Bottom Bar:
Phone
Email
Calendar
Safari (Web Browser)

Page 1:
SMS
Tweetsvile: I like this better than the others (Twitterrific, Twittelator, Twinkle) mainly because it automatically downloads a lot more tweets than the others. I rely on that functionality because I usually only check twitter 3 times per week. A nice feature addition would be to track which tweet I last read and start me there when the app opens. Haven’t played much with Tweetie, yet, but I hear that’s also a great app.
fring: I haven’t used this, yet, but I hear it’s a great multi-IM-protocol chat application.
Facebook
Contacts
Web shortcut to Google Reader Mobile
Maps
Weather
Clock
Google Mobile
Yelp: I love this app.
Stocks: This app would be much more useful if it updated in the background.
Wikipanion: Best of the Wikiperia browser apps.
PCalc: Bought this mostly for the paper tape functionality. Very handy to look at past calculations.
Units
i.TV

Page 2:
Things: Great TODO app. The pairing / syncing feature is well designed - syncs with Things on my MacBook.
iTalk: Cool voice recorder app. I would use voice recording on the iPhone much more if there was a button on the phone that triggered it. Perhaps Apple could let us choose which app to load when a user double clicks the home button.
Evernote
WordPress: Haven’t posted much from the road. But maybe.
ShoZu: Another app that I haven’t really used. The promise is that it integrates with Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, Wordpress, etc.
iPod
Shazam: Very handy for telling you what song you just heard on the radio.
YouTube
Photos
Camera
Web shortcut to Flickr Mobile
App Store
Settings
Ocarina: The globe browser is a very nice touch.
TatomicLite: Similar to lumines in a lot of ways. Like lumines, though, I wish it became difficult faster.
Word Warp: Fun word game. Wish the words were clickable and could show you each word’s definition.

Page 3:
Doppler: Best offline browser for Google Reader on the iPhone.
Deliveries: Track FedEx, UPS, etc.
Jaadu: VNC client. Takes a little time to get used to the interface, but otherwise excellent.
FileMagnet: Don’t use this much. Could be useful for file transfers and reading docs on the go. Typically, I use email for those tasks, so I haven’t given FileMagnet a solid try.
iTunes
OpenTable: Haven’t had a need to use this. It came out earlier this week.
Movies
WebMD: Just in case.
Phone Aid: First Aid. Just in case.
Web Shortcut to iGoogle: Never use this. Might delete it.
Cor.kz: Wine ratings/reviews. I get an error every time I try to use this app. Will probably delete it soon.
FieldRunners: Fun tower-defense game.
GasBag: Gas prices locally.
Dual Level: Mine is not calibrated correctly, but will be useful next time I hang something.
Cube: Tech demo. s’ok.
Frenzic: Extremely difficult game. Though, I might be playing it wrong.

Page 4:
Web Shortcut to Fuelly: I’m behind on entering my mileage. Might need to start from scratch.
Stanza: Nice ebook reader. Since the colors are configurable, you don’t need to stare at black on white.
Geocaching: Haven’t used this much, but felt the need to pick it up.
Twitterrific
Colors: Generates color schemes based on photographs. It’s fun. Really.
TideGraph: Beth and the kids like to go tidepooling.
Google Earth: Overkill.
IGN Reviews: GameRankings and IGN’s site are not iPhone friendly. This app takes you right to the meat.
Firewall: Another tower-defense game.
Toy Bot 2, touchPhysics, JellyCar - games I thought I’d like but don’t. Yet.
Exposure: Cool Flickr app. Lately, though, Flickr Mobile is just right for me.
BigOven: A recipe app. Haven’t used it, yet.
SnapTell: Take a picture of a box and SnapTell will tell you about the product inside. It recognized my Fable II box.

Page 5:
Bloom: Surreal music generator. Charlie likes it.
Strategic Assault: Rough around the edges, but a decent alpha attempt at an RTS.
Galcon Lite: Fun game.
Twittelator
Calculator
Notes
Tweetie
Gas Cubby

Loving the iphone. Still, some issues:

1. The browser crashes a lot.
2. Mail has no search functionality.
3. No copy/paste.
4. No video streaming options other than youtube.
5. Calendar functionality does not have an invite others feature.
6. I’d like to sync via Wifi
7. You can’t download podcasts directly to the phone (coming soon)
8. The screen by screen app launcher navigation doesn’t work when you have 70+ apps. It needs to be hierarchical.
9. No background Google / AIM / Jabber chat application.
10. There is no background-download rss feed reader.

The good news is that the official Apple 4GB RAM seems to work fine AND they are charging a very agreeable $150 (after buying back the original 2GB the MacBook comes with).

Hopefully, a firmware update will come along to resolve the issue.

