Shortly after purchasing my Droid Bionic 4G LTE smart phone I was blown away by the results of my data transfer rates on bandwidthplace.com. Depending on my location I was getting speeds between 3Mbps to 32Mbps and no, I’m not joking. This along with the mobile hotspot capabilities of the Droid Bionic is what peaked my interest in finding a way to get a Verizon 4G LTE signal at home which has been a problem since we switched from At&t to big red a couple of years ago.

Our neighborhood apparently is in a Verizon black hole where the force is so strong that no reception can penetrate through. Well, that’s not entirely true, we get a signal but it’s random and jumps from network to network (1x, 3g, 4G LTE occasionally on one side of the house) every few seconds. Bear in mind that the signal we received was never enough to make a call or transfer data. Up until I decided to ditch my home internet and setup a home network using my Bionic we had been using a Verizon (Samsung branded) network extender which worked great for phone calls but required a high speed internet connection and did not function well with data functions like text messages.

Okay, enough with the back story lets get to the meat of what this article is about; Wilson Electronics (WE) 4G LTE signal Booster and the accompanying WE antennas. Considering that I am a rather cheap individual I was not willing to pay retail for a WE all in one kit ($700+) so I decided to piece the system together using several sources which I’ll detail below.

The Review:

The question on your mind is likely, Does it work? YES! Let me start by saying that I went from sporadic signals that lasted no more than 5 seconds to a consistent 4G LTE signal that floats between -82 and -95 depending on the tower I’m receiving the signal from. This provides roughly 4Mbs to 12 Mbs download speeds and upload speeds between 1 ½ Mbs to 5 Mbs. However, your situation may vary for a number of reasons. Careful research and thought must be conducted prior to making the investment. To give the primary and very general requirement for success with WE signal booster here’s what the technical support staff at WE told me, if you can attain a signal from the carrier then this system will work for you. Meaning, if you can lock onto a signal from the carrier even for a brief moment or two this system will likely help you attain a solid and consistent signal. I’m not saying you’ll be sitting with a -65db signal but if you’re situation is similar to mine you could see signals ranging from -82db to -94db depending on several factors; like distance to the tower, broadcast power of the tower, etc…

Negatives:

• Monopoly on Cables: The cables used are WE exclusive which will force you to spend a lot of money on cables for the installation.
• The cable is VERY stiff and not easy to maneuver.
• Price of Coaxial Surge Protector: We had a house hit by lightning so we appreciate the need for this product but $70 is outrageous for what the product is. We’d all probably pass out if we knew the markup on this item.
• Installation Requirements: The distance between the antennas and the being forced to mount the booster inside the home/business makes for an expensive project.

Positives:

• Works as advertised. I’m likely the only resident in a half mile radius with 4GLTE. That comes with bragging rights.
• The booster, surge protector, and antennas all seem very well built.
• WE support staff is very helpful and some of them are very insightful.

Bottom Line:

Depending on how much you pay for the system I would say it’s worth every penny as long as you don’t spend $800 as WE suggested it would cost during my first phone call with them.

The Hardware:

1. WE 4G LTE 700 (801865) Booster (Purchased items 1, 2, and 3 from SolidSignal.com) Product Link: 801865 with 301135 and 301111 or 801865 with 301135 and 304411
2. WE Dual Band Panel Indoor Antenna (301135)
3. WE Wide Band Antenna (304411) NOTE: According to WE Support staff the 301111 Yagi antenna will not work for the 700 MHz band (Stated it’s an 800 MHz) THEY WERE wrong and even the manual that comes with the 301111 states that it works for the 700MHz band. Furthermore it is this antenna that I am using now so I can personally guarantee it works with the LTE network.
4. AT LEAST 50 feet of WE Ultra Low Loss Cable 952350 N male connectors on both sides of the cable. In order to use your amplifier at near full power you need at least 50 feet of separation between the inside and outside antenna. (Bought mine on Rocksignal.com) Product Link: 50ft Ultra Low Loss WE cable
5. AT LEAST two separate 2 foot (longer cables will allow more flexibility when it comes to installation. I recommend at least one of these be a 10 foot cable) WE Ultra Low Loss Cables 952302 N male connectors on both sides. (Only need one if you opt not to use the lightning protection) (Bought mine on Amazon.com) NOTE: I didn’t realize I would need these cables initially so I ended up buying them from Amazon but it would probably be more cost effective to buy these from RockSignal.com as well because shipping may be combined and their price is better.
6. Mounting Hardware: A pole of 1 ½ to 2 inches in diameter to mount the outside antenna on. The pole needs to be AT LEAST four 3 ½ feet long as there has to be at least 3 feet of clearance in all directions of the antenna. (I welded two top posts for chain link fences together and welded a 45 degree angle piece of metal conduit to the top to enable me to elevate the WE 301111 antenna. Found at Home Depot)
7. Optional: WE Coaxial Lightning Surge Protector 859902 (Overstock.com currently has this item for a really good price.) NOTE: We were previously hit by lightning and lost a lot of electronic equipment so let me just say, Don’t be a cheap ass and spend the extra $60 or so to protect your WE amplifier and countless other devices that could be affected if the lightning jumps to another part of your electrical system. Product Link: WE Lightning Surge Protector

