You know, ever since the election, I’ve felt my will to blog wane. “What to write about?” I would cry, and then The Onion helped me realize I am not alone.


Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

Then I realized, “Wait, I’m a Mac user. I still have plenty to ramble on about.” The sun of hope peeked over the horizon, and I knew my life had meaning again. :-)



Balmuda Design: NumberKey

I own neither an iPod touch nor an iPhone. If I did, this would be a sure AppStore purchase. It turns either device into a wireless number pad for your MacBook. Since I use my MacBook as my primary computer, I could see how this might be helpful.

The Classic theme is particularly nice.



Live Science: God and Evolution Can Co-exist, Scientist Says

I find this stuff interesting. In this case, Karl W. Giberson, a physics professor, is saying that being a scientist does not necessitate also being an atheist or agnostic. Faith and reason can exist together without one negating the other.

Giberson has rejected fundamentalism, but remains a believer as well as a scientist. He has staked out a middle ground when it comes to the battle between Christians and Darwinists, stating that they can be reconciled with one another. He is sympathetic toward the motivations of creationists and scientists alike, though he is fed up with much of intelligent design as well as hard-core atheists.

Tags: politics, iphone, religion, science

Today is my wife’s birthday! Happy birthday to her! On with the links.

LittleSnapper in action: Sharing



On his Realmac blog, Nik has loaded a video that walks through using their new application to capture, store, and upload screenshots of websites. He promises more previews to come, and LittleSnapper should be available for download before the end of the year.



Daring Fireball: The Phone Company

John Gruber writes about the iPhone’s success and how it has quickly become the strongest part of Apple’s product offerings financially. Also in the post: iPhones outsold Blackberries last quarter!

A Smattering of Obama Links

Warning: these next links reflect by personal political bias. All opinions below are expressed reasonably and without any appeal to primal fears or phobias.

• The New Yorker: The Choice: I’m late posting this one, but the editors of The New Yorker construct a well-written and persuasive article about their endorsement of Barack Obama. Note that this article was written early after the signing of Public Law 110-343.
  
  
• The Chicago Tribune: Obama no Socialist: How do you know if you’re really a Socialist? Try asking an organizer for Communist Party USA.
  
  
• Rolling Stone: Block the Vote: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Greg Palast write about the GOP’s recent attempts to create voting into an obstacle course that will disenfranchise key demographics who traditionally oppose Republican candidates. This article ties in with their new website Steal Back Your Vote.

Tags: apple inc, iphone, software, politics

Did you watch the debate tonight? I did. It was okay. Biden’s smile is pretty contagious.

Daring Fireball: The Fear

John Gruber writes about Apple’s seemingly random rejections of App Store submissions and the possible motivations behind these rejections in the context of how Apple can make App Store a more developer-friendly venue.

I have a theory. It is more, well, emotional than logical. But it’s the only theory I can think of that makes any sense at all and fits the available evidence. The theory is that there is an unpublished rule that Apple — and in this case, where by “Apple” I really mean “Steven P. Jobs” — will not publish third-party apps that compete with or replace any of the four apps in the iPhone’s default “dock”: Phone, Mail, Safari, and iPod.

Obama ’08: The Official iPhone Application

The neat part of this isn’t that the Obama campaign released a free iPhone application. It’s that a team of respected Mac developers put this together on a volunteer basis in about a month. Read more at iPhoneDevCamp.

via DF

Tags: iphone, politics

The WWDC keynote presentation has come and gone, and I think we can all agree that there is such a thing as too many software demonstrations! Other than that, here is the new stuff for today.

iPhone3G

Take pretty much any complaint against the the original iPhone – too expensive, no Exchange support, no third-party applications, no GPS, no 3G networking – and they've been addressed in the new version. Additionally, the software upgrades will be available to current iPhone users for free.



The new iPhone features Internet access over WiFi, EDGE, or 3G now, resulting in web pages rendering roughly twice as fast on the new model. For enterprise customers, Exchange support has been added, and businesses can even internally develop and distribute custom applications for iPhone. App Store for third-pary applications will launch soon, and the keynote featured many applications that will be available at launch.

