SmoothFunction has just released Boomerang, a module for ExpressionEngine that lets you create e-mail newsletters from within ExpressionEngine. Of special note is the interface, which looks quite a bit different—more polished and “souped up”—than many third-party EE addons. This looks like yet another great weapon in the EE developer’s arsenal.

Without a doubt, Travis Schmeisser’s Structure is one of my “go to” add-ons for ExpressionEngine. Schmeisser—who recently quit his day job at nGen Works—has just released an update to Structure that contains some nice new features and he’s now hosting Structure on its very own site.

Erskine Designs’ Jamie Pittock has just posted a technique for creating alternative versions of your ExpressionEngine website without using EE’s Multiple Site Manager add-on:

...we created an alternative version of our site specially optimised for the iPhone but there are multiple use-cases for the technique I’m about to describe. For instance, perhaps you want to offer a ‘lite’ version of your site for people on slow web connections, or maybe multiple versions of the same site using different languages, or even geographic-specific versions of the same site. Think about an international news website with alternative versions where the content becomes country specific by using subdomains.

I’ve used the Multiple Site Manager add-on for several projects and while it certainly adds a lot of flexibility, it can also really make you pull your hair out at times. Pittock’s approach is much simpler, and while it might not work for every project, I can already think of a few of mine where it may apply quite nicely.

EE Insider has just launched “EE Insider Tips”, a new section where ExpressionEngine developers can submit their favorite EE-related development tips, tricks, and mini-tutorials.

Devot:ee has recently launched the most comprehensive library of ExpressionEngine add-ons on the Web. How comprehensive, you ask? Well, it’s even bigger than the “official” library on the ExpressionEngine website.

Also, Devot:ee is sponsoring a series of launch giveaways that includes Amazon gift certificates as well as plenty of EE goodies.

Ryan Irelan has just posted a list of essential add-ons for ExpressionEngine over at EE Insider. I think the only ones I’d add are Structure (which I use instead of the Pages module), ImgSizer, and pretty much anything by Brandon Kelly.

Derek Jones has released an extension for ExpressionEngine that blocks the DiggBar. It’s very easy to install, and highly recommended if you’re running ExpressionEngine (you can find out why, exactly, here and here).

One of the default 3rd party add-ons that I always install in any ExpressionEngine site I’m working on is Solspace’s FreeForm module, which is allows you set up some really great, flexible website forms. However, it doesn’t have the most intuitive interface for actually creating and managing the forms. Which makes PlayCode’s recently released Forms module look really promising: among other things, it features an AJAX-powered interface that lets you create forms on the fly. I haven’t had a chance to use it myself, but Ryan Irelan over at EE Insider has, and has posted some initial comments.