The Overall Cost: (Estimated)

1. WE Amplifier (801865) and WE Indoor Antenna (301135) and WE Outside Antenna (304411) – $299.99 plus $12.95 for shipping = $312.94
   See links in the Hardware section #1 for links to the kits that include the 301111 or 304411 antenna.
2. 50 ft cable (952350), 10 ft cable(952310), and 2 foot cable(952302) = $69.79 plus $8.95 for shipping = $78.74
3. WE Lightning Protection (859902) = $46.49 plus $2.99 for shipping = $49.48

——————————————————————————-
Total = $441.16

Please keep in mind you will need some other materials including a pole to mount the outside antenna to, electrical tape, wire ties, etc… but this should give you a ballpark idea of what you’re looking at for the cost.

Installation:

1. If you have a Android powered phone download an app called “Open Signal” as this will help you find your nearest towers and will help (Somewhat) in the aiming process.
2. Utilize the app above to discover where you nearest towers are. Spend some time walking your property, neighborhood, and even drive down the street to see where the most consistent signal is coming from. Then move to step 3.
3. Evaluate the best mounting area on your property/house while considering the following things; location of the cell tower, where your inside antenna will be mounted knowing the outside antenna can’t aim anywhere near the direction of the inside antenna (oscillation WILL occur), distance the outside antenna is from the inside antenna (50 feet minimum is required for near full power on the amplifier), and finally the most important thing; whether or not your wife will approve of the location because if momma ain’t happy 4glte or not, YOU WILL NOT be happy.
4. Next run the cable to the locations you plotted making sure you’ve met the previously mentioned requirements.
5. Install the antennas: Inside and outside.
6. Install the Coaxial Surge Protector.
7. Mount the Signal Booster and connect the cables. The SB needs to be mounted on the inside of your home away from the extreme temperatures of the attic or outside weather. Unless you opt to buy more than 50 feet of the cable listed above then this takes VERY careful planning. Mine is mount less than a foot from the ceiling behind our plasma tv. Consider whether you have an inside location that will work with only 2 – 2 foot cables to reach the inside antenna and surge protector. If not you will have to buy longer cable.
8. Check all of the connections and then plug it in. If both of the lights are green it’s working as expected, now aim using the Open Signal app as your guide but give the cell phone plenty of time to process the signal before making adjustments to the outside antenna.

Aiming Tips:

Consider your location carefully. If for example like me, you aren’t currently getting a good signal due to hills, trees, or land is blocking the signal you might need to slightly elevate your antenna in addition to mounting it at a higher point. As you can see in the images above I mounted my antenna fairly high (About 20 feet) and have it installed at a slight angle. Also, be patient when checking for signals, cell phone signal meters are not in real time. At points in the aiming process if you drop your signal all together be sure to check the amplifier inside the building, chances are you may have tripped the oscillation protection. This means your antennas signals are coming in contact with each other and need to be separated. Feel free to ask any questions in the comment section below and make sure to sign up on JealousBrother.com and get involved in some rivalries. Thanks.

