The best and worst of 2008

SPRINT SELLS OFF NEXTEL

The iDEN network still has value, but not necessarily to the mainstream consumers and business subscribers that Sprint is trying to attract.

MOST BIZARRE APPLICATIONS

MAGICJACK

It's still odd to see a telephony application pitched in a late-night infomercial, even if the service does what it claims to do. (See page 15 on Telephony's “ties” to Magic Jack.)

I AM RICH

Eight people bought this ridiculous iPhone application — by accident — before Apple pulled the plug.

BUBBLEWRAP

Virtual popping of the plastic packing material just isn't as fun as the real deal.

MIZPEE

The mobile Net's first public toilet location and rating app.

SLYDIAL

Ever felt compelled to call a girlfriend/spouse/relative/customer but really have no desire to actually speak to them? SlyDial creates the illusion of staying in touch, sending calls directly into voicemail and even leaving a missed call notice on the recipient's phone with no danger of ever connecting directly.

MAIL GOGGLES

This Gmail Labs feature requires you to pass a sobriety test before sending an e-mail you might regret. It won't keep you from drunk-dialing your old flame, however.

EASIEST WAYS TO CUT COSTS

Why book hotel rooms when you have a booth on the trade show floor?

Never fly on a corporate jet to testify before Congress about the industry's need for billions in federal loan dollars. Better yet: Give Congress a telepresence system and suggest they use it for all future testimony by corporate CEOs. Then sell telepresence services to corporate CEOs.

Change company dental insurance plan to just three words: Brush your teeth.

Sell ads on the sides of company trucks to subsidize the cost of truck rolls. If you're AT&T, stop landscaping around U-verse outside plant gear and sell advertising for those boxes, too.