iPhone Creativity

This is a great 'unofficial' iPhone ad from the website iphonenewyorkcity.com. Apparently this will not air on T.V., but more of an independent creative project from director, Alec Sutherland and producer, Todd DosSantos. Check it out; it is very well done:

Keynote

Steve Jobs' keynote at the WWDC is this morning, and for many, Santa Claus has nothing on Jobs. What will He give us today that we will not stop talking about until 4 weeks before the next keynote address in January? The power is just unbelievable to me that people cannot wait to hear what surprises are in store. Steve Jobs could tell the world today that his Golden Retriever just had puppies and a new photo album, created in iPhoto of course, is now on the Apple site for the world to see, and it would not matter. He has created a captivated world who understands that Apple will provide useful and fun products that add to the computing experience for all. The developers and high-end folks understand the beauty behind the OS-X, particularly with the new Leopard, which will be showcased and released to developers-only today. The public understands that a new iMac, or iPod, or iAnything, will be the next best thing on the market. Apple has taken marketing to a new life form, and CEO's around the world can be nothing short of envious. Has any company created such buzz in history? The only fault I see to the marketing craze is that consumers often hold out waiting for the next best thing. Should I buy my new Mac now, or wait for Leopard? Should a buy that cool iMac or wait for the brushed metal iMac said to be on the horizon? The cycle of anticipation never ends.

My guess for the next big release: Touch/wide-screen iPods with huge hard drive for the video rental service speculated for the fall. Apple Insider details the negotiations Apple is having with Hollywood for $2.99/month movie rentals on iTunes. The 80GB small screen will not seal the deal for many. We shall find out soon.

Big Brothers? So What!

The superpowers of Google and Apple have all the tech geeks in a stir this week with the release of Google's 'Street View' on Google Maps, and the unveiling of iTunes Plus (DRM-free) on Apple's iTunes store.

Google Maps now offers a feature called Street View that allows the user to browse down a street (in only major cities, so far) and see actual storefronts, landmarks, people...The footage is so clear that you can see into some apartments, recognize people, and maybe see some things that people would rather not be seen (like slacking off when they should be at work). My opinion: as a regular user of Google Maps to locate directions and find hotels, restaurants in unfamiliar cities, I think it is very cool. You can actually see the building you are looking for and know when you are driving to look for the big red building on the right hand side of the street, etc. People, relax, your information is not that valuable to strangers, and who really cares if you have a cat that sits in front of your window. I can record anybody's license plate just by walking down the street, and I do not need Google Maps to know that you are a slacker. Google is not spying on you (at least in Maps) and suck it up and enjoy a really cool app that willl prove to be very useful to many.

On the Apple front, iTunes Plus is a section of iTunes that sells DRM-free music that the entire world has been begging for since the birth of iTunes. DRM-free music essentially gives the user the ability to do whatever they want with their purchased music and put it on any mp3 player. Previously, Apple was restricted to DRM music which coded each track and made it difficult to use on anything except an iPod. DRM music is still available for $.99 and DRM-free tracks are now $1.29/track. Furthermore, DRM-free music is of higher quality (256 ). The problem people have discovered is that even though it is DRM-free, apparently Apple is encoding personal information such as names, email addresses...on each track that you purchase. So, if someone steals your iPod, someone with a lot of time on their hands can dump your music on their computer, do super-duper hacking tricks on each mp3 file, and know your name. Hell, they can even send you an email to let you know that you have horrible taste in music. Please, my only concern would be that I cannot live without an iPod, and I must fast for the month so I can shell out the $349 for a new video iPod. I would only be thinking about how far behind on my podcasts I'd be while saving for a replacement. Embrace DRM-free music and if you are so paranoid, I have a great turntable for sale.

Bottom line: Google and Apple rule our lives and frankly, I don't care. So long as they keep bringing the goodness of products and fun apps on the web, they could have my soul for all I care.

iPhone Confirmed

Hold on tight, as the hype is just getting started. It is now official, the much anticipated iPhone will be released on June 29th. The ads hit the T.V. on Sunday night and as usual, they make you want to have one. See all three of the ads here.