(Also offers a Free Fully Functional 30 day trial)

Modes:

A1SG offers two modes of use “Easy Mode” and what I’ll call “Super Advance Mode”. While easy mode may be ideal for smaller websites with excellent url structures it’s not suitable for larger websites or those with structuring issues. I won’t be covering “Easy Mode” in much detail as none of my websites were a suitable choice for crawling in this mode. With that considered it is certainly possible that there are plenty of well structured websites that could very much benefit from the “Easy Mode”.

Before I come off too negative let me open the door to what I’ll refer to as “Super Advanced Mode”. To say the advance mode gives you amazing control over your sitemap analysis and output would be the understatement of the century. I’ve been working with the software for well over two months now and I’ve likely only evaluated 55% – 65% of the options available in this software. Extensive options come with an elevated learning curve which Thomas told me was a trade off he’s willing to make.

User Interface:

A1SG is very powerful but it is also a bit confusing. The large number of features take it’s toll on ease of use which includes attempting to figure out what all of the different filters do and what the appropriate syntax is to make them spring to life. To counter the confusion A1SG offers numerous mouse over tips and a very extensive online help section for all of the different features to help explain the use and sytnax which is a neccessity for people like me who refuse to dive into manuals. To give an example of how extensive the option sets are I’ll list the tabs for scanning a website; Paths, Scan Progress, Crawler Options, Crawler Engine, Crawler Identification, Webmaster Filters, Analysis Filters, Output Filters, and Data Collection. Each one of these tabs has numerous options for the end user to choose from which while very usefull features this does make it a little more challenging to operate but then again it is “Advanced Mode”.

Functionality:

If theres one thing that trumps all others it’s functionality; Does it Work? I can give a resounding YES to that question and further praise that it works very well. Features are great to look at on a company’s description of their software but unless they actually work in a real world environment they’re useless. A1SG makes good on their feature set and I can assure you that if you come across a problem, bug, or have a suggestion Mr. Schulz will promptly and professionally respond to any inquires made and as you’ll see below he will make changes to the software if research and common sense determines the feature will benefit the users.

The advance set of filters are very effective and can include strings(text within url), directories, or files. Thomas even added a filter feature to the software based on a suggestion I made while reviewing the software. Once the software finishs scanning a website it loads up the Analyze Website tab which lists all of the files, folders, url’s that were found during the crawl. The problem was that when you deleted a url within this screen it would still appear the next time the site was crawled so Thomas was nice enough to add a feature that automates this process and saves the end user a tremendous amount of time on initial setup and with recurring crawls. All you have to do is right click on the url and select “delete and filter” and the software will automatically add that url to the appropriate filter. (It’s worth noting that you can select multiple urls at once by holding shift and using the up or down arrow to highlight all of the urls you’d like removed)

Features:

You can find a more detailed list of features here: A1SG
It would quite honestly take 5 thousand or more words to highlight all of the features this software comes packed with so I’m going to mention a handfull of the features that I most appreciated.
Depending on the version (Standard or Professional) A1SG can create xml, text and html, ror, rss, asp.net, google image, video, mobile, news, and code sitemaps.

Similar to the InSpyder product previously reviewed A1SG allows you to open up the throttle of the crawling engine as long as your server can handle the large number of connections. A1SG allows 31 simultaneous connections which cuts the wait time of crawling the rather large JealousBrother.com to a mere eleven minutes.

As previously mentioned, the filter features are very powerful and include the following:

1. Webmaster Filters: Instructs the software to obey or disregard elements like robots.txt, Disallow, crawl-delay, nofollow, and cannonical directives.
2. Analysis Filter: Instructs the software what url’s the software should analyze based on several filters which include file extensions, MIME content, or url’s that match a string, regular expressions, or relative path. The software also allows you to determine how deep into the sites structures the software analyzes.
3. Output Filter: Instructs the software as to which url’s are output to the website analysis(Crawl Summary). Includes the same set of filters as listed above for the Analysis Filter.

Another set of features that sets A1SG apart from the rest is it’s diagnostic properties. Once you crawl a website you can easily explore a url’s source, actual file, html, css, and tidy validation and more all within the same piece of software.

