Random Tech – CyberSurge

Notes from the iPhone 3.0 Event

Highlights:

Developers will be allowed to create turn-by-turn GPS apps.
Push Notifications are actually coming.
Copy and Paste
MMS
Search throughout most of the OS.
Notes syncing
Free for iPhone owners
$10 for iPod Touch owners

Notes and reactions from yesterdays iPhone 3.0 event:

30 million iPod Touch and iPhone. That’s a lot of devices.
In app purchases sounds like a great way to spend a lot of money frivolously.
Only allowing for pay apps to use in app purchases is incredibly smart.
I wonder what happens if I uninstall an app that I have purchases content for. Will I be able to redownload that content for free?
Peer to Peer is a wonderful solution to the impossible to solve problem of playing multiplayer games while in the car or somewhere without Wifi.
Developers are now allowed to access accessories through the dock connector. It seems Apple has been listening.
Oh, snap Turn-by-turn GPS!
Push notifications are actually coming, they had to be rearchitected, I don’t know why they didn’t expect so many people to be interested in it.
The Sims looks great, but what happened to Need for Speed? Shouldn’t that be done by now?
ESPN used their familiar sound effect for their notifications, I’m getting more excited about Push Notifications as the minutes go on.
Not surprisingly there has been no mention of EDGE when talking about the video streaming features. I wonder if they can scale the video down to the point where it streams nicely over EDGE (I doubt it).
I’m very worried that developers will go in app purchase crazy. A $5 app should cost $5, not $5 plus $1 every time you want to play another couple of levels.
Copy and Paste looks easy enough to use but I’m worred about how the double tap to zoom will interact with the double tap to copy/paste, it could get confusing. Also, I don’t see a cancel button, is there a way to?
I hate the landscape keyboard, and I will only be more frustrated by the accelerometer activating when I’m laying down and using my iPhone.
Advancements in the messaging app are going to be very well recieved. MMS has been needed since day one and it is amazing that it has taken this long.
Voice Memos will be just another icon on my homescreen that I wish could go away.
Does anybody actually use the stocks app?
Search coming to Mail (thank you), iPod, Notes, and a new Spotlight homepage, to the left of other homepages, it is a universal search. I may never use this, but it looks cool, and demos real well.
Notes syncing, I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, I was hoping for this more than copy and paste, now all those Notes on my iPhone aren’t going to be sitting in a black hole.
Stereo Bluetooth, for those who use it.
Auto-fill coming to Safari, no more typing in those long passwords.
parade rain, MMS and stereo bluetooth won’t be coming to the original iPhone.
Free upgrade for iPhone owers, $10 for iPod Touch.

Apple – QuickTime – iPhone OS 3.0 Preview Presentation

Gregory Raiz’s Proposed Kindle Redesign

I really like this redesign but I don’t think the color screen is necessary. I’m not even sure if ePaper technology is to the point where you can have color screens with no backlight for a price that would allow Amazon to actually sell one of these things.

The new design of the Kindle is great but Raiz’s design is clearly one step further in the right direction.

Kindle Design – Still Sucks | Greg’s Head.

Why I Want a Kindle 2

There aren’t very many reason that someone would want the Kindle 2, for most it would be one big reason, they like reading books. Although the ability to purchase books wherever you are and download them directly to your device sounds nice if I purchased the Kindle (which I will hopefully be doing this summer) I wouldn’t buy a single book.

I don’t read a lot of books, and by that I mean I don’t read books. But, I do read every single day of my life. I probably read more often than the average american but none of that content is contained in books, all of it is online. the one drawback to reading a lot of content online though is that you have to read it on a computer monitor. Reading for long periods of time on a computer monitor causes quite a bit of eye strain and for most people the solution would be to print out whatever they are reading and then read it off of paper. I would much rather read off of the Kindle, its display looks like paper but not having to buy ink or actual paper is well worth the $360 to me.

A decent printer usually costs at least $100 anyway, but you can’t carry your printer around with you everywhere you go and surf the internet for free on it, with the Kindle you can.

I see the Kindle more as a web tablet then anything else. all I really want is to be able to read long articles without my eyes feeling like they are going to fall out, and that is what the Kindle is good at.

Sure, I’ll probably pay a few bucks a week so I can get some good newspapers delivered to my Kindle every morning but that feature isn’t nearly as important to me as the ability to read long form blog posts from all of my favorite web sites without having to start at a light the whole time.

Amazon has really done something amazing with the Kindle, and who knows, once I get used to reading stuff on it I might end up buying a few books (and actually reading them).

Kindle 2.

Amazon Kindle 2 Gets Official

That’s right the Kindle 2, which I posted some pretty legitimate looking details about 3 days ago is now official. The Kindle sports a brand new design that not only makes it more appealing to the eye but also makes it a lot easier to hold when you’re reading.

The thing is super thin and the display has a much quicker refresh rate then the previous Kindle. The display doesn’t just have a quicker refresh rate, it also can display 16 shades of gray instead of the 4 on the previous model. Amazon is also claiming a 25% longer battery life. All for the reasonable price of $359.

What I’m wondering now though is whether or not I really need a laptop at all. Between my iPhone and the Kindle 2 (which I haven’t ordered but hope to get one this summer) I don’t really know what else I need. I can do most of my work on the iPhone with all of the great 3rd party apps and all of the longer articles that I like to read can be read on the Kindle, which has a display that is significantly easier on the eyes than the iPhone’s.

