SELECTED SPECIALS 06/09/09 – 06/16/09

*SOFTWARE*
Apple gave us a preview of the 3.0 software a little while back, so essentially, we had an idea of what was coming. “Scott Forstall”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Forstall gave us a rundown of the features we’ll see in iPhone OS 3.0 on June 17 (both expected and unexpected):

* *Cut, Copy and Paste:* It will appear as a bubble on your screen, and across ALL apps (both Apple and third-party). It will also have “Undo” support to clear that mistake you just made…
* *Landscape Orientation:* Now, all apps will be able to use this orientation, giving users a larger keyboard and screen with which to type and view. He highlighted Mail, Notes and Text Messages.
* *MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) Support:* This allows users to view photos, hear audio, see contacts and locations all in one app. MMS will replace SMS when AT&T gets their act together later this summer with support on their end.
* *Search:* Spotlight is coming to the iPhone/iPod touch. The same search feature that works on the Mac has been developed to work on your mobile device. You’ll be able to search all your apps, and across your device. One cool feature of search is that you will be able to search on your mail server, not just your downloaded mail!
* *iTunes:* You can now rent movies, purchase audiobooks, etc. on the fly. There is also support for iTunesU on the iPhone/iPod touch.
* *Parental Support:* Added features that limit browsing to only certain ratings of shows/movies (G, PG, etc.) and apps that are age appropriate (7, 9+, etc.).
* *Tethering:* You will be able to connect your device to your computer and share the internet connection via USB or Bluetooth. Pretty huge if there’s no WiFi around, and the only access is your cell service. It will work on both Macs and PCs. However, it also requires cell provider support (hello, AT&T), which won’t be available until “later.” (He was deliberately vague, which prompted laughter from the audience!)
* *Safari:* Performance improvements, which are partially indicated by the “SunSpider benchmark”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SunSpider_JavaScript_Benchmark#SunSpider tool that shows a 3x improvement in speed. There’s also support for HTTP streaming audio and video. Also: AutoFill technology has been added (hallelujah) to fill in usernames and passwords.
* *Languages:* Added support for over 30 languages. He noted that one of the advantages of the iPhone’s ‘soft keyboard’ is that a multi-lingual user can simply tap the keyboard to change languages “in real time.”
* *Find My iPhone:* This was HUGE and got a great reception from the crowd. Essentially, what it does is offer a way for users to locate a lost/stolen phone via GPS technology. It’s a benefit for MobileMe customers–you log in, and it will show you the location of the phone on a map. Then, you can send a message to it with a number to call (the alert sound will play whether or not your phone is in ‘silent mode’) and also remotely “wipe” all of the data off of it! Take that, data thieves!

Also, new Voice Control commands allow you to make calls, change your iTunes music, or even create an on-the-fly Genius playlist via your voice. The addition of a digital compass works with Google Maps to help you orient yourself.

Overall, there are over *100 new features.*

And since WWDC is a developer’s conference, the keynote wouldn’t be complete without some demoes from featured developers. “Gameloft,”:http://www.gameloft.com/ “AirStrip Technologies,”:http://www.airstriptech.com/ “ScrollMotion”:http://www.scrollmotion.com/ “TomTom,”:http://iphone.tomtom.com/ “ngmoco:),”:http://www.ngmoco.com/games.php “Pasco,”:http://www.pasco.com/ “Zipcar”:http://www.zipcar.com/ and more highlighted their development for the iPhone/iPod touch, which ranged from gaming to medical sciences to education to navigation, ridesharing and beyond (I was really excited about the TomTom app and corresponding car accessory, which we will be carrying as soon as it’s available).

*HARDWARE*
Oh yeah, new models and price points were announced: There is now a 32GB iPhone, and the pricing structure goes like this:

* *iPhone 3G 8GB: $99*
* *iPhone 3G S 16GB: $199* (The “S” stands for Speed!)
* *iPhone 3G S 32GB: $299*

Among the hardware improvements, the iPhone 3G S includes:

* Overall faster features–specifically, 2x faster than the iPhone 3G.
* A built-in video camera to shoot, edit and share videos from your iPhone/iPod touch.
* A 3 megapixel camera, with an improved lighting sensor for better low-light photos, new macro and focal point features, and more.

iPhones will be available June 19 from Apple, AT&T and other authorized resellers.

The iPhone OS 3.0 update will be available June 17 and is *free* for iPhone users and *$9.95* for iPod touch users.