Auto Upload Feature: Unlike the other sitemap software I’ve used A1SG utilizes a Command Line form of automating your sitemap creation. Depending on the individual this will be a benefit or a downfall. Personally I prefer the automation to be built into the software if it works but I have had bad luck getting automated sitemap creation, upload, and ping to work on any of the sitemap software I’ve used with the automation process integrated within the software. Use of the command line equates to being able to use the windows task scheduler to automate the sitemap build and upload. Find out more about this here.

Suggestions:

Easy Mode: While I personally feel “Advanced Mode” is a bit overwhelming I also feel that “Easy Mode” has too little configuration options. If A1SG was to offer one page of options for easy mode that included crawl connections, ability to obey robots.txt, and output exclusion filter (delete and filter option as well) it would be far more useful to those with limited experience and those not wanting to tackle advanced mode. The key is to keep it simple yet functional; the common sense defaults could be left in place for the other features that are available in “Advanced Mode.”

Price and Cost Comparison:

One major concern for me when purchasing software is the price and length of the liscence. The software I’ve previously reviewed was slightly more affordable and had similar softare upgrade terms. With A1SG you get the following:

1. You always have access to latest 3.x update.
2. You are ensured free upgrade to 4.x (+ all 4.x updates) if 4.x released within first year of your original 3.x purchase.

CoffeeCup Sitemapper: $29 Last Updated: May 19th 2010
Inspyder Sitemap Creator: $39.95 Last Updated: Very Frequently
MicroSys A1SG: $49/$69 Last Updated: Very Frequently

My Quick Start Guide

(Decide to try or buy? Follow this guide for a really quick start at building your first sitemap)

1. Click on the “Easy Mode” button. This will engage super “Advanced Mode”
2. Enter the domain you wish to crawl and create a sitemap for.
3. Click on the “Crawler Engine” Tab and if your server can handle the connections; Turn the throttle WAY up! NOTE: Thomas warns me that this can crash your server if it can’t handle the load. So please use this with caution.
4. Click on the “Start Scan” button to start the super fast crawl of your website.
5. Review the crawl results, removing any unwanted urls by right clicking on them and selecting “Delete and Filter”. This will ensure they aren’t rediscovered on future crawls. (You can remove multiple urls at once by holding the shift key and using the up or down arrows to highlight them.)
• Important Note: It’s ALWAYS best to fix your url structure problems than to just mask them up. So while it’s convenient to remove unwanted urls from the sitemap you should always make an attempt to correct the issue with 301 redirects or modifying your websites code to alleviate the problem, if there is one.

6. Select the type of sitemap you’d like created and then click on the “Build Now” button. (Depending the version of A1SG you purchased or demoing you will have different options for what kind of sitemaps you can create.)
7. Your sitemap is now complete and has been saved in the path shown. You can also copy and paste the results or use one of the convenient buttons to export it in the most convenient fashion for you.

This review was written after I was contacted by the man behind the A1 Sitemap Generator (A1SG) Thomas Schulz with an offer for a free lisence in exchange for a detailed review of his software, I of course couldn’t refuse free software. Before accepting the offer I explained to Thomas after a couple weeks (Turned into a couple of months. Thanks for your patience Thomas) of use I would compose a fair and honest review of his software as I’ve done with Coffeecup and Inspyder’s offering a few months prior. I believe in blunt honesty with an appreciation for passionate people and the software they create.

Side By Side: InSpyder Sitemap Creator - CoffeeCup SiteMapper

Before jumping into the comparative review of SiteMapper and Sitemap Creator I want to give a layman’s term definition to what a sitemap is and what it may or may not do for your website or blog. It is indeed a map but it’s more than that; a good way to explain it would be to say it’s a hybrid map, more like a GPS (Unit that gives directions) set to the shortest and most efficient distance. Let’s say you have a ton of irrelevant or duplicate content urls on your site, to add to the analogy above, these urls could be considered freeway traffic or ice cream stores; things you want to avoid when traveling because it eats up your time.

