylic magnetic tape has an underside which sticks to wallpaper and paper as perfectly as it does to wood, glass, plastic and metal.

[via The Red Ferret]

(Note: you'll not see many folk down at Starbucks sporting these badboys)

Paul Smith Men's Laptop bag £90

Paul Smith laptop case printed with a seasonal Mini on location photograph. The spring/summer 2009 picture is taken at Portland Bill lighthouse. It is complimented with chocolate coloured leather trims.

Internally the laptop case is lined in purple canvas with two additional pockets; one which is zip fastening. It is finished with a Paul Smith's signature logo tab is sewn into the seam.

[paulsmith.co.uk]

AO Ally Capellino brown air glove for MacBook Air £110
By [Ally Capellino]

Made from softly polished natural leather, a green lightweight cotton quilted lining and a leather button with easy elastic fastening to reflect the original carrying concept from Apple. Your Macbook Air will slip comfortably and smoothly inside.

Features

* Polished full grain leather
* Leather button with elastic flap closure
* Soft cotton tote duster bag in green

Interior

* Soft cotton green quilted lining
[via Apple]

Herald laptop case £275
from [Bill Amberg]

A document and laptop slip made in the Modern Traveller signature perforated leather with contrasting red interior. An amalganation of Bill's earlier two separate laptop and document case designs- this time with more internal pocketing for CDs, your mobile, paperwork and pens.

Search Pad uses a simple, easy-to-follow interface.

Video attached is from Yahoo and demos how the service works.

Search Pad is a note taking application built into Yahoo! Search that automatically assists you in saving websites you visit and taking notes as you search. Search Pad helps you collect, edit, organize, save, print, and email your notes for immediate or future use.

Search Pad is helpful in completing tasks and making decisions that require collecting information over multiple search sessions such as making a large purchase, planning a vacation or gathering information on a health issue.

The 'shackle-me-not' cry for freedom has been answered by RPA Tech, and their quite lovely Mobile Air Mouse app for Apple's iPhone.

Take Control
A simple App Store app, the top portion of the Air Mouse Pro display screen shows a standard dual-button trackpad. The bottom half is where the beauty is - a full keyboard, with easy controls for surfing the internet and controling your media centre.

Taking full advantage of the in-built accelerometer and the touchscreen, the app works on either the iPhone or the Touch - ensuring the maximum market possible. The Air Mouse needs a local wifi network to control your PC or Mac's mouse and keyboard. You do need to install a client application on the computer before using, so the Air Mouse Pro is very similar to the freeware "iPhone Remote" software which can be found on Google Code. There are a variety of VNC-style screen-sharing applications in Apple's App Store - that is, little programmes that allow you to control your Mac (or PC) and see the screen remotely. But I don't need to see the screen, I just want to be able to control a few applications in short shrift.

Does The Job
When we had a trial of the software, we found it to be sturdy and responded when we wanted it to. The accelerometer transforms your iPhone into something akin to a Wiimote. The keyboard is pretty dinky right enough, so probably will not allow you to write "Crime and Punishment" from your sofa. It passes muster in terms of entering URLs or performing simple app-startup tasks.

One obvious shortcoming of the Air Mouse Pro is the lack of simple presentation controls. While controling Powerpoint is possible using the virtual mouse buttons, a simple specific interface would have made this a real winner.

The Mobile Air Mouse works with any iPod Touch or iPhone (2.1 and greater). The desktop client requires Mac OS X 10.4 and above, or XP/Vista

[via http://www.mobileairmouse.com/]

The lumbar region of the human spine carries the greatest percentage of the body weight. This, combines with the flexibility that is is also required to provide, makes it very susceptible to injury, and general degradation over time.

People who work at a desk, in the home office or at BigCo, generally should have an ergonomically designed chair to help reduce the pressure on the discs in the lumbar area of the spine. The best position to reduce pressure on this area is to be standing upright, shoulders back. However, this is obviously not a great position in which to work. To take better care of your back, it's important that a lumbar support pillow is used whenever you are seated for long periods of time.

Here are our current suggestions for lumbar supports.

The Lumbar Mate
This support is very easy to adjust and gives your an adjustable amount of support in whatever situation you require. The cushion can be adjusted by simply turning the knob which is built into the side. The LumbarMate comes with an adjustable strap which will attach to your office chair or car seat should you so wish.

It can be taken with you as it is compact and light. It relieves lower back pressure.

Back Huggar

This adjustable and very economical lower back support cushion is available in 'Memory Foam'. It's marketed as a home-health care product, and it can be modified by the insertion of a plastic bevel which allows you to vary the amount of support. It feature a spinal support column which provides very comfortable support to the lower back.

It too assists in the relief of pain in the lower back. It comes with adjustable straps which hold it in position on the back of your office chair. The cover is corduroy, and can be unzipped for easy maintainance and cleaning.

The McKenzie Original SlimLine Lumbar Roll

If your seat already has some degree of lumbar support built-in (quite common in modern office furniture), but you find it is not quite enough for your personal needs, this may be the answer. The strap is adjustable so should fit a variety of chairs and car seats. Its PolarFleece covering is resiliant, and is easily removed for washing.