The one aspect of my daily computing activities that I don’t see fitting into this scenario however is blogging. Luckily I have an iPhone and the WordPress app is pretty good, but posting media such as images or videos is nearly impossible on the iPhone. I could probably use the Press This bookmarklet for WordPress to post with new images but that isn’t ideal.

What it really comes down to is the fact that I could live for weeks with just a Kindle and my iPhone and be just fine, that is if WordPress would improve their iPhone app.

Kindle 2: Amazon’s New Wireless Reading Device (Latest Generation).

Amazon Kindle 2 official images, Price, and Release Date

These images were posted on the forums at MobileRead.com and the poster (Alexander Turcic) claimed that they were official images. Alexander Turcic also claims that the Kindle 2 will go on sale on February 24, 2009 (release date unconfirmed) for $359.

The new Kindle looks significantly better then the previous Kindle. Not only does it seem much easier to hold then the previous Kindle but it also has a much better button layout and looks much thinner than the original.

I wanted the Kindle before, but now I really want the new Kindle, almost enough to pay $359 for it (seriously shouldn’t this device be like $249?).

Exclusive: Amazon Kindle 2 official images + price + release date – MobileRead Forums.

I’ve posted all of the images here just in case they get taken down from the linked page. View the rest after the jump

Apple May Allow Background Apps in Firmware 3.0

“While we aren’t sure what the specific issues are, we’ve heard that as an alternative Apple is considering allowing apps to run as user selectable background processes. If so, this feature would likely come in the rumored iPhone 3.0 software update but would be limited to only one or two processes on current hardware. The next generation iPhone, however, would likely see less restricted background process support due to its improved hardware.”

So if it is user selectable I wonder if Apple will require developers to (if they want to have a background app) allow users to choose whether they want it running the background when closed and if not the app will save whatever your doing when the home button is pressed.

This seems like a very viable solution and I’ve often wondered why Apple didn’t just have a limit on the number of apps you can have running in the background at a time. 2 Would probably be a good number of apps and the way they would be selected would be just to have the most recent two apps that were opened be the background apps.

Apple to Allow Background Tasks on iPhone? – Mac Rumors.

Ooma Officially Announces Telo

Ooma has announced Telo, a cordless handset to go along with their VoIP service. It features DECT 6.0 technology, connected phonebook, speaker phone, High-Defenition voice, mobile transfer, and musical ringtones. No word on pricing or availability yet.

Ooma.

Elgato Announces EyeTV Hybrid 2009 Edition

Elgato has announced a new edition of the EyeTV Hybrid USB TV Tuner. The new version includes improved reception of over the air signals, a new enclosure, and built-in FM radio tuner. The new tuner has been built in house by Elgato rather than by an OEM (which is how past EyeTV tuners have been made).

The tuner also includes a one-year subscription to television guide information for the EyeTV software ($20 a year regularly). The tuner itself isn’t the only thing being updated though, the EyeTV software has also seen some improvements including more information in the guide, coming from the switch from TitanTV to TV Guide information. The new software also allows you to subscribe to a season pass of your favorite show so that the software will record every new episode of the show.

EyeTV Hybrid.

eSlick Reader, Pre-Order Now for $229.99

Not the best looking eReader I’ve ever seen but it is really cheap. But, I would still rather see a Kindle with Wifi and without EVDO for a bit cheaper than what they’re selling it for now, eSlick Reader is nice but the Kindle is clearly nicer.

Foxit eSlick.

Asus Offers Eee Branded Keyboard, Mouse, and Remote

According to Eee PC News, ASUS is gearing up to ship an Eee-branded wireless keyboard / mouse combo in both black and white motifs, and if that’s still not enough Eee to cure your fever, the multi-function remote should handle those media center duties with ease.

ASUS offers up branded keyboard / mouse combo, remote for Eee Box – Engadget.

Palm OS “Nova” to be Shown Off at CES

Palm hasn’t exactly been the most interesting of cell phone companies lately and because of that it is very possible that this year could be there last chance to really come back. Palm was in the forefront of smartphones a few years ago but with difficulties getting Palm OS 6 finished they have slowly moved further and further back in the crowd.

But rumor has it that Palm will be showing off their next generation Palm OS, named Nova, at CES this year. They are also rumored to not only just be showing off the new OS but they should have a new device to show it off on.

According to the rumor the device will have a release in mid-2009. There isn’t really any information on the new OS out yet, but it is supposed to meet the needs of those who want something between the businessy Blackberry and the media rich iPhone. This of course doesn’t mean anything to me since I personally believe that the iPhone is just as good if not better at business tasks then the Blackberry is (but I love the virtual keyboard). But, we’ll have to wait and see if this is really what’s going to bring Palm back as a viable option for smartphone buyers.

Palm OS “Nova” — and first Nova device — look like a lock for CES – Engadget.

Netflix Blaming A Hardware Failure For DVD Shipping Delay

Netflix is blaming faulty computer hardware for the recent delay in DVD shipments where millions of shipments were affected.

“We’ve taken steps to fortify our shipping system with the acquisition of additional equipment and worked with our vendors to verify we’re in good shape elsewhere,” Mike Osier, Netflix’s technology chief, wrote on the company’s website.

This was the worst outage the company had ever seen in the company’s nine-year history and affected about one-third of the service’s 8.4 million subscribers.

Netflix has decided to give every customer affected a 15% credit on their next monthly bill to compensate for the delays.

I’m very happy with the 15% credit and actually believe that that is more than enough to compensate me for the delay. I’ve personally talked to several friends of mine who were also affected and they all had a general consensus that Netflix did the right thing.

Netflix