Online invoicing systems, while not always compliant with an accounting system (if you use one), can provide you with access to invoice review/creation from wherever there’s a computer as well as an easy-to-use interface that’s far better than any of the aforementioned methods.

There are four different invoicing systems I wanted to briefly cover so you can quickly get an idea for which one is best for you.

First up is Blinksale. Blinksale is actually the invoicing system I started off with when a slew of Web 2.0 invoicing apps first emerged. Sign up for a free account and you’ve automatically got an easy-to-remember location at which you can manage your invoices: yourname.blinksale.com. With the free account, an unlimited number of employees can send 3 invoices a month. I know… that seems 100% backward but it’s worked for me until now. (Step it up a notch to the $12 plan and the same number of employees can send out up to 50 invoices per month.) In fact, the free plan has you covered with all of Blinksale’s features with the exception of SSL encryption and the ability to send invoices as PDFs.

Blinksale offers almost everything you’d come to expect from an online invoicing suite including the ability to create draft invoices, send invoices by email or export those invoices to PDF (the two premium plans allow you to send the PDFs directly from your site), mark collected invoices as paid, etc.

As of May 2009, BlinkSale’s pricing structure and overall feature listing is as follows:

(click for full-size version)

Next up is FreshBooks. FreshBooks is the big dog of this group, no doubt. They offer pretty much everything you’d need coming from Blinksale in addition to tight integration with a number of different payment authorization companies including 2CheckOut, PayPal, Authorize.net, etc. Plus, while Blinksale only grants participants of their free plan the ability to send a measly 3 invoices per month, FreshBooks allows you to send unlimited invoices… but also throws in the following 2 conditions: only 1 employee can access/send invoices and you can only manage 3 clients.

That’s only on the free plan, of course. If you’re willing to shell out some dough every month, those numbers increase. As of May 2009, FreshBooks’ pricing structure and extensive feature listing is as follows:

(click for full-size version)

Now we come to the entry with the sweetest name (hey, that counts): Ronin. RoninApp.com probably offers the most flexibility in terms of pricing options. They, of course, have a free plan (quite similar to FreshBooks’ free plan – only you can manage just 2 clients instead of 3) as well as four other plans starting at $6/mo. The $6/mo plan, dubbed “Solo,” allows you to create an unlimited number of invoices, recurring invoices and open projects for 15 different clients. Of the three systems mentioned thus far, this is probably the best-priced option for freelancers with just a few clients under his/her belt. Of course, you’ll have to jump up two plans to get integration with a payment auth service… which, in this case, is PayPal Express.

As of May 2009, Ronin’s pricing structure and overall feature listing is as follows:

(click for full-size version)

Alright, the last one in the showcase today is the one with the weirdest name: CurdBee. Of all the apps we’ve explored, CurdBee is probably the most friendly to penny-pinching (those who are forced to bee and those who choose to bee – delicious pun very much intended) freelancers. CurdBee, unlike the others we’ve covered, offers just two plans: a “standard” (or “free”) plan and a “pro” plan priced at a very pleasant $5 per month. Both the free plan and the pro plan enable you to create an unlimited number of invoices for an unlimited number of clients – which is something we’ve yet to see anywhere else with a no-cost plan.

Like all of the others we’ve covered, CurdBee offers a great and intuitive interface with a great set of customization options available on either plan. As of May 2009, CurdBee’s pricing structure and overall feature listing is as follows:

(click for full-size version)

In addition, CurdBee allows you to extend your plan even further using $5/mo “modules.” For instance, a freelancer or small business offering monthly, quarterly or yearly web hosting services can purchase a “recurring billing” module at an additional $5/mo. This module, according to the site, “allows you to specify the amount, frequency, duration, and payment method of your recurrent invoice, letting you forget about it.” In addition, you could purchase a 2CheckOut module for an additional $5/mo to supplement that recurring billing feature. That is, of course, if the built-in integration with PayPal Payments and Google Checkout doesn’t suit your fancy. (The latter two merchants are enabled on BOTH the free and pro plans… yet another way that CurdBee stands apart from the pack.)

I’ve personally always been a big fan of the add-on/module structure of paid sites (it’s the same reason I prefer Firefox as my primary browser) which is yet another reason this particular company rose the ranks to become my favorite online invoicing system. So, for those of you just getting started with online invoicing, I definitely recommend CurdBee.

Indeed, the world of online invoicing systems is vast and we couldn’t cover all of them in-depth so we just picked the four that impressed us the most. Here are some others that you’ll want to check out if you plan on signing up for an account in the near future: SimplyInvoices, Tick, Harvest and SimplyBill.

Know of some others we should have covered? Let us and your fellow readers know about it/them in the comments.

