OMG... not another iPhone post!

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1. OMG... not another iPhone post! - 2007-06-27 23:53:28-04
   I know... I know... you've had it with iPhone posts on blogs everywhere. Well I have something a little different for you. I'm not going to waste your time explaining why I am or am not getting an iPhone on Friday. I'm not going to get into an exhaustive feature checklist comparison between the iPhone and some other device. Nope... not going to do it. Instead, I'm going to point you to what is quite possibly the most fun you can have at the iPhone's expense. It's clever, it's amusing, and it's free. Go here and experience what is sure to be the "feature" everyone will be talking about Friday night.
   
2. Belkin's submersible mouse. Give it a bath. Dip it in beer if you want - 2007-06-28 00:45:30-04
   I can't remember the last time I used a mouse. But I know enough people who do and they can get pretty dirty after a lot of usage.  Imagine if you could give your mouse a bath and regularly keep it grime free? While cruising the gadgetry at Digital Experience tonight, I bumped into Caroline McCarthy, ace reporter at ZDNet's sister organization News.com (lucky her, she's on the iPhone beat) and asked her if she saw anything that caught her eye and her first answer was Belkin's liquid-proof mouse (located just a few tables away from Casio's completely submersible cell phone.... don't worry, video coming). So, she and I headed over to Belkin's exhibit at Digital Experience to check the...
   
3. Death of a disk - 2007-06-28 02:06:22-04
   It even happens to storage bloggers Things are quiet today at Mojo manor. My external 160 GB disk died. It passed quietly. No grinding noises. No SMART warning. No real warning at all, but for the last couple of months I'd been feeling a little anxious about that drive. Call me psychic. Or Ishmael. It could even happen to you I'd bought a new 300 GB disk a couple of weeks ago and installed it in a spare enclosure. Backed up my 40 GB of music to it, as well as some archives from the 160. Just a precaution. Then the latest version of my favorite Mac disk utility arrived, so I put it to work. Internal drive, fine. External...
   
4. The T-Mobile Wing's predictive text functionality beats the iPhone's technology - 2007-06-28 02:29:55-04
   My first converged device was the MDA II Pocket PC Phone Edition that convinced me a device with integrated mobile phone functionality was the way to go. I then moved through a MDA II, i-mate JAM, MDA III, and HTC Wizard (aka T-Mobile MDA). However, several months ago I switched from these Phone Edition devices to a Windows Mobile Smartphone, the T-Mobile Dash, due to the well integrated QWERTY keyboard and improved operating system. The Windows Mobile Smartphone is still a bit limited in applications and functionality though so I have been checking out alternatives back in the Phone Edition arena. I did evaluate the HTC TyTN last year, but US$700 was a bit too rich for my gadget fund....
   
5. Cool gizmos at the Digital Experience in New York - 2007-06-28 02:50:14-04
   Consumer Electronics and Computer vendors showed off some of their latest gear at the Digital Experience in New York last night in Manhattan and our ZDNet crew was there to cover the event.  David Berlind has already posted some video footage of the new Helio and other interesting things from Belkin such as a submersible mouse that can be washed.  I walked the floor and found some other interesting things to share. High color gamut DELL LCD: Dell will be releasing a new 24" LCD 1920x1200 display to replace its current 24" LCD which is the largest monitor from Dell that can be rotated sideways 90 degrees.  The price will remain the same at $670 which is one of the...
   
6. Laptop insecurities - 2007-06-28 03:15:58-04
   Last Thursday's issue of an Information Week newsletter I get included an editorial comment by CMP editor Barbara Krasnoff about the problem that data on laptops can be examined by airport security and other government agents on the pretence of looking for prohibited classes of pornography or other materials. As she puts it: What do you have on your laptop that you might not want anyone else to see? Is there, for example, a record of your doctor visits and which medications you take? Some music downloaded from the Web that may or may not be copyright-compliant? How about the spreadsheet listing your employees, how much they make, and who may become part of your company's projected layoffs? Or the...
   
7. The Trojan Horse iPhone - 2007-06-28 05:07:29-04
   The Telcos have become the biggest obstacle to the development of new technologies and services. They have become the most backward elements in our society when it comes to rolling out new technologies, applications, and services. They have filed lawsuits to stop public wireless networks, and they constantly seek to control anything that could threaten their markets. They maintain the digital divide by keeping Internet access prices far higher than they should be. They control the cell phone and all of its features, disabling built-in functions when it suits them. And they control the services can be offered over their networks. They don't compete against each other, their pricing is almost identical, almost cartel-like. The only competitive activity they engage...
   
