Tech Week in Review: iPhone 3.0, BackType Connect, Entrecard, and Gmail Previews

Backtype Connect

Backtype Connect is a new feature from Backtype that allows you to see the conversations developing around a particular page, regardless of where those conversations are taking place. There is even a bookmarklet that gives you one-click access to what people are saying about whatever you’re looking at. (previous Backtype coverage)

It also integrates their new BackTweets service, which shows you all the tweets that talk about an article, regardless of how the URL may have been obfuscated via URL shorteners.

See Backtype Connect in action.

Entrecard Ad Network

For those of us that use Entrecard to generate a little traffic and network with other bloggers, there are some pretty major changes going into effect that you should be aware of:

• Entrecard is now selling ad space on your blog
• The revenue from these ads will be used to buy your credits back from you, so you can actually earn money from those extra credits you have laying around
• If you choose to reject any of these paid ads, you will have to pay
• There is a new above-the-fold rule. Your Entrecard must be above-the-fold to keep your account active

These changes come on the heels of the new Entrecard Marketplace, where you can buy and sell your services using your credits. I’m sure these changes probably have some people flipping out, but I’m not sure they’ll keep me from using the service. More information on the Entrecard blog.

iPhone 3.0 Operating System

Apple announces their 3.0 operating system update, which has a bunch of new features and fixes that many people think should have already been included. This free update should be available by summer for iPhone 3G users and iPod Touch users will have to pay $9.95. Some of the features that stood out to me:

• Cut, Copy and paste
• MMS support
• Auto-fill
• Native Meebo-IM
• New global phone search, called Spotlight

For a fancy phone with multi-touch technology, I would have thought most of these things would have been included from jump, but apparently not. Check out the simple list of what’s new.

Gmail Adds YouTube, Picasa, Flickr and Yelp Previews

In what looks like a bid to keep you from ever leaving your Google Account, Gmail Labs introduces the ability to play YouTube videos, view Picasa and Flickr photos, and preview ratings from Yelp right inside your emails. You no longer have to open multiple tabs to get at the content people are sending you. This should be pretty helpful in keeping you focused on the task at hand: Getting that Inbox to Zero.

To activate these features, just check out your Labs tab under Settings. For more details, visit the official Gmail blog.