Have no fear, you can quickly create a new or updated presentation online with 280Slides. There are a number of different online PowerPoint alternatives out there (Google even has their own utilitie within Google Docs) but I found 280Slides to be remarkably clean, lightweight and easy-to-use… and it has, in my opinion, the perfect amount of features to not leave you wanting more.

Of course, you have the basics like importing existing presentations, creating/re-arranging/deleting slides, the ability to add text/shapes/images/videos and, as you would expect, the option to save your final product to either your online account or to a downloadable file – with which you can burn to a disc or toss on a flash drive.

Those are the basics but 280Slides takes you beyond the essentials in some areas. For instance, when adding images or videos, one can not only upload, and subsequently embed, files from their own desktop but can search for online content as well.

Upon completion, you can share your final product via SlideShare, e-mail it directly from the site or grab a link with which you can embed on your own blog/site. If, instead, you just want to download the finished piece, you can select from four different file types: Office 2007 (.pptx), Office 97-2004 (.ppt), Open Document (.odp) and PDF.

280Slides – The App
280Slides – The Official Blog

There are quite a few people that may be asking what the point is to a site like this. In other words, “why not just use MS notepad?” Well, as someone that finds value not only in a lightweight, simplistic application but also in a visually-clean interface (aesthetics help me focus), this one’s definitely a keeper.

What you’re given is a TinyURL-esque link (e.g., http://sharetabs.com/jq – this can be customized) to share with friends, family or readers. Upon clicking the link, the recipient will be taken to a special page on ShareTabs’ site featuring all of the URLs originally included in the list… all open within a tabbed page. Check out the image below for an example:

That same page, as you can see in the screenshot above, has a link that enables you to copy the URLs to your clipboard.

There are a few instances in which this site would be uniquely useful. For instance, a blog owner (such as yours truly) might be able to point his/her readers to a dozen or more different sites regarding a single subject. Or, perhaps, you can just quickly wrap up a browsing session on your work computer and send yourself a quick URL by email to save all of those sites you had pulled up.

[via Go2Web20.net]

Based on the number of projects you want to manage, there are a few different account types from which to choose: manage 2 projects for free, 5 projects for ~$14/mo, 10 projects for ~$28/mo and a few more. Once you’ve made your selection, you’ll be issued your own subdomain on the site (yourname.planzone.com) on which you can begin managing your projects.

Now, there are several sites out there that can help you manage your projects including Basecamp and activecollab, among others. However, one reason that PlanZone seems to stand out, at least in my eyes, is the visual way in which you can manage those projects.

For instance, the scheduling page for one of your projects has an interactive calendar outlining the time-span of your goal with the list of goal tasks over to the left. From the same page, you can create new project activities and adjust the timeline for each existing project activity.

Of course, all of the basic features you’d expect to find with a project management online app are there to be found: the ability to create groups, contributors, tasks and a wiki in which to put text, images and links relating to your projects.

If the site sounds interesting, check out some of the following pages on the official site for more information: pricing information, product details and the company’s blog.

The above reasons are precisely why I let a 3rd-party handle my cell phone voicemail service.

About 2 or 3 years ago, I began beta-testing a service from CallWave that not only allowed me to receive my voicemails through my email account (as an MP3 attachment) but the service also provided me with a (highly inaccurate) transcription of the message within the email so, if I were in a crowded place, I wouldn’t even have to open the attachment. (The premium version of the service offered a more accurate transcription of messages received.) Of course, all free things must come to an end and I was notified that my beta test would soon end. The regular service offering was $14.95 and that wasn’t something I was prepared to do… at least not with all of my other regular monthly charges.

So, while I wasn’t quite ready to replace my wife’s $15/mo TiVo subscription for a $15/mo voicemail service (that wouldn’t have been fair, now would it?), I also wasn’t quite ready to give up the ridiculously-convenient service of having those voicemails in my email inbox. That said, I went for a compromise: GotVoice.

GotVoice offered me the same options as CallWave but did so for $9.95/mo. It was still $10/mo on top of a Zune subscription, TiVo, Maghound*, Web hosting, etc. and so on and so forth. However, while the transcriptions were pretty accurate and the MP3 delivery was relatively timely, the online account management interface to manage current and saved voicemails was antiquated… to say the very least. The site looks as though it was birthed straight from 1997. I’m a bit of a design snob (despite what you may think by looking at this site) and I just couldn’t take the “Web 0.2” look.

I looked for alternatives as time permitted but never really found one that suited me… until a post on Lifehacker alerted me to an existing service by the name of YouMail.

There are a few different reasons why I chose YouMail and why it remains my service of choice. First, there’s a number of different pricing plans between $0.00/mo (a.k.a. “free, baby”) and $18/mo.