8. Sorting out the different layers of virtualization - 2007-06-28 06:00:57-04
   Have you found yourself wondering what's wrong with all of the marketing mavens out there in virtualization land? It seems that everything is virtualization and nothing is virtualization. Over the years, I've developed a tool or a model that has helped my clients better understand all of the layers of virtualization technology so that they could sort out what would be useful and what doesn't fit in their world (or their network for that matter). As you might expect, this model has been the foundation for much of the commentary offered here. Several readers have asked for a more graphical view of this model and a quick description of what each layer of the model does to help organizations...
   
9. News to know: Google Desktop for Linux; SOA done right; Why iPhone? - 2007-06-28 06:57:32-04
   Notable headlines... Mary Jo Foley: On the Web, no one knows you're a Microsoft employee Joshua Greenbaum: A Little Transparency Could Go a Long Way: Oracle's Opacity Crisis Robin Harris: SOA done right--the Amazon strategy Dan Farber: Facebook: The rise of social applications Read/WriteWeb: Facebook Acquisitions: Fad or Proof of Platform Success? Business2Blogs: Pageflakes--The Social Network (Scoop) iPhone Watch Mitch Ratcliffe: Why I won't buy an iPhone on Friday Jason O'Grady: Phone to support Microsoft Exchange Server (updated) Poll: iPhone offers on eBay up to $1,400: how much would you pay? Video: iPhone keyboard video posted David Berlind: iPhone step aside. Helio's Ocean does what you don't (and their NYC store opens tomorrow) Russell Shaw: Seven reasons why iPhone's not...
   
10. Pageflakes adds social networking - 2007-06-28 07:42:37-04
    Business2 is reporting on the latest upgrade to Pageflakes (to go live later today), which will see the personalized start-page service take its first steps towards evolving into a social network based on shared interests. For the first time, members will be able to establish a public profile and there will be a "People" tab added to the site. Members will be able to subscribe to other people's Pagecasts. In other words, the will be able to subscribe to all the feeds and widgets that person is paying attention to. A Pagecast is what Pageflakes calls their start-pages (many of which are publicly accessible), and pulls in news feeds, photo feeds, video and other content widgets. One of the neatest...
    
11. Easy (sort of) and free (sort of) webcam security - 2007-06-28 07:52:31-04
    True closed-circuit security systems are pricey often unobtainable for K-12 educational institutions. However, there are many times and places where video surveillance would be both useful and appropriate. Front entrances, main offices, final exams, and standardized tests could all benefit. Enter Motion, an open source bit of software designed to turn webcams into motion sensitive video recorders. While featured on a fairly random blog by a fairly random 15-year old, this post, is quite a fine walkthrough of how to set up a web-based security system using Ubuntu and Motion. I say it's free because the software is free (including the OS on which it runs) and most of us have a spare computer and/or webcam lying around. Give it...
    
12. MySpaceTV: MySpace clones YouTube - 2007-06-28 08:13:22-04
    It's well known that News Corp. has been unhappy about the success of YouTube, even well before it was acquired by Google. Execs from the company have often claimed that the video sharing site's growth was based on a free ride given to it by MySpace, as the social network's millions of users embedded YouTube videos onto their profiles, arguably driving lots of traffic back to YouTube. Having missed the opportunity to buy the video sharing site themselves, MySpace introduced its own video functionality, which -- though badly implemented (which is becoming typical of new features added to the site e.g. MySpace News), hasn't been unsuccessful, and according to Hitwise, is currently ranked number two. However, second place represents 16%...
    
13. Apple Store "Sleepover" for one reason only-to oversee iPhone arrival - 2007-06-28 08:23:11-04
    The reported iPhone-driven Apple Sleepover" tonight is so transparent in cause I am surprised others haven't seen through this smokescreen. To review, and as AppleInsider tells us, this is all about at least two Apple Store employees spending all of tonight at their store. It must be deduced that cots have been secured for this purpose. One of these two or more employees is said to be tasked with working security, ostensibly to guard the store against unruly crowds lining up out in the mall and in the street before store opening at 10 a.m. and re-opening for iPhone sales at 6 p.m. Given that shopping malls often open up earlier than their stores do (to facilitate breakfast at...
    