Let’s think of search engine bots(Those that crawl your website) as impatient kids in the back seat of the family’s station wagon (Does anyone actually still own a station wagon?) on a long family road trip across the country (Country=Your Website). Now wouldn’t it make sense for your GPS (Sitemap) to get you to your destination as quick and efficient as possible so you don’t lose your mind? Yes it would. While a Sitemap is considered to be a suggestion to the search engines I’d be inclined to think they take them fairly seriously, especially when it’s well formatted and the most useful content of your website is added to it. The beautiful thing about sitemaps is that unlike your gps unit on the road trip you can actually remove traffic/obstacles in the road instead of just attempting to avoid them (Suggestively that is because it is up to the search engine on whether it follows the Sitemap path).

There are two types of sitemaps, html and xml. Html is primarily for the benefit of your website visitors while xml (xml’s can be zipped and indexed) is purely for the use of search engine bots. (There are evil bots too)
Now that we have a basic understanding of the sitemaps let look at two pieces of software I purchased and used within the last three weeks.

CoffeeCup SiteMapper was the first program I purchased and at just $29.00 ($26.10 with coupon code: 226STS) it was definitely an easy choice to make the investment. Visually speaking SiteMapper is a beautiful piece of software; functionality wise was a completely different story. It comes packed with a lot of convenient features such as scheduling to automatically update and ping the search engines, built in preview of the sitemap, and of course the ability to create both html and xml sitemaps.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to test the scheduling and pinging features of this program because after five days of attempting to crawl a website I finally gave up. The crawl would start out fine but before too long the software would lock up forcing me to open the task manager to shut it down(I read similar complaints of this on their Support Forum). Now before you think this was computer related, I installed SiteMapper on my desktop and two laptops just to be certain. (All running Vista Home Premium so there is a small chance it was OS related but not likely)

SiteMapper Frozen

For five days I attempted using the options available to remove certain areas of the website from the crawl but this software doesn’t allow for text specific exclusions (wildcard) and it doesn’t appear to respect the commands in robots.txt as advertised (Option was enabled) or there would have been little problem with getting their bot to avoid certain areas of the website. On the positive side, CoffeCup has a support forum for all of their software programs with forums for suggestions; bad news is that they are obviously selective with who they reply to. I left a well written suggestion/question (Find it here) in their forum and was ignored while they happily addressed a question from a user immediately after me. To this day, over two weeks later I have yet to be acknowledged. I even submitted a support ticket but only waited two days for a response that never came before closing it on my own out of frustration.

While SiteMapper is visually appealing and rather easy to use, it’s not quite there functionality wise. If you’re running a small blog or simple website it may work for you but I wouldn’t suggest it for anyone with a complex website with a lot of dynamic content, you will likely be very disappointed. I would suggest downloading and installing the trial version of their software long before purchasing it. I have no doubts that this software will be great in the future but right now, not so much.

After growing very tired of failed crawl attempts with SiteMapper I scoured the internet trying a multitude of free and trial sitemapping software and about gave up (From being disappointed) until I came across a Sitemap Creator made by InSpyder. I downloaded the trial version and loved it, while not as visually appealing (close) as SiteMapper its functionality wise it was rock solid.

At $39.95 it’s a little more pricy but worth every penny, trust me. (I contacted InSpyder and they were nice enough to provide JealousBrother readers with a 10% Discount on Sitemap Creator: 10% Discount and enter: YRJKPR )(Coupon will expire 58 days beyond the publish date of this post) First and foremost, after nearly two weeks of use I have yet to have the software lock up and it has never failed a crawl. One of the best features is the easy import of robots.txt restrictions and their bot will obey the excluded command which includes wild cards that exclude url’s with certain characters. InSpyders offering also comes with a scheduling and pinging system which may be a bit confusing at first (When you have multiple sitemaps and formats) but makes sense after a couple of times working with it. There scheduling system will even run while you’re not logged into your computer. Sitemap Creator comes with a majority of the same features SiteMapper offers but has a lot more flexibility with prioritizing, exclusions (previously mentioned), and overall functionality.

The bottom line is that when it comes to sitemapping software above all else, it has to work and InSpyder Sitemap Creator does just that. It is very consistent and if It can crawl JealousBrother (A lot of Dynamic Content) then it will probably handle your site with ease. For the money I’d say buy this product and if it’s this stable now imagine how stable and functional (And maybe even more visually appealing) it will be a few years from now.