I'm not going to cover every demonstrated application in detail, but we saw some games, a couple medical applications, a music creation tool, location-based apps, TypePad and eBay clients, and a couple news and video applications. Prices ranged from free to $9.99. In addition to application support, Apple is providing a way for these apps to give you notifications without extraneous background processes through a push notification service.

The biggest news here is arguably the price. When it was released, the iPhone cost $499 to $599. Now the two models cost $199 to $299.

MobileMe

I have to get this off my chest: that font reminds me of Windows Me. There, I've said it. Now let's move on.



MobileMe replaces [dot] Mac. It retains the same price point but adds a few new features and doubles iDisk storage. Webmail, calendars, iDisk, contacts, and image galleries have all received nice web-interface facelifts (with contacts and calendars new to the suite of tools), and information edited here is automatically synced to any Mac, PC, iPhone, or iPod touch set up with the service. Likewise, editing info on any of those devices causes it to be synced with the others.

According to MobileMe's transition FAQ, [dot] Mac subscribers will transition to MobileMe at no additional charge, and anyone with a mac.com email address or webpage will be able to keep using the same address for the foreseeable future. In all, MobileMe looks like a nice upgrade, but I'll miss typing "[dot] Mac."

SnowLeopard

Mac OS X 10.6 will be a departure from Apple's OS strategy of the past few years. Instead of showcasing a handful of impressive new features, Snow Leopard's development seems to be focused squarely "under the hood." It's all about making Mac OS X run better and more stable than ever. Little info about Snow Leopard has trickled out so far, but here's a snippet from an Apple press release:

Rather than focusing primarily on new features, Snow Leopard will enhance the performance of OS X, set a new standard for quality and lay the foundation for future OS X innovation. Snow Leopard is optimized for multi-core processors, taps into the vast computing power of graphic processing units (GPUs), enables breakthrough amounts of RAM and features a new, modern media platform with QuickTime® X. Snow Leopard includes out-of-the-box support for Microsoft Exchange 2007 and is scheduled to ship in about a year.

Personally, I think the Exchange support is going to be a big selling point. Speaking of selling, I wonder if Apple will retain the $129 price-point for Snow Leopard or if it will see a smaller upgrade price due to its less-ambitious feature set.

That covers it for today, but we'll probably see some more Apple-related announcements over the next several days.

Tags: apple inc, iphone, os x, snow leopard

Okay, I tried posting this last night, but three-quarters of the entry just outright disappeared upon export. Here's take two.

Tuesday's Macworld keynote speech by Steve Jobs was interesting and exciting in many ways. Unfortunately for Apple's stock, it seems investors were really hoping for a 3G iPhone. However, iPhone was hardly mentioned Tuesday, and the Mac took center stage. Perhaps this was Jobs' way of making up for last year's iPhone-centered keynote. Here's a quick rundown.

iPhone + iPod touch

iPhone and iPod touch both received software updates that can be downloaded through iTunes. iPhone received some GPS-like functionality to Maps, customizable home screens, Web clips (like in the Leopard Dashboard), song lyric support, video chapters, and multi-person messaging. The iPod touch receives Mail, Maps, Weather, Notes, and Stocks – bringing it to surprising parity with iPhone. The only downside of the iPod touch upgrade is a $20 fee.

A part of me still covets an iPod touch, and the new features make the device even more desirable. Now, if only they would release a 32 GB version at the price-point of the current 16 GB model...

iTunes + Apple TV

The big iTunes news is movie rentals. Rentals ring in at $2.99-$4.99 depending on definition and release status. Once a movie is rented, a user has 30 days to begin watching the film and 24 hours to complete a film once it's started. The 24-hour viewing window seems stingy, but I understand it's in line with comparable services. In addition to the movie rentals, Apple has signed a deal with Fox in which new Fox DVDs will also contain an iTunes-friendly version of the film on the disc. This is an interesting way to circumvent the whole DVD-backup issue. I wonder if other studios will hop on board with this initiative.