The RAM didn’t work. Based on the responses to my post on the Apple discussion board, the new MacBooks are extremely finicky about their RAM. PC3-8500 DDR3 1066 Mhz may not be the only qualifications required…

The hard drive did/does work. It’s a Western Digital Scorpio Black 7200 RPM 320GB drive. The installation steps in the MacBook owners manual are incomplete, though. You’ll NEED a #0 phillips and a Torx T6.

Maybe if I keep talking about it as if it’s definitely going to be released, It will actually happen.

I think that Apple can beat the competition so well because a) it builds the hardware and the software, b) it’s OS (OS X) has an unprecedented level of scalability in footprint, UI stretchability and power usage, c) the developer community supporting Apple is notoriously agile and loyal.

Yes, the tablet that people have been predicting for years will be fantastic when it arrives and I’ll certainly buy one, but the carputer could also be a huge win. Podcasts, Tivo for your radio, better and more integrated (with your macbook, phone and web) navigation, voice notes, etc… would be a good start. Wait ’till the App Store comes, though!!

My recent move bumped my commute from 5 minutes to 45 minutes and there are dozens of ways a carputer built right could make that time more productive and enjoyable (without risking anyone’s safety).

1. Podcast downloader (using Wifi and 3G) with background sync.
2. Native Google Reader client with background sync.
3. Twitter reader with background sync and read/unread functionality.
4. Save YouTube videos for later, non-streamed, viewing (so Charlie can watch cartoon clips and ColdPlay videos).
5. “Back to My Mac” Screen Sharing.
6. Remote Desktop (for Windows PCs).
7. Multi-Protocol (AIM, GoogleTalk, Jabber, etc) Instant Messaging Client which runs in the background when not the active application.
8. UPNP video streaming client.
9. Wine ratings / search.
10. Better Photo-emails. The ability to send multiple photos in one email, easily, would be great!

Frankly, the thing that excites me most about this announcement is that OS X will most likely follow suit (or preempt).

Images from Engadget.

iPhone SDK: Finally! Looks great to me, but I am not happy about the ‘no background apps’ policy. I’d like 3rd party chat apps and feed readers to be able to alert me from the background. Hopefully, background capabilities are coming.

OS X Leopard’s “Alex” voice: Text to speech is normally pretty crappy. I’m glad Apple invested in a voice that speaks clearly, even if it does require 700MB of disk space!! I’m working on a simple OS X app that connects to Google Reader and reads articles aloud.

Jericho: Canceled AGAIN? Really? At least there’s still Torchwood, Doctor Who, Lost, BSG and Smallville (major spoilers in this week’s promo - be careful).

Arduino: I’m having a lot of fun with mine. An Arduino plus a series of BlinkMs is a great combination.

MacBook Air: I’ve had mine for 2 months and I love it. The combination of mobility, screen size and performance it provides makes it much more useful than the notebooks, umpcs, pdas and internet tablets I’ve used in the past. Meanwhile, the flexibility, usability and safety provided by OS X gives this machine a huge advantage over similar Windows-based laptops. It’s my main computer, now.

WaterField’s Racer-X Laptop Case: The Racer-X is perfect for me. Not too big, not too small. It stays upright do to a solid rectangular bottom, which is really nice - it makes it a little heavier but it’s worth knowing it’s not going to tip over. The Air is in a zippered into a lightly padded, secure pocket. The other zippered pocket is big enough to hold the charger, my cradlepoint PHS, a usb hub, a medium sized ora book or my Kindle, a tiny usb HD (for backups and extra storage) and some other misc stuff. It’s small enough that I have to think about what I want to keep in it, but not so small that I have to leave anything important behind. I bought the black version with leather handles. The build quality is terrific and I can see it lasting for a LONG time.

Update: June 2008!

Finally, I tried Seashore. Seashore is a custom build of the GIMP with a Cocoa front end and a smaller set of functionality. It had the selection tool I was looking for and works great!

Using Seashore, I made a silhouette of Doctor Who’s TARDIS for my blog header.

Normally, I’m not sure whether or not to believe the rumors the day before, but today I’m really excited. The rumors, especially the new nano, the wireless/touchscreen ipod video, and the wireless itunes music store all seem like they are due.

Meanwhile, I’m really hoping for a software update for the iPhone (EXCHANGE PUSH, PLEASE).

Note: Kroo from IRC warns that this technique will only work if the app is launched from launcher or the springboard.
Also: Drunknbass found that you may have to restart springboard before it will work.
And: Check out Erling’s code if you want a faster sample rate.

Safari on the iPhone normally limits you to 8 windows. This limit is not enforced if you open a url from another app when Safari is not running in the background.

Steps:

1. Open 8 windows.
2. Hold the square button until Safari disappears (10 seconds). This shuts down the Safari process.
3. Go to Weather and press the Y! icon in the lower left. This will open a new Safari window even if you are over the limit.

Repeat steps 2 and 3 as often as you like to create more windows.

Stuck it on Digg.

I love it.