InSpyder Sitemap Creator Organization

CoffeeCup SiteMapper Organization

InSpyder isn’t without some down falls though (Although they pale in comparison to SiteMapper), the layout of the crawled url’s is a bit clustered and not broken down into a hierarchical display, SiteMapper certainly wins in this department as they break down the urls crawled into expandable and closable file folders much like you’d be used to seeing in Windows file manager. SiteMapper also has the advantage with Title Editing; they allow the title of a url or category to be altered while InSpyder does not. While I don’t know if this is a positive as it may confuse the search engines seeing how the title within the Sitemap will vary from that which is actually crawled. I still like the flexibility of being able to do so.

While I wasn’t able to test (Could never finish a crawl) CoffeeCup’s html output for sitemaps I’d imagine they would be significantly better looking than that of the out of the box settings from InSpyder, however InSpyder has a template system that allows you to modify the appearance of the html version of the sitemap. (Of course html, css, coding experience is required)

Something that both programs lack that I would love to see is the ability to better organize the content of the sitemap (More beneficial for the HTML sitemaps as it’s for the website visitors benefit). What I mean by this is the ability to create catagories/titles to make it easier to organize(drag and drop) the content. I know the argument would be that should be on the website design end but sometimes that’s not possible or there is entirely too much content to make it fluid. While it is a mystery as to how some sites have sitelinks on Google search results, one has to imagine it has something to do with fluidity of how the google bot views your content. I’d imagine a perfectly organized/labeled sitemap wouldn’t hurt your chances.

Since I’ve opted to use InSpyders Sitemap Creator on a regular basis I do have a couple of isolated suggestions for future upgrade consideration.

1.) Allow for the option to exclude the listing of the root domain without forcing all of the content to be de-listed. Why you might ask? Well, if someone was inclined to build a multi-sitemap setup for a single website this creates a problem. When creating a sitemap for a certain area/folder of a website the sitemap is supposed to be placed within the same folder the content resides in. The root address causes a problem as it will likely be returned as a broken link(guessing) or at a bare minimum duplicate content.

2.) Expand the functionality of indexes. Currently the only way a user can utilize the index system is if they have over 50k links. What if someone doesn’t have that many links but wants to break their site down into multiple sitemaps? This could be for better index tracking, optimizing the way the bots see the site, or for a overall cleaner sitemap setup.

3.) Sorting deficiencies with numbers. In url’s that end in numbers let’s say (?exampleID=1). When attempting to sort the url list numerically this will occur: ?exampleID=99…?exampleID=10…?exampleID=100…?exampleID=101… Notice the ID=10 is not numerically sorted. This goes hand in hand with the need for increased organization mentioned above in reference to both pieces of software.

4.) Copy and paste excluded page list. Self explanatory but when you’re dealing with a wide range of dynamic url’s this could be very useful rather than having to add them individually.

The last thing I’ll touch on is support. CoffeCup has the elements for a terrific support structure, email, support forums, ticket system, video tutorials, etc… but they unfortunately fell flat in how they interacted with me on their site. However, InSpyder only offers a phone number for sales and lacks support forums but they have replied to two of my emails within 24 hours each time and they do have a FAQ and User Manual section. Support tools are only good if they’re adequately provided to the end user. I’d certainly love to see more support options from InSpyder and more support interaction from CoffeeCup in the future.

I want it to be known that I don’t resent CoffeeCup, I use their free html editor on occasions and it works wonderful. I wanted this review to be as honest and straight-forward as possible. The reality is that a significant amount (Extremely large amount of work) of work goes into the production of any piece of software and I don’t want to down play just how hard it is to do. I wish both companies the best and hope to see continued growth in both sitemapping products.

What do you think? Which Program is Better? Take a Side in the Rivalry and Voice Your Opinion.

UPDATE: As you’ll notice by the comment below Mr. Swedorski from CoffeeCup software promptly contacted me after reading this review. A couple of developments that have altered my previous opinion of their software have occurred. If you are having the same issue with their SiteMapper program freezing up you’ll want to read this.