By focusing on movies, Apple has also made Apple TV a more competitive product. Once tethered to iTunes, Apple TV now has its own interface with the iTunes Store and can even download higher-resulution movie rentals (720p) than iTunes on Macs or PCs. The new user interface is very nice, and the pricetag is even nicer. A 40 GB model is available for $229 and a 160 GB model for $329.

If we watched more movies and TV shows, this might be a no-brainer, even with an XBox 360. Quite simply, iTunes has more content than XBox Live Marketplace and that content is priced better. Also, XBox Live Marketplace gives you a smaller window in which to begin viewing rented material. Out of the product announcements today, Apple TV may actually be the most competitive. (Here's a comparison of XBox Live Marketplace and Apple TV.)

Time Capsule

Time Capsule is the child of a high-capacity wireless hard drive and an AirPort Extreme base station. It's designed to compliment Leopard's Time Machine backup solution. Featuring a 500 GB or 1 TB hard drive ($299 and $499 respectively), this is an interestingly positioned product. Quite honestly, if I were to pick up an Airport Extreme and a decent 1 TB external drive individually, it would come up to about $500 dollars. For that same amount, here's an all-in-one solution. Seems like a winner to me even if it does target a niche audience.

I even like the name.

MacBook Air

The most attention-grabbing product announced was the MacBook Air. Closed, it's 0.76" at it's thickest point, and it weighs only 3 pounds. Check out the commercial for a good illustration of just how small this thing is. The thing looks amazing at first glance and comes packaged with some truly innovative technology, but I don't know if it will actually be a success.

Much is riding on its appeal as an ultra-light notebook and its stunning looks. Other appealing features include a gesture-sensitive trackpad and an amazing technology called Remote Disc. In a shell, Remote Disc allows the MacBook Air to wirelessly read discs inserted in another computer! This is quite important as the MacBook Air has no built-in optical drive. (However, Apple does sell a $99 USB Superdrive for the MacBook Air.)

Unfortunately, the limitations of this product relegate it to a solely secondary computer position, which is unfortunate considering its price. MacBook Air starts at $1799 with a SSD version available for $3,098! Not only is it bereft of an optical drive, but the hard drive itself is pretty small. It has few ports, excluding even an ethernet port, and the battery is not user replaceable. Fortunately, if you purchase the $129 battery through the Apple Store, installation is free, but this still costs convenience.

I am enamored by the looks and some of the technology in the MacBook Air, but I don't really see its value over Apple's other laptops. Now if Apple released a MacBook or MacBook Pro with a similar form factor and multi-touch trackpad, I might be interested. On the other hand, it's not wise to try to predict the failure or success of an Apple product, and they may have a success on their hands here. One never knows.

images courtesy Apple, Inc.

Tags: apple inc, macintosh, macworld, iphone, itunes/ipods

Ars Technica: Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard: the Ars Technica review

Ars always has the best OS X reviews. Grab a snack and a cold drink. Relax, and dive into John Siracusa's epic discourse.



Macworld: Cash isn't king: Apple limits iPhone purchases

Well, this is a totally evil move on Apple's part. Will they let someone pay with a check then?

Tags: leopard, iphone

Indecision 2008: Stephen Colbert for President?

It's like Man of the Year without the lousy techno-thriller subplot. If this goes anywhere, I wonder if he'll shed his Colbert Report persona in any interviews or (gasp) debates. On the other hand, he communicates well through his satire. Hey, if Arnold can be governor...

By the way, if you like Colbert, you'll love his ice cream.



Freeverse: Periscope 1.5

Freeverse updates their $40 webcam utility with some refined features and a completely redesigned UI (thank you). The demo period lasts for 50 hours and does not limit functionality.

via TUAW



Macworld: Apple says iPhone complies with eco standards

Apple tells Greepeace to go stick their heads in some hazardous materials themselves.

“Like all Apple products worldwide, iPhone complies with RoHS [Restriction of Hazardous Substances], the world’s toughest restrictions on toxic substances in electronics,” an Apple spokesperson, told Macworld. “As we have said, Apple will voluntarily eliminate the use of PVC and BFRs by the end of 2008.”

Macworld: Jobs: iPhone SDK coming in February

I don't think I quite believe Jobs' spin on why the SDK is coming so long after the phone, but at least it is coming. Oh, and it will also work with the iPod touch.