Second, if you choose to purchase the transcription option and elect to have them sent to you via text message (in addition to or in replacement of transcriptions sent by email), the messages are abbreviated in order to accommodate for the 160 text message character restrictions. (i.e., “your” is replaced with “yr” in the transcription; “for” is replaced by “4”, etc. Basically, your voicemail transcription resembles an instant message conversation with your 12-year-old niece.)

Third, the service goes beyond the traditional voicemail delivery options and allows you to create customized greetings or even select from a variety of existing ones and then apply unique greetings to one, some, or all of the contacts in your address book. (This also represents a supplemental source of revenue for the company as some of the greetings are labeled “premium” and require purchase. The vast majority, however, are free.) In addition, you can create your own greetings and upload them (WAV or MP3) to your online account.

Last, but certainly not least, MP3 attachments of incoming voicemails, visual voicemail management,  personal greetings and unwanted caller blocking are all available on the free account.

Overall, YouMail represents the best voicemail delivery/transcription service I’ve tested thus far. If you’re not convinced, give the free version of YouMail a try and at least get started with customized greetings, voicemail by email (MP3) and online management of your new and saved messages (“visual voicemail”). Then, if you decide you want the transcription option, you can select add-on packages ranging from $3.99 to $17.99.

*In case you’re curious: I opt for the $4.95/mo Maghound plan and get FastCompany and Men’s Health for myself; Self for my wife. (I wasn’t being greedy… she already gets People and Us Weekly through an alternative source.)

There are a number of image editors out there (seriously, I’m not even going to begin to try and review them all… it’s a bit ridiculous) and of the Web-based variety, I’ve been a big fan of Picnik. Picnik, which began offering premium account-specific features for free back in February, features an extravagant number of tools to help you edit an image you’ve uploaded or even an image you’re storing in a separate account like Syncplicity or Flickr. You can resize an image, add text, tweak the image using an expected array of filters (blur, mosaic, etc.) and there’s plenty more where that came from. (In fact, before we did the redesign this month, the banner image for Fans of Tech was originally created using features within Picnik.)

So, with the arrival of Web 2.0, the concept of editing an image online became a reality and companies like Picnik made the experience a fluid one.

Well, with the arrival of Pixlr, you’ve got pretty much everything you might love about online applications like Picnik but with the added bonus of having an interface remarkably similar to that of Photoshop to help you make the transition to editing an image online if, say, you’re on the road and don’t have access to the full-blown Adobe design app.

Be it the menu options, the available features, the interface, or the keyboard shortcuts, Pixlr definitely makes you feel at home.

As an example, you can open a new file using Ctrl+O, create a new layer and add layer styles like drop-shadow, inner-shadow, etc. (yep, Pixlr supports layers… wonderfully, I might add) using the respective options in the “Layer” drop-down menu, transform the image using Ctrl+T, copy a portion of the image using Ctrl+C, paste the portion to a new layer using Ctrl+V and ultimately save the image using Ctrl+S. It’s flow is a thing of beauty, really. (Note: you’ll be saving to either JPG or PNG so your layers won’t be retained but we can’t ask for everything, right?)

Overall, I’m just impressed how well this entirely Web-based app can easily replace an image-editing desktop app for your basic needs.

Via Download Squad

So, what exactly changed to warrant such negativity? Well, first off, Digsby opted to move from the roughly 15mb download from their own site to an Internet-based installer If you’re not exactly sure what I’m referring to, think about the Windows Live installer – download one installer weighing in at less than 5mb and that installer then pulls updated content from the Web for the rest of the installation process. In general, I tend to loathe these types of installers and the InstallQ-based Digsby installer is as annoying as they come and certainly isn’t going to change my opinion on these types of installers.

Secondly, the new installation process presents the end-user with a handful of advertisements and installation offers. This is where the bulk of the complaints came from and, in my opinion, ninety-nine percent of those complaining just don’t have any logical ground on which to stand. Before I continue, let’s take a look at a series of screenshots detailing the installation process:

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine what exactly people are complaining about. Since their launch earlier this year, Digsby has yet to reveal itself as a company that’s just doing what everybody else is (the software is extremely polished to be as young as it is and their dedication to updates and user requests is refreshing) and I think it’s safe to say that they’re not doing anything different when it comes to this installer. By that, I mean that I don’t know that I’ve ever seen quite so many ads for one installation package before… and I’ve downloaded and installed what must be thousands of different applications since I began my voyage on the InterWebs in 1994.

So, why the change? Why integrate advertisements into the installer? Well, why would any company do that to the software they offer to the public-at-large for no cost? <cough> $$$ </ahem>

As the founder of Digsby, Steve Shapiro, states within the comments to one of the company’s blog postings:

We’re testing this installer with a portion of downloads and the offers are 100% optional. At the end of the day, we need to generate revenue to keep the lights on and keep making Digsby better. We’d rather show you ads once during the installation process than plaster Digsby with banner ads like other IM clients do (ie: AIM, MSN, Yahoo, and ICQ).