1.)The freezing issue seems to have been a software conflict with Windows Vista. (I’ll detail a workaround Mr. Swedorki provided that did the trick if you’re having issues with SiteMapper freezing up)

2.) While I do feel CoffeeCup dropped the ball on how they handled my inquiry on their forum they have certainly made up for it with the service I have received throughout the last couple of days.

Now onto the details of how to fix the freezing issues within Windows Vista:

1.) Right-click the shortcut icon and click Properties.
2.) Click the Compatibility tab.
3.) Put a check mark by Run This Program as an Administrator.
4.) Put a check mark by Run This Program in Compatibility Mode For: and ensure Windows XP Pro Service Pack 2 is selected.
5.) Click OK. (This fix seems to have corrected the freezing issue on my computer)

“If you continue having problems you may also need to set the application as an exception to Vista’s Data Execution Prevention (DEP) feature. Normally if this is the culprit, you’ll get a little bubble along the taskbar notifying you, which will allow you to set the offender as an exception. One last option that could be the cause of this, and related to the DEP feature, is User Account Controls. This is the large window that appears in Vista asking you to “Allow” or “Deny” access to functions within programs. You can turn this off within your Control Panel > User Accounts window, along the left-hand pane.”

CoffeeCup still lacks some of the control features that InSpyder has but Mr. Swedorski has informed me that he will be submitting a request to enhance the way “wild cards” are handled by their software which will greatly improve the control you’ll have over the crawling of your site. This is great news for those of you who own SiteMapper. I would like to thank CoffeeCup for handling this whole situation in a professional and prompt manor.

I present to you … THE LIST:
(in no particular order)

Page 1:

1. Blinksale
2. Cigar Aficionado
3. Any Good Wine App
4. Meeting Place

Page 2:

5. Google Analytics
6. Google AdWords
7. Google AdSense
8. Local Event Schedules

Page 3: (coming soon)

9. HSBC
10. Meetup
11. Barrons News
12. Sim City Classic

Concept iPhone App: Google Analytics

By Google – Price: FREE

Why do we need this?

Seriously, how can you NOT need this. I mean – unless you’re not into web stats that is. But if you are in charge of a web property with any kind of significant traffic (especially e-commerce) you can’t deny your addiction to Google Analytics. There is nothing better than boiling your visitors down to little blue dots that you can manipulate with the help of this beautiful thing called Google Analytics. If nothing else, chronically checking Google Analytics is much more productive than minesweeper or solitaire.

Proposed feature set:

• View tons of super sweet graphs
• Landscape mode (if Bloomberg can do it – so can Google)
• E-mail reports

Current App Store alternatives:

• Oracle Business Indicators (??)

Concept iPhone App: Google AdWords

By Google – Price: FREE

Why do we need this?

I don’t mean to get into another rant here but I love stats. The primary difference between chronically checking analytics and chronically checking AdWords, is that you can lose your ass to AdWords if you’re not careful. So I tend to think it’s a bit more responsible. I’m sure Google would find value in extending this level of control to users of its #1 money maker.

Proposed feature set:

• Manage campaigns
• Manage keywords
• Manage settings

Current App Store alternatives:

• Yahoo! Search Marketing… nope
• MSN AdCenter…. nope

Concept iPhone App: Google AdSense

By Google – Price: FREE

Why do we need this?

Among the many other things that people check like they have OCD is Google AdSense. I don’t know if Google would really want a million more hits to their servers from a bunch of bloggers just checking to see if they made $.20 more since the last time they checked. It probably doesn’t help their bottom line anyhow having to pay for more server techs. What would be really cool is if they could push the dollar amount to the home screen icon without even having to open the app (like the calendar that shows the current date).

Proposed feature set:

• Display revenue by date
• Push daily dollars to home screen icon

Current App Store alternatives:

• none… there can be only one

Concept iPhone App: Local Events Schedule

By Anyone – Price: FREE

Why do we need this?

This is the type of app that lends itself to the iPhone platform. Usually people go to their local newspapers for this type of information but actually getting to an event requires planning, and all sorts of other annoying things to do like finding the paper to begin with. This kind of app would bring in all that information and place it around wherever you are. It would be great for promoters to get their information out to a mobile crowd, and great for people who go out right after work.