Here are the changes I would like:

1. Exchange Push email and calendar sync.
2. A2DP stereo Bluetooth.
3. “Open link in new window” function in Safari.
4. Bluetooth watch accessory supporting media controls, alarm/appointment info, callerid.
5. Widget API (offline startup,storage)
6. Cut, copy, paste, undo.
7. Buy music and video from the phone.
8. Wifi sync (especially podcasts).
9. Save youtube videos for offline viewing.
10. Custom ring tones.

It turns out that at least one company makes such a thing. Immersion has a white paper on the topic which includes this description:

Immersion proprietary TouchSense technology causes the touchscreen to vibrate, creating the feeling of pressing mechanical switches, emulating crisp qualities and particular force and release characteristics. TouchSense tactile feedback is controlled by the application software, so touching different onscreen objects produces the optimal, desired, context-sensitive feel.

On the iPhone, what if the buttons will FEEL different than the rest of the screen. What if, additionally, the screen is pressure sensitive and it will require you to put down more pressure so you can touch the buttons without pressing them. Maybe Multi-Touch isn’t the only hardware innovation going on here.

This could be really good.

And if Apple didn’t go in this direction? There is another possibility. What if the screen itself will have ridges or raised surfaces or textures where the buttons are? Note that they don’t want to use a stylus. A stylus could rub against those imperfections and hurt the screen, while your fingers won’t cause any damage. Maybe these ridges and raised surfaces can appear and disappear at runtime in predetermined (like memory wire) or (better) dynamic locations. I guess we’ll ’see’ soon enough.

Lie #1: It’s a closed system. You can’t run your own code on it. Truth #1: Yeah, right. Our people will set that thing free just DAYS after launch. Homebrew code will run. Period.
Lie #2: It will be EDGE at launch, not UMTS or HSDPA. Truth #2: I think Steve and company are pulling our legs. No WAY is that thing going to be released without something faster than EDGE. Imagine the negative experience people would have when they can’t stream video on their $500 (+2yr contract) phone and a guy with a $100 phone in the next seat is streaming CNN. Too risky to release without at least UMTS. Come on Steve, get real. Kam will back me up on this.
Lie #3: You can only use the phone on Cingular. Truth #3: Almost all phones have unlock scripts. I think we’ll see unlocked iPhones on eBay just weeks after the launch. For $1000.

So, there you have it! The truth about the iPhone. Brought to you by the AMAZING Eric Albert (who, coincidentally, also brought you OSX86)!

Oh, and you know how apple says this is first device to have a full size browser on a phone? Well, check out the N800 if you want the first full size browser that fits in your pocket!!!

Scoble put up his take on the iPhone. He complains about no GPS, cingular-only and no replaceable battery. I’m with him on the cingular thing (especially EDGE only), but I can live without GPS. External battery packs are all over the place for the ipod and that kind of solution is fine with me. That being said, I can see why someone who relies on those two features would be put off. Paul’s comments all have merit, too.

What is Kevin Burton’s new blog idea? His track record is awesome, so far. What’s he got up his sleeve?!

What is Apple introducing on February 28? There’s a humorous idea at timshead and some lively discussion at ThinkSecret.

If the only thing separating future Macs from PCs were the pretty cases and the outrageous prices, I think Apple’s computer line would be doomed.

The one big issue that Apple has is that Macs don’t have great compatability with Windows apps, yet. So, Dvorak is suggesting that maybe the MacWindows would be Windows with a prettier look and feel. We know those kinds of changes are possible already on XP with software like WindowBlinds and TopDesk. Still, just because a MacWindows is possible doesn’t mean it will happen.

Wine, Virtual PC and VMWare are all getting better all the time and with Rosetta, Apple demonstrated that they have the technical prowess to make non-native software run well in OSX on intel. Yes, getting Windows apps to run well in OSX is harder than creating an OSX theme for Windows, but they’d still have to port iLife, etc, AND tell a lot of 3rd party developers that they need to port again.
The commentary on this topic is great, including wonderfully named posts: “Apple switch to Windows? Dvorak switch to reality!” and “Dvorak off his meds: claims Apple switching to Windows”.

Update: More conversations out there.

• Dwight thinks Mac OS will be available for generic PC hardware at some point.  That would be very interesting.  Personally, though, I’m not a big fan of dual boot environments and I don’t know if I could ever switch to an OS that doesn’t support the almighty Araxis Merge.
• Dave takes a stab at refuting Dvorak’s points one by one, but I wish he’d do so with fewer comments like ‘’stick it in your ear”.
• Matthew calls our attention to Steve Jobs personality as a reason why this is not likely to happen.  I see his point - Jobs does sometimes seem like a zealot.  BUT I think that if Steve found a way for MacWindows to be a bigger success than OSX, financially, for Apple, he’d do it.

And, he has the funniest observation:

On a semi-related note, Apple’s stock closed at $80.86 today. Somehow that seems appropriate, in a way that, say, $80.85 wouldn’t be.