I have a couple of complaints about the whole process overall, one of which I’ve already detailed, but I’m certainly not seeing how this new installer will result in the end of the world. Take a closer look at those screenshots if you haven’t already done so. For each offer, you have two abundantly-clear options: "Accept" and "Decline." If you don’t want to install WeatherBug (and, honest to God, Steve… who would?), click "Decline." It’s as simple as that.

In addition, the area over to the left of the installer even provides you with a running tally of what exactly will be installed when everything is said and done. Plus, as it states in the terms, everything can be easily uninstalled using your OS’ control panel.

Overall, the software is brilliantly simplistic and I can’t even begin to tell you how much time it’s saved me. To have all of my IM accounts, all of my email accounts and my frequently-used social networking accounts in one place has proven to be invaluable. That said, I don’t have an issue with seeing ads one single, solitary time. (Yes, once – Digsby automatically checks for updates and, if there are any, subsequently processes them when you launch the application every day. That continued process, my friends, is ad-free.)

That aforementioned second complaint of mine, you ask? Well, as somebody astutely pointed out within the comments to that Download Squad article, the process could get sticky for the friends and relatives (oh, won’t someone please think of the elderly!?) to whom we’ve all recommended Digsby. I’m not exactly sure how the company could improve upon the level of clarity in regards to ensuring people don’t get stuck with software they don’t want but I do think it needs to be ever-so-slightly simplified. Again, I’m not exactly sure how but I do think it’s necessary. (Note to Steve: compile a survey, put out a poll, have your users test a few different installers… whatever. Just make sure you’re taking advantage of the knowledge and experience of those willing to share it. I.E., the community of Digsbies. You can start with me.)

In that spirit, I present to you: minishowcase, a PHP/AJAX "Lightbox" photo gallery that is incredibly easy to launch and maintain. Once you initially configure the script (which, and I think you’ll agree, is brilliantly simplistic), all you have to do in order to configure a new gallery is upload  a folder of pictures to the specified directory.

It really is that easy. Again, once you configure the script, there’s only one step in between you and photo-publishing glory: uploading your photos. This particular feature is dubbed "Smart Galleries."

Here are, straight from the official site, some of the other features included:

• New interface: easier at-a-glance thumbnail navigation and a clean layout.
• Lightbox view: Images can be viewed in a lightbox way, easier and more precise, with a convenient integrated thumbnail menu.
• Languages: set your gallery in French, Italian or Spanish. Set it to select the user’s local language (if available). Translate it to your own language!
• Permanent URLs: now you can share your galleries and images with friends and acquaintances. Just copy the permalink for a gallery or an image, and email it to them!
• Automatic thumbnails: you don’t have to worry anymore about creating your images’ thumbnails. Let minishowcase take care of it.
• Added viewing features: Configurable timed slideshow.

There are plenty of photo gallery scripts & options for your static site out there on the InterWebs but this one earns some respect by not only ensuring a quick and easy start but also by offering a very slick and modern interface.

Just as a side note, the official site blog for the PHP script unfortunately hasn’t been updated since November of last year. Whether or not that spells doom for its development is yet to be seen. Who knows, perhaps your $5 donation could be its saving grace. [Update] I seem to have missed the date of the last actual release: August, 2008. Please, just disregard this whole paragraph. [/update]

Have you used this script? Would you recommend any others? Let us or our readers know by dropping a comment

[Source: WebResourcesDepot]

Typeface.js, the open-source javascript library, accomplishes the above task by allowing you to embed custom fonts in your design. This basically means that you’ll no longer be limited to Arial, Times New Roman, or other boring fonts for your site’s headings or titles.

"Instead of creating images or using flash just to show your site’s graphic text in the font you want, you can use typeface.js and write in plain HTML and CSS, just as if your visitors had the font installed locally. This is a work in progress, but functional enough at least to render the the graphic text on this site."

There have been other tools to accomplish this overall functionality. Two examples of which are sIFR and Facelift Image Replacement. The former seems to require, as best as I can recall from my own personal experience, various levels of tweaking in order to get it to work perfectly. The latter, FLIR, doesn’t actually display the custom font as text. Instead, the dynamic solution uses PHP to replace your headers or titles with images on-the-fly.

For some examples of how Typeface.js looks, some sample fonts to try out on your own or for an online font conversion tool (for use with your existing TrueType fonts), check out the Typeface.js official site at typeface.neocracy.org.

(If your existing font of preference isn’t TrueType, you can use the open-source tool "FontForge" to convert it.)

Have you had good/bad experiences with Typeface.js? Let us and other readers know by dropping a comment below.