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I’ve heard some rumblings of AT&T giving away WiFi before, but apparently AT&T is making it official.
Hopefully this will replace the laborious process of getting 2 hours of free WiFi at Starbucks, where you had to get a Starbucks gift card and register it online first, then login for your 2 hours.
According to AT&T iPhone users will be able to surf for free at over 17,000 hotspots, including Starbucks, airports, hotels, usniversities, convention centers and sports complexes.
Wow, I can’t believe my last post was way back when the iPhone 3G was announced. Time has flown by since then, I didn’t mean to abandon JoeyInteractive.
Well, I’m back from the cloud of too many creative endeavors, and now I have said iPhone 3G in my pocket. There have been tons of reviews online for you to check out, so I’ll skip the in depth look. Instead I’ll just rant about some of my favorite features, and some things that bug me.
Let’s start with the good stuff.
3G coverage in Orlando is pretty good. I’ve really noticed the speed difference in those few areas I’m not using WiFi. The GPS is really nice, and I love the geocoded pictures using the built in camera. And finally, the sound quality is noticeably better.
Now here’s whats bugging me.
I love the idea of the App Store. But I’ve only found a few truly useful apps, the rest are just a waist of a developers time. The few I like are Twitteriffic, Evernote, and NetNewsWire. I’ve downloaded a few games that are fun too, but where are all the great apps?
Then there’s copy & paste. Come on Apple, can’t you make this a priority. It’s pretty frustrating not being able to move data around.
Mobile Me is probably the most impressive thing about owning the iPhone 3G. But there are some big features missing in the iPhone Calendar app. For instance, why can’t I invite anyone to a meeting using the iPhone? Why can’t I set alarms using Mobile Me? The whole thing feels rushed to deliver to me. Apple needs to update soon with these critical features.
Finally, the most annoying feature is the battery. Most days I have to charge it TWICE!
Steve Jobs announed the much anticipated next-gen 3G iPhone today to an excited WWDC audience.
DesignIt looks thinner, with tapered edges like the Macbook Air. It has a glossy black plastic back (I’m going to miss the aluminum.), a flush headphone jack (so you don’t need an adapter to use other headphones).
PerformanceLoaded with 3G it will be at least twice as fast as those of us suffering with the Edge netework. Apple boasts 3G speeds that are 36% faster than those other “smart phones”. It will have better battery life, with 300 hours of standby, 8-10 hours of 2G talk, 5 hours of 3G talk, 7 hours of video and 24 hours of audio.
FeaturesWell, there’s no camera in the front, so those dreaming of mobile video chatting will have to dream a bit longer. *snif It does have GPS though. Apple is using A-GPS, which is a standard that suppliments regular satellite GPS data with info from cellular towers to triangulate your position. The 3G iPhone also comes with all those great 2.0 software features.
PriceThe 8GB is only $199, and 16GB is $299 (16GB comes in white too). Either way you go, AT&T requires a contract.
Is it enough of an improvement to entice current iPhone users? I’m not sure. Will you get one?
A couple of days ago I tried the new Iced Doubleshot drink at my local Starbucks. The barista suggested I use vanilla syrup instead of the classic, and she was right, it was delicious. In fact, it’s been my drink of choice ever since.
Over the week I’ve noticed something wonderful. I’ve been saving money. I’m not sure why, but it’s true.
Here’s why I’m confused. My go-to drink has been a Grande Iced Mocha (it’s hot here in Florida). A Grande Iced Mocha is made up of two shots of espresso, milk, chocolate syrup… and you guessed it, ice. That will cost you $4.06. The Doubleshot is made up of three shots of espresso (though since the machines pull two shots at a time, most baristas will add the forth, rather than waste it.), vanilla syrup (or whatever flavor you want), milk and ice. But the Doubleshot will only cost you $2.60.
Is this a marketing trick to offer a lower priced option in this tough economy, without making it feel like the brand is on sale? Is it an accident? The barista tried to convince me that it’s because there is slightly less milk in the Doubleshot, and that the price of milk has gone up. Has milk gone up enough that a few ounces make a $1.46 difference per drink?