Tags: politics, silly, software, environment, apple inc, iphone

The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks

I don't think I've giggled so much since I found Engrish.com!



Daring Fireball: The ‘Un’ in ‘Unsupported’

I think I finally understand a certain misguided mindset that I’ve been baffled by for a decade. This mindset is exemplified by the sort of person who thinks that Apple “screwed them over” with the release of the iPhone 1.1.1 update.

The mindset manifests in many forms, but what it boils down to is this: a sense of entitlement that users should be able to do unsupported things and yet still be supported. That it makes no sense to expect support after taking unsupported actions is why I’ve found it baffling.

I also think more people are going to be affected by this mindset as these unsupported hacks become more accessible to the general public. What was once accomplished by only the most hardcore is now freely downloadable with easy-to-use interfaces that typical users can understand. Personally, I don't understand why you would want to take the risk with such an expensive purchase, but to each his/her own.



Mac Mojo: Welcome to Word Publishing Layout View

On the one hand, I'm glad to see this evolution of Word, but, on the other, I've already been doing this in Pages for a couple of years. Also, I find some of the design decisions baffling. Custom background surfaces? Who knows, maybe it will grow on me if I pick this up. I'm living sans Office at the moment, and it's not impossible, just inconvenient at times.

Tags: silly, technology, microsoft, iphone

rentzsch.com: apple's antiCAPSLOCK

So Apple’s modern keyboards have a bias against activating Caps Lock at all, and another bias to turn it off as soon as possible. That fits in perfectly with how I (mis)use Caps Lock, but I can’t help thinking it’s ALSO a subtle nudge to those to abuse Caps Lock to TONE IT DOWN A LITTLE.

That's all kinds of cool. (Personally, I've disabled the caps lock key on my laptop.)



dive into mark: If wishes were iPhones, then beggars would call

Mark Pilgrim wonders why people buy things they know they will have to essentially break to get to do what they want. I have to agree. Buy what's best for you, and use it as intended. That always nets the best results.



Opposable Thumbs: Bungie to become an independent company, leaving Microsoft

If by leaving, you mean "become a second-party developer with the option to develop for additional platforms," then yes, Bungie is leaving Microsoft. I'm not keeping my hopes up, but Macworld seems to think Bungie could return to the Mac gaming scene after this move. (As some of you might now, Bungie once developed the Mac-only Marathon series, followed by Mac-friendly Myth, and Halo was first previewed at a Macworld conference.)

Tags: technology, video games, iphone

A Collection of Apple Lock-In Posts
• Wil Shipley believes Apple's strategy of lock-ins will soon collapse upon itself.

• John Gruber agrees and goes so far as to say...

The best thing that could happen to Apple this year would be for Microsoft’s Zune 2.0 to be a kick-ass product, both technologically and in terms of being designed to make customers happy, not entertainment conglomerates. Apple needs competition.

• Paul Thurott says, "I told you so."



Engadget: NBC to offer free "NBC Direct" download service, iTunes competitor
from Engadget:

The company is going to start testing a new NBC Direct service in October with full, free downloadable episodes which can be stored up to seven days on Windows PCs. The shows will be on offer for a week as soon as they've aired, and will include imbedded, un-skippable ads.

Wow. That sounds like the company is putting customers first. Wait, what was that? Oh, battling the 0.01% of consumers who pirate programming is your number one priority! Now it all makes sense...

I like John Gruber's take:

So his number-one priority is piracy. Not making high-quality shows. Not forging a sponsorship or advertising model that is less annoying and distracting to viewers, such that they (the viewers) would be less likely to want to fast-forward the advertising messages. No, piracy, that’s his top priority.

Infinite Loop: OpenOffice Aqua still a year away
Sigh. Mac OS X has been out for how long? Seven-ish years now? How long did it take to figure out this whole OS X thing was more than a fad?



Google Video: Conspiracy Theory Rock
Awesome parody of School House Rock.



Apparently, this video has only been broadcast once, and it was back on March 14, 1998.