Proposed feature set:

• Display upcoming events in many categories
• Allow user submitted events
• Allow filtering to try and sort through the noise

Current App Store alternatives:

• LMK if you know of a good one. I’m sure there are many but it’s late and I’d like to go to bed now.

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Page 3 (coming soon)

I just can’t want to find the next great App. I understand the App Store is still in its infancy, apps are difficult to monetize, and people are scrambling to get their product out the door even if it’s buggy as hell. But I don’t care – the bottom line is that I’m impatient and so I’ve put together my own fantasy world list of apps that I would like to see. The criteria isn’t extremely objective; some of my apps may seem obvious and for the others I’ll offer up a bit of explanation.

I present to you … THE LIST:
(in no particular order)

Page 1: 
1. Blinksale
2. Cigar Aficionado
3. Any Good Wine App
4. Meeting Place

Page 2:

5. Google Analytics
6. Google AdWords
7. Google AdSense
8. Local Event Schedules

Page 3: (coming soon)

9. HSBC
10. Meetup
11. Barrons News
12. Sim City

Concept iPhone App: Blinksale

By Fire Wheel Design – Price: FREE

Why do we need this?

Because having your accounting info on the go is handy. Think about when you’re killing time – might as well keep those names of people who owe you fresh in your memory. You could also email an invoice immediately after presenting the deliverables, or record a payment received when you’re depositing the check at the bank. I suppose the reality of my reasoning behind this app is that I love Blinksale. I love it’s interface, I love it’s simplicity, and I think it deserves an app.

Proposed feature set:

• View all invoices
• Record a payment received
• Create and send an invoice
• Manage clients

Current App Store alternatives:

• Cashboard

Concept iPhone App: Cigar Aficionado

By Cigar Aficionado – Price: FREE (+ subscription version)

Why do we need this?

The last issue of Cigar Aficionado had a ‘top rated’ tear-out that you could bring with you to the cigar store and read about the selection a bit before buying. It was a very nicely designed tear out and fortunately I spent enough time reading it on the can and memorized the ratings and general descriptions of those on the list. My only problem now is that when I go to the store, I have to try and remember what the heck was on that list. If I only had an iPhone app to lower my thinking requirement…

Proposed feature set:

• Top rated cigar list plus…
• …Social commentary
• Upcoming events in my area
• Featured articles from the latest issue
• Order the latest issue or subscribe

Current App Store alternatives:

• NOTHING ?! C’MON

Concept iPhone App: Wine Pro

By Anybody – Price: $14.99

Why do we need this?

There’s a lot that goes into mystifying wine. (ex: Region, varietal, vintage, etc.) What does all that mean anyhow and how can I sort it out? If you drink wine and own an iPhone, chances are you’ve looked at the current offering of apps. I think they all each hit on one of the core features that a good wine app should have, but there isn’t one that just nails it. This app proposes to combine the best of everything.

Proposed feature set:

• Record your wine info (photos, details, rating)
• Research and read descriptions of wines
• Learn definitions and food pairings
• Read and contribute to social commentary
• Check out deals and order bottles
• Stores info locally and remotely
• Accessable via web app

Current App Store alternatives:

• iTasteWine – buy it
• Wine Snob – buy it
• Wine Log buy it
• Wine List – buy it
• Wine Pad 2 – buy it
• Vinoriffic – buy it
• Wine Words – buy it

Concept iPhone App: Meeting Place

By Anybody – Price: $.99

Why do we need this?

To be honest we don’t really NEED this app. It’s a pretty cool idea though you have to admit. Think “meet me near the ______.” The way it would work is fairly simple – just open the app, it get’s your location, and displays the most recognizable landmark (photo + description) by distance from you. In theory, you’d also be able to go to a map interface and find landmarks in a destination area or something. Another problem is that it would be entirely user generated content driven since this information doesn’t likely exist elsewhere. However, once there’s some data in the system, you could let people vote on each landmark.

Proposed feature set:

• Display the most common landmarks near you
• Find landmarks in destination areas
• Contribute photos and descriptions
• Browse through your own “bookmarked” places
• Stores info locally remotely

Current App Store alternatives:

I doubt there’s something like this already. I’m not even going to look into it.

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