I don’t really care either way. I’m very happy with the lower priced option. Just curious…
Personal Rant: Why is there only one shot of espresso pictured on starbucks.com with a drink called the Doubleshot?
The folks over at Gizmodo claim the 3G iPhone is “confirmed”, and the ever-churning rumor mill seems to believe it wholeheartedly. It make sense. And 3G would be nice. But the majority of my time is spent in WiFi areas. So I’m not sure if network speeds that are 3 times faster than AT&T’s Edge network are enough to entice me to be the early adopter I usually am.
That said, if you look closely at the “leaked” image of the new iPhone above, that little dot by the ear speaker may be just the thing to make me ebay (can ebay be a verb?) my current iPhone and upgrade.
Rumor has it, that little dot is a camera.
Why put the camera on the front you ask? Well imagine being able to iChat over the 3G network right from your iPhone! That’s right, the elusive video phone may finally be coming to market… in just a few weeks!
Now if Apple would just make me my flying car…
I saw Iron Man over the weekend, and apparently so did a lot of other people. The film made over 100 million dollars in just a few days. I think it’s going to make a lot more before it’s over, because the film is really great… really.
I can’t tell you how skeptical I was to see Robert Downey Jr. as a superhero, but he did a fantastic job. He nailed the role of Tony Stark and his comedy moments were brilliant.
Wrapped in a very relevant story are scene after scene of pure gadget eye candy. The 3D and motion graphics work are spot on.
My only complaint is a very obvious product placement scene with Burger King. But I’ll get over it.
Great film. Be sure to catch this one on the big screen.
This is one of those posts that make it hard to disguise my geekiness. Still I must have this awesome little projector.
I say awesome, not because of it’s tech specs, though they’re not horrible… 1024X768 resolution, 15000 Lumens, built in CD/DVD/iPod player, built in virtual surround speakers, and all the gaming ports you’ll need. No, I say awesome because…well, it’s R2D2!
So if you need a gift idea for me, want to support this site, or if you’d like me to do a review- simply ship one my way.
In celebration of World Pinhole Camera Day (when was that?), Corbis has posted some papercraft ReadyMech Cameras for your downloading pleasure.
These paper-toy-meets-pinhole-camera creations are much cooler than the cardboard versions I made in school. If you make one and shoot something, share your photos and I’ll post them here.
The Chocolate Agency has developed a really nice mini multimedia device concept for your wrist. The form factor is sleek and modern, complete with the ever-popular touch screen. They propose using E-Paper for all its thin, high contrast, power efficient qualities.
It uses magnetic snaps on each end to stay closed, but it can be opened and used flat if desired. Plus there are no batteries. It’s powered kinetically (using your movement), so if you want to finish watching the Star Wars Trilogy, you better go for a run.
Now Starbucks customers can debate some new ideas like, establishing a separate line to order brewed coffee, discounts for frequent buyers or seniors, and more on MyStarbucksIdea.com
Already thousands of ideas have been submitted and rated by guests. Starbucks has even already adopted a couple of these ideas in their stores.
I applaud their effort to listen to their customers. Not many brands would open themselves up for public debate, or solicit ideas from outsiders. I was recently in Seattle, where I got to meet the creative team at Starbucks HQ, and I have to say that they really do care about the brand and its fans.
The design of the site is simple, clean and easy to use. What are you waiting for…submit your idea.
There is so much great content online for creative professionals these days. There’s no excuse for not staying current and sharpening your skills. I’m writing this post while watching a tutorial I found on tv.adobe.com.
Adobe’s new tutorial section offers tips and tricks that, of course, highlight their software. But despite the occasional hard sell, you’ll find some great tutorials, and tips that will keep you in the know.
I stumbled upon Apple’s ‘Find Out How‘ section of their website today. This section hosts a very cool collection of video tutorials covering:
Mac OS X
Photos
Movies
Web
Music
Documents
If you’re new to the Mac, you’re going to love these tips and tricks. But even for a Apple Fanboy seasoned Mac user like me, there is a lot of great content to learn from.