Flickr: 24 fps

This photoset features the last frame from several classic movies. Neat stuff. (See how many of the films you can name from the pictures! I could name ... like two.)

via DF

Tags: software, silly, apple inc, iphone, itunes/ipods, politics

iPhone in depth: the Ars review
As usual, Ars Techica turns out a review to end all reviews. This 15 page, 19,000+ word epic covers every detail of Apple's new phone. If you are planning on being an early iPhone-adopter, this is a must-read.



Ars Technica: Sony announces price cut, new 80GB PlayStation 3 model for North America

Things might be getting interesting again on the PS3 front. After this 17% price reduction, sales have surged on Amazon.com by over 2500%, and it is currently in the #1 spot in Amazon's video game sales. On top of this, Sony will begin shipping an 80 GB model at the $599 price-point with a bundled copy of Motorstorm.

Tags: technology, video games, iphone

Ars: Technica: Gaming has no significant effects on schoolwork, sociability: study

From the article:

Instead of turning kids into loners, gaming largely fell in line with general trends of social interactions. Although there was some variability between the sexes, children who gamed with their friends generally spent more time with friends in every other activity.

and:

If people are concerned about the lack of reading done by adolescents, the fact that non-gamers spend only eight minutes a day reading should be a far larger concern than the fact that gaming causes that figure to drop by a little more than two minutes.

Yet the mainstream media put this study in a far more negative light.



YouTube: iPhone: The Music Video

This is hilarious, and no tech writer but David Pogue could pull this off! (By the way, is that New York representative John Hall at 2:16 in this video? If not, the guy bears an uncanny resemblance!)





RealMac Forge

Realmac Forge is an open-source portal for Realmac Software products. Realmac Forge was set up so users and developers can collaborate and produce new and exciting plugins for RapidWeaver.

Tags: video games, education, silly, software, iphone

Autoblog Green: Subaru sells 100,000 PZEVs and sends nothing to the dump for three years

Subaru of Indiana has gone three years without sending any waste to a landfill through reusing waste, recycling it, or using it to supply power to Indianapolis' power grid. That's incredible! Now if their cars only got better gas mileage. On a related note, it seems Toyota has some plants that are 95% waste free. Again, the U.S. automakers are being shown up.



Engadget: How Far We've Come
iPhone meets its great-grandpappy.



Instructables: Interactive Multitouch Display

As enamored as I am with multitouch technology, I just don't see myself finishing this particular project...

Tags: environment, technology, iphone

Kwik-E-Mart - a photoset on Flickr

Brilliant marketing. Absolutely brilliant.



Perian: The Swiss-Army Knife for QuickTime

Perian is a free open source plug-in that greatly expands QuickTIme's file compatibility. This is a must-have for every Mac use.



Playlist: iTunes loses lock on Universal music

I can't tell if this is really a big deal or not. Basically, Universal is giving Apple the same treatment they give other music retailers now. The quote from an Apple rep in this article makes absolutely no sense. I think someone forgot to proofread:

“We are still negotiating with Universal, the music is still on iTunes, and their not resigning is just not true,” said Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr.

Internet Nexus: Apple apparently sold a lot of iPhones

Three sources, three widely different sales projections. Apparently Apple sold somethere between 200,000 and 700,000 iPhones this weekend ... give or take a few.

Tags: silly, software, itunes/ipods, iphone

Apple – iPhone
The iPhone site got a makeover today. Gone is the black spartan appearance. Now it looks a lot like the iPod + iTunes page.





Ars Technica: Notebook mania leads to revised PC market projections

As notebooks prove themselves more and more capable of replacing desktops for most people – with the exception of serious power users – I expect this trend will continue.



Copyblogger: Do You Make These Mistakes When You Write?

Coppyblogger reminds us of some common grammar mistakes many are guilty of (including myself).



Presentation Zen: One secret to a healthy life (and a great presentation)

The problem with most presentation is that they are too long, not too short. Performers, for example, know that the trick is to leave the stage while the audience still loves you and don’t want you to go, not after they have had enough and are "full" of you.

Tags: technology, blogging, powerpoint, iphone

Whoa. I completely let these events get past me. The first link is an interview between Walt Mossberg and Steve Jobs and the second is a combined discussion by Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates on stage together. Good stuff!

