Will there be iPhone frenzy on July 11? We know that there will be plenty of phones to go around, but still my friends and I are already planning to line up at the Apple Store in the wee hours of July 11th to get first dibs. Why do we care this much about a mobile phone upgrade?

The new iPhone 3G has a lot going for it—simply stated, the pricing strategy alone is a win-win (we’ll pay less upfront and about $40 more in the long-term). But, it’s not about the price or the 3G tech, or the new plastics involved.

Far more significant than the hardware upgrades, all iPhones will be able to connect to the App Store, an on the internet service from Apple that will allow us to easily install third-party software that utilizes all of the iPhone’s capabilities. This newfound ability to run virtually any application will soon let the tiny, mobile Apple computer in our pockets do things for us that the machines on our desks could only dream of.

But what will all these life-changing applications cost us? Will the $200 I save on my iPhone 3G just eventually get gobbled up by the App Store instead? Will the average iPhone customer even want to pay for these apps? And, how in the world will companies focused on the Apps, like newly launched Instinctiv.com actually monetize the software?

Enter Eric Litman, founder and CEO of Medialets, a New York-based advertising delivery platform whose work I hope will end up saving me a lot of my hard-earned cash. His company encourages developers who might otherwise charge up-front licensing fees to instead give their wares away for free. The costs of development would be supported by showing innovative, dynamic advertisements displayed inside the apps with Medialets technology.

Source: gadgetsnews.info

Logitech, which makes some of the best webcams for PCs, just announced its first Mac-compatible webcam, featuring premium autofocus technology and, most importantly, Carl Zeiss Optics.

Add the sleek black and silver Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro webcam to your Mac computer, and you’ll be recording sharp 720p high-def video clips, and VGA-quality video at up to 30 frames per second while video calling with iChat and Skype. Features a 2-megapixel sensor, and Logitech’s RightLight 2 Technology, which enables the webcam to “adjust intelligently in dim or harshly backlighted situations.”

Available in July for approx $129.99. Mac owners rejoice!

Popularity: 4% [?]

Source: gadgetsnews.info

I just got an iPod Touch last week. I bought it because I was working on a project and I needed the iPod Touch for the project. I’ve seen and played with the iPod Touch when it first came out but I didn’t “live” with it.

I guess I didn’t appreciate the iPod Touch as much as I do now. It’s really like a mini-computer that fits at the palm of your hand.

In the week that I’ve had my touch, I barely used the music features of it. I used mostly the internet features of the touch. From surfing, chat all the way to checking email. The Touch made it so convenient for me.

Although I didn’t use the music features a lot, I did use the video features. It was also a great coincidence that I got iTunes GCs as a present from my dad. I loved the fact that I could rent a motion picture on iTunes, begin watching it on my Mac, transfer it to my iPod Touch, watch it there some more and transfer it back to my Mac if needed. This feature really came in handy during my hospital visit.

What really got me was the ton of apps I could install on my Touch. My favorite is TouchPad Pro. It allows you to control your Mac via VNC. While there’s a lag, it’s good as a remote control. It needs some work but it’s really a great tool.

The apps really got me excited for the launching of the App store. I can’t wait to see the apps that will be available.

Now after living with an iPod Touch, I can’t see my life without it. I realized I don’t need the huge storage space that the Classic has. I need the features of the Touch more.

Source: gadgetsnews.info

However caring and compassionate you are in real life, according to new research, things tend to turn nasty when you log onto the internet. The BBC says that an annual report into web habits by internet guru Dr Jakob Nielsen shows that most people want to use the internet for finding information, and so get frustrated and angry at the amount of pop-up ads and interactive content on offer – it’s too distracting.

Video content which was designed to make websites more user-friendly and interesting often make sites slower to load instead and people get really steamed up about it – pretty much the opposite of what was intended. (I wonder if that’s what drives some of the abusive comments bloggers get?)

Nielsen concludes that the reason search engines are so popular is that we are all impatient: we want our info, and we want it NOW. No messing. “Basically search engines rule the web,” he says.

Source: gadgetsnews.info

Have you ever been a .Mac Subscriber? I was. And on the whole, it was a fairly pleasant painless experience. But, for $99 it seemed like I could solve most if not all of the .Mac features with other services (often free services). But MobileMe could be the answer to all that.

The Old Features

The greatest thing about the old .Mac service was the natural behind the scenes integration with your Mac software. The iLife suite, system preferences, and many independently developed applications all had ways to either publish straight to the .Mac service or synchronize across computers through your .Mac service.

The problem was speed and reliability. I quit using the features of my .Mac acocunt long before they expired because they were simply too much of a pain to use. iDisk was slow and I wouldn’t always be able to connect.

The New Features

Of course the new name is because of the new features. Instead of a set of tools that helps you keep your Mac synced, it is now a set of tools that helps you integrate your mobile self.

They’ve doubled the amount of storage you get for mail and iDisk Storage. Instead of a manual or scheduled sync, your calendar, email, and contacts push their changes from device to device. They’ve also included web versions of all of the applications so you can access your mobile stuff any time and any where you have web access.

The Obstacles

My biggest complaint about the .Mac service was speed and reliability. $99 wasn’t too much for a service that worked, but for something that didn’t quite work, even free would be too much.

One of the other possible problems for iPhone users is going to be battery life. With a constant IP connection, what kind of battery life is the phone going to be left with. The Keynote only lists 5-6 hours of high-speed internet surfing. If perpetual connection only takes 25% of the battery life of surfing, that’s still only leaving 20-24 hours of use. Of course this sounds like all day, but as anyone with a cell phone knows, an hour of speaking not only reduces the talk time but the standby time as well.

I guess we have to wait and see some real life numbers. Personally I would like to see that “Exchange for the rest of us” line actually apply to the rest of us. I would love to have the option of having MobileMe to sync my multiple computers and have it push contacts, calendar, and email to my Blackberry or Windows Mobile Phone just like exchange.

What do you think? Are you already a .Mac subscriber looking forward to the free upgrade? Do you think they left something out?

Source: gadgetsnews.info

So some of you, apparently, don’t have an Apple Retail store near you. Well here’s your opportunity to own a part of an Apple Store for your very own. Proceeds go to charity.

This key part of the Apple GREEN MONSTER sign was lovingly rescued from the dumpster… carefully pulled apart from it’s sticky self, and backed on light paper.

I don’t know if I would want to spend the money on something like this (would rather save it for iPhone 2), but it is going to charity and it would look great in my shed next to my Laney banners.

Oh Well. Send us pics of how you’re displaying it if you win.

Source: gadgetsnews.info

What good is your iPhone or iPod touch if you can’t get to it? WindowSeat gives your device the best seat in the car by mounting handily at eye level on your car’s windshield or dashboard, putting all of your street maps, directions etc. safely in view and easily within reach. Attaches with silicone suction pads and allows easy access to dock connector and headphone jack. When you leave the vehicle, there’s a convenient corner-release which lets you easily detach your device to take it with you, while leaving the mount safely in place. A nice touch is the swiveling ball-and-socket joint which makes it easy to adjust the angle.

Conveniently, it can be used in conjunction with Griffin Technologys PowerJolt charger for iPhone and iPods.

Just out, you can pick it up for $29.99 at Griffin. Also available at Amazon.

Source: gadgetsnews.info