Most people agree that RFID is really close to reaching mainstream. Soon you’ll see them in everything. Case-in-point, ClothTAG.
ClothTAG wants to replace current cloth labels, using RFID to tell your washer and dryer what settings to use. Of course, that requires you to have RFID enabled appliances.
If you don’t, no worries. The RFID circuitry cleverly mimics icons found in current garment tags, so you’ll still know how to wash that sweater old school.
My favorite desktop changing software/service announced a new price point today… FREE!
Desktoptopia used to charge to for its software, which downloads high-quality desktops from their ever-growing database, but now it’s all gratis.
They even launched a PC version for all of you still stuck on that side of the world.
This guy’s name is Lee. And Lee has generously decided to shave his precious locks to raise money for Alec, a little boy with cancer.
You don’t know Lee, but he loves his hair. So, here’s a chance to help a sweet boy and embarrass Lee, all at the same time. All you have to do is donate a few bucks to help Lee reach his goal, and I’ll post a video of Lee loosing his hair on YouTube (eventually) for your viewing pleasure.
I’m a little late with the post, so you only have 24 hours to get in on the fun…do it now!
UPDATE: Well the event was a huge success. In all the guys raised over 12k for kids with cancer. Thank you to everyone who gave. Here is the new, faster Lee (and his brother Brett)…
Apple has had some great online advertising lately (Watch this, and this European ad).
If you check out the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal today, you’ll see another example. They’re using two ads that work together, where “PC” is trying to fix what he thinks is an incorrect headline (”Leopard is better and faster than Vista.”).
Very funny.
Mr. Bruce Wolf from Royal Caribbean cruise line announced that their newest ships are going to use Macs in a big way.
Apparently Apple, together with Nanonation designed a Mac solution that will modernize Royal Caribbean’s in room entertainment and onboard signage.
This relationship started back in 2006. Both the Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas, shipboard signage are driven by Mac Minis with an XServe back end and Samsung displays. They’re used for custom messaging to the passengers (announcements, shore excursions, fitness center scheduling, and touchscreen ship maps). All of Royal Caribbean’s new ships will have entertainment (music, movies, and photos) and reservations capability (dining and activities) right from the staterooms.
One of the first cool products I found on the expo floor is the Eye-Fi. It essentially integrates WiFi onto an SD memory card. With it, you can automatically upload images directly from your camera to your computer, or to Picasa or Flickr- all wirelessly.
It’s really convientient and super easy to use. You pop the card into your digital camera, take some photos, and they wirelessly upload into iPhoto. The 2GB Eye-FI card will cost you $99.99. They have a Mac update that is compatible with existing Eye-Fi cards.
After seeing the MacBook Air up close, I have a better appreciation for its industrial design. It’s beveled on the top and bottom, giving it this feeling like it’s floating just off the table.
It’s impossibly light. It almost feels like a toy, though it’s smooth and durable. But there’s no question it’s state-of-the-art. After a few minutes of zooming through all the apps, I was amazed that all this technology was running so fast on something so small.
The camera was esspecially amazing as the screen is wafer thin. I have no idea how they got a camera in there. We did a quick video chat with some neighbors and it looked great.
There’s a new mag-safe power design that I like much better. The wire doesn’t come out and to the left of the computer, but rather goes behind it. Much better.
But the best feature is the new guesture controls on the huge trackpad. It’s a major improvement on how we interface with laptops. I’d like to see this on the whole MacBook lineup with even more guestures added. Of course, building it right into the screen would be nice too.
It’s always fun running around the showroom floor reviewing new technology. And I’ll have some posts about the stuff I run across shortly. But first, I was a little taken aback by the blogger lounge this year.
It’s really nice and comfy, power ports are a plenty, and the connection is fast. But something seems off here. It’s hosted by Microsoft.
Why would Microsoft make it easy for us Mac fans to spread the news? Everyone stops in, uses thier provided network and power to share with the world all the wonderful things Apple is doing, then leaves, completley ignoring the Microsoft Office stations along the wall.
Hey Microsoft, thanks for the very nice blogger lounge, but I’m not sure if this was the best marketing plan for the Expo…
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