• D5: Apple CEO Steve Jobs [Video]
• D5: Transcript – Bill Gates and Steve Jobs at D5

Apple - iPhone - TV Ads

The name says it all ... coming June 29. Me? I just want an iPod that looks like one of these. The sooner iPhone gets out of the gate, the sooner a widescreen iPod takes a bite out of my wallet.



Polar Clock

This clock is completely mesmerizing.



Bean: An OS X Word Processor



This is a lightweight, free, open-souce word processor for OS X. It has broad document compatibility, but its features are somewhat limited (as is to be expected with free software). I've only used it once so far, but it seems to be stable and snappy. Really, my only complaint is that the toolbar icons could look a little bit nicer. Head over to the site, and download it for your Mac!

Tags: software, technology, iphone

GameSpy has a couple of amusing articles helping you figure out if you are more of a computer gamer or a console gamer. Based on these lists, I currently fall firmly into the console camp. However, I can remember being a PC gaming snob at one point.

• GameSpy: Top 10 Ways to Know You're a PC Snob
• GameSpy: Top 10 Ways to Tell You're a Console Fanboy

Presentation Zen: Who says we need our logo on every slide?

Garr Reynolds takes a look at the value (or lack thereof) in overusing brand imagery. For more, check out my post on this same topic.



Daring Fireball: The iPhone’s Funny Price

John Gruber takes a look at Steve Ballmer's negative iPhone remarks and a contradiction in his Windows Mobile claims. What amazes me is that Ballmer projects the iPhone picking up 2-3% cellular market-share like its a bad thing. Steve Jobs said Apple is aiming at 1% with the iPhone launch.



Engadget: Proposals would turn highways into wind farms

Why has no one thought of this before?

Tags: video games, powerpoint, environment, iphone

Apple, Microsoft, and Nintendo all had very lucrative financial statemets last quarter. Apple was the quietest of the three with a quarterly profit of (only) $770 million. Nintendo didn't break out their last quarter from the statement, but they raked in about $1.5 billion in yearly profits, and Microsoft continues its profitable enterprises with nearly $5 billion in quarterly profits. The only bad news in the Microsoft statement is its entertainment division (home of the XBox 360 and the Zune), which posted a $200 million loss.

Can you imagine being so filthy rich that you can swallow a $200 million loss? I know I can't.

• Apple Reports Second Quarter Results
• Ars Technica: Nintendo reports monster profits, promises increased Wii production
• Microsoft Reports Record Profits – Robust demand for Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office system drives 72% growth in earnings per share

Ars Technica: We come not to bury Kutaragi, but to praise him

The "Father of the PlayStation" is stepping down from his position as chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment for unannounced reasons. Kazuo Hirai will be taking his place.



Daring Fireball: Interview: Dino Dai Zovi

Gruber has a nice and thorough interview with one of the individuals who recently hacked a Mac at CanSecWest. If only Maynor or Elich had been this open to discussion a year ago...



Engadget: Meizu updates miniOne: clearly, it's no iPhone clone

Uh-huh... Even the order of some of the icons are the same.


left: iPhone, right: miniOne (in case you couldn't tell)



Flickr: Photos from etchasketchist

Just wow! I could never get past geometric shapes on an Etch-a-Sketch. This person must have tons of patience.

Tags: technology, video games, apple inc, microsoft, security, iphone, silly

Wii Living: Zelda: Ocarina of TIme Now Available on VC

Now just give me Majora's Mask, and you may see me trying to hunt a Wii down in the wild.


image from Wikipedia



Apple – iPhone – Hello

If you missed the iPhone ad during the Oscars, here it is available in four sizes.



Breitbart: Scholars Criticize New Jesus Documentary

In 1996, when the BBC aired a short documentary on the same subject, archaeologists challenged the claims. Amos Kloner, the first archaeologist to examine the site, said the idea fails to hold up by archaeological standards but makes for profitable television.

"They just want to get money for it," Kloner said.

Destructoid: Ode to the Extra Life

Where would we be today without extra lives? Follow the above link to a truly moving tribute to one of gaming's most taken-for-granted features.