14. Telus tells us: BlackBerry 8830 available starting tomorrow - 2007-06-28 08:39:12-04
    Canadian carrier Telus announces that beginning tomorrow, Blackberry 8830 World Phone will be available on Telus Mobility. The lowest purchase price for now is a three-year contract deal for $299 (Canadian). If you go to the Telus site now you will notice  Blackberry 8830 already posted but without a link to buy. Fret not, for that comes tomorrow. Useful site Mobile In Canada reports that Telus offers 50% of reduction for the duration of the contract chosen on the international transfer of data. This is especially relevant for the BlackBerry 8830's dual-platform worldwide compatibility. I'd agree with Mobile In Canada that frequent international travelers would be the ones most interested in this plan.
    
15. Poll: do you care iPhone has no removable battery? - 2007-06-28 08:52:21-04
    Maybe I've been conditioned by the "when in doubt, pull it out" self-mantra I've applied when my BlackBerry screen freezes. In other words, if you can't reboot your device naturally, just take out the battery. It will reset. This too, shall pass. But now, we are to understand that there is a lack of a removable battery on the iPhone. Every relevant gizmo I've owned, regardless of the brand, has always provided a way to take the battery out, and either put it back in or replace it effortlessly if that's what needed. Apple engineers surely have their reasons for this, but I can't say no removable battery helps me in the comfort level dept. You? [poll=87]
    
16. Fake Microsoft security bulletin in the wild - 2007-06-28 08:53:59-04
    If you (or someone you know) receives an e-mail about a zero-day exploit affecting Microsoft Outlook do not, under any circumstances, click on the links embedded in the message. It's a phishing scam folks. The Security Bulletin (MS07-0065) it points to doesn't exist. And just because it can never be said too often, I'll say it again here. Microsoft does not alert users to security issues via e-mail. Ever. That's what Windows Update is for. Details from Sophos are available here. In the closing paragraphs of their announcement, Sophos describes why this vector has become so popular for phishers and hackers – people have learned that patching their systems against exploits is part of their "job" in keeping their systems...
    
17. FTC net neutrality position coddles big telecom, cable and copyright - 2007-06-28 09:22:11-04
      The Federal Trade Commission's Internet Access Task Force is out with a report entitled "Broadband Connectivity Competition Policy." I've read most of the report. I am disgusted. Not only does the 170-page report poo-poo the absolute necessity of net neutrality in our deal-obsessed broadband environment, but it is a shill for big telecom, big cable and big copyright. Big copyright, as in allowing major content providers to cut deals with duapolistic broadband Internet service providers. According to Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras,  "This report recommends that policy makers proceed with caution in the evolving, dynamic industry of broadband Internet access, which generally is moving toward more – not less – competition," FTC Chair Deborah Platt Majoras said in a statement....
    
18. 11 more reasons NOT to buy an iPhone (and that you haven't thought of) - 2007-06-28 09:50:17-04
    I know that some of you are undecided about whether you will order an iPhone. In this post, I will state 11 reasons why you shouldn't buy one. You may already have identified the high price, ($499-$599) as a good reason against doing so. Or, you may be on another carrier's plan and don't want to pay the um, substantial penalty for early withdrawal just to sign a two-year with iPhone's exclusive carrier AT&T Wireless. But after riffing through New York Times' tech reviewer David Pogue's terrific Often Asked iPhone Questions piece this morning, I've identified 11 more reasons you shouldn't buy an iPhone. Ready for a dose of tech-flavored conscience? While iPhone will work with any SIM card...
    
19. Apple allowing up to two iPhone purchases per person - 2007-06-28 10:20:49-04
    In a new press release posted today on Apple.com the company clarifies how iPhone sales will work tomorrow. In the release, Apple states that iPhone goes on sale at "6:00 p.m. local time at Apple retail stores nationwide. All 164 Apple retail stores in the US will stay open until midnight, and customers can purchase up to two iPhones on a first come, first served basis." The actual number of phones allowed per person is the new information in today's release. Previously it was rumored that Apple and AT&T were implementing a strict one iPhone per person rule for tomorrow's sales. This was a disappointment for those looking to purchase an iPhone for a spouse or a co-worker. Since iPhone...
    
20. Zoho tweaks apps for iPhone - 2007-06-28 10:31:11-04
    Zoho debuted iZoho today, which allows iPhone users to view Zoho Writer, Sheet and Show documents, and to edit Writer documents in the Safari browser. The user interface has been modified for the iPhone. For example the pages slide across the screen, like a slide show effect, and the menus are simplified. Previously I had written about Zoho for the iPhone being released this week, but Zoho's Raju Vegesna said it was an "internal fun project" and doubted it would ever be released. Apparently, the iPhone is too hard to resist. ' Zoho Writer standard edition iZoho start page (viewed in a standard brower, since I don't have an iPhone) iZoho Writer (viewed in a standard brower, since I don't...