Tags: video games, technology, religion, iphone, media

The Observer: Melting glaciers will destroy Alpine resorts within 45 years, says report

"Grandpa, what were ski lifts for?"



I'll be linking to some of these in an upcoming post in my Presentation Tips section, but here they are early:

• Presentation Zen: Steve Jobs At Macworld: "We come from different worlds."
• Seth's Blog: When you should stop improving
• Create your Communications Experience: Jobs Versus Gates
• DC-Connect: Who Advised Stan?

Two posts about the iPhone here. In one, Kathy Sierra writes about the intangible qualities of the iPhone interface. In the other, Jason Fried writes about the lack of tangible features in the iPhone interface. Two good reads.

• Signal vs. Noise: iPhone: Not Touchy Feely
• Creating Passionate Users: iPhone and the Dog Ears User Experience Model

Tags: environment, macworld, iphone

Ars Technica: Cisco sues Apple over iPhone trademark

Sigh. I told you iPod cellular was a better name.



Yahoo! News; Dell: PC Industry Needs to Go Green

This Plant a Tree for Me program is actually pretty cool.

Tags: technology, environment, iphone

The Macworld Keynote this morning was definitely an interesting one. The Mac seemed to be oddly absent in the presentation, and Steve Jobs really only focused on two products the entire time (though a third was updated today withoout fanfare).

Apple TV

The product formerly known as iTV made it's official public appearance. Baasically, this device acts as a bridge between the media on your computer and your TV. Of course, iTunes is at the center of this media ecology, but, for photos, Apple TV supports iPhoto on the Mac and Adobe Album and Photoshop Elements on Windows. The current model natively supports 480p and 720p TV resolutions. It has a built-in 40 GB hard drive, and it connects to the television using HDMI or componant cables. It can network with your home computer via ethernet or wireless network (including 802.11n).

The list of supported video formats is pretty limited (basically only anything iPod plays), but that shouldn't be too much of a problem if you use the device as intended. It's billed as an HD device, but it does scale down the content if hooked up to a standard TV. I imagine that, like iPod HiFi, Apple TV isn't going to be a runaway success, but it will carve itself out a healthy niche. It'll be interesting to see what future versions bring to the table. The Apple TV is available for $299.

Apple iPhone

I have to admit, after the Other iPhone came out, I was expecting something like "iPod cellular," but the name isn't the only surprise in the iPhone. The touch screen interface is just plain elegant in the demos, and it supports multi-touch input – a first for this kind of device. Also, the screen is crisp and clear, and the sensors which detect the device's orientation are a very nice touch.

The fact that this device is also the first to run a mobile version of OS X is also notable. It makes me wonder if Apple has any other devices in the "pipeline" that will make use of this slimmed down version of their operating system. The iPhone comes with 4GB or 8BG of internal flash memory, a 3.5" 320x480 screen, and it supports all modern wireless technologies (except 3G). The iPhone will be carried by Cingular and will carry a price-tag of $499 or $599.

Check out the official product page. The iPhone is beautiful, and I am not one to gush about cellular phones. I was seriously skeptical about this product, but Apple has really brought a unique offering into the crowded cell phone market.

The Undercover Updates

• Airport Extreme was updated today with a new form factor (think Apple TV) and support for 802.11n. I'm also pretty sure it's cheaper now at $179.
• Airport Express got a price drop. It's now $99.
• All Core 2 Duo Macs and the Mac Pros can take advantage of 802.11n. Via TUAW.

What Wasn't Announced

Where was the updated look at Leopard? I thought for sure we would get a tour of more new features and perhaps a new interface. iWork and iLife were totally neglected in this keynote, but these may get released alongside Leopard with some cool Leopard-only features to attract potential users. In fact the whole Mac part of this Macworld keynote seemed lacking. Okay, actually it was nonexistant. Regardless, I expect we'll be seeing some further announcements and product updates coming from the Mothership over the next few days and weeks.

Finally, as food for thought, did anyone else notice the Beatles albums in Steve Jobs' demos?

Tags: macintosh, technology, macworld, iphone