“Read more about the iPhone 3.0 software here.”:http://www.apple.com/iphone/
“Watch the Keynote here.”:http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/0906paowdnv/event/index.html?internal=ijalrmacu

Happy Apple Christmas!

This is always one of the most exciting weeks of the year for us Apple-fanatics, but it’s particularly exciting that so many products were released during yesterday’s WWDC keynote. Speedy new iPhones, a full upgrade of Apple’s portable line, __and__ the release of a jam-packed exciting new operating system!! I couldn’t be more excited (and my bank account couldn’t be more frightened).

Don and Matt are out on the west coast representing Small Dog and getting the skinny on all the new goodies. Check our “blog”:http://blog.smalldog.com/ and “Twitter”:http://twitter.com/hellosmalldog for the latest updates from WWDC.

Aside from the booming upgrades at Apple, we were blessed yesterday with a gorgeous reminder that Spring is in full bloom and Summer is on the way. In my afternoon walk with Toby, we passed a woman playing guitar and singing on a rock in the middle of the Mad River while a father and his son kayaked by. There’s a sense of freedom in the Green Mountains that is invigorating and inspiring. I’m really not sure why anyone would choose to live anywhere else.

So, for everyone glued to their computer screens checking the latest updates from WWDC, let this be just a little reminder to take a break and enjoy this awesome season… and then refresh Digg a few more times. 😉

Thanks for reading!

Rebecca
“rebeccak@smalldog.com”:mailto:rebeccak@smalldog.com

At WWDC yesterday, Phil introduced “Bertrand Serlet”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertrand_Serlet to talk about the Mac OS. He announced that *Snow Leopard* will be available in late September for Intel Macs with either OS 10.4 Tiger or 10.5 Leopard.

*FEATURES*
Apple highlighted many of the features, including speed, refinements and support for other software.

* Faster installation process: 45% faster and 6 GB smaller
* Speed improvements for Mail, Safari 4, Spotlight and more
* Support for Microsoft Exchange Server to Mail, iCal, and Address Book

Snow Leopard will also be available with unlimited client licenses on Mac, Windows, and Linux for $499.99.

*PRICING*
For Leopard Users:

* Snow Leopard single-user license will be available for $29.99
* Snow Leopard Family Pack (five-user license), will be available $49.99

For Tiger users:

* As part of the Mac Box Set (which includes Snow Leopard, iLife ’09 and iWork ’09), the single-user license will be available for $169.99
* Again, as part of the Mac Box Set the five-user license Family Pack will be available for $229.99
* *Currently, we do not see evidence that a Snow Leopard upgrade is available for Tiger users as a stand-alone piece. However, the price of the Mac Box Set is still cheap, and you get all three!*

In addition, for any qualifying new Mac system without Snow Leopard, the Up-To-Date upgrade package will be available to customers between June 8, 2009 and December 26, 2009 for $9.95. Visit “www.apple.com/macosx/uptodate”:http://www.apple.com/macosx/uptodate for more information.

*Safari 4* has been in beta for several weeks, and now is officially released.

*FEATURES*

* HTML 5 support for offline technologies and support for advanced CSS Effects
* First browser to pass the “Web Standards Project’s Acid3 test”:http://www.webstandards.org/action/acid3 (it examines CSS, JavaScript and XML standards designed for dynamic web apps)
* Top Sites (I already use this and love it): puts your most-used websites right on a homepage instead of a blank new page/tab
* Full History Search: search through titles, web addresses and the complete text of recently viewed pages
* Cover Flow: flip through web history/bookmarks
* In Snow Leopard, Safari will run as a 64-bit app (performance boost of up to 50%)
* Snow Leopard features a way to make Safari more crash-resistant because it will run plug-ins in a separate process

__from Apple’s press release__

For more features, “click here.”:http://www.apple.com/safari/features.html
To see what else is new in Safari 4, “click here.”:http://www.apple.com/safari/whats-new.html
“Download Safari 4 here (price: *free*).”:http://www.apple.com/safari/download/

Whenever I travel, I make a point of staying at hotels that offer internet access. Most of them offer both wired and wireless connectivity, but very often the wireless is very slow. I tried to email Ed a photo of the Moscone Center here in San Francisco yesterday, but my connection was so bad that mail would time out every time I tried to send the half-megabyte picture.

I know that my hotel has 802.11 a/b/g capability, and also that Apple puts up its employees here. We’re a bandwidth-hungry bunch. With so many people trying to use the wireless network at once, it slowed down to the point of being completely unusable. I looked in a drawer in the room and found an ethernet cable and plugged it into the data port on the room’s phone. I turned off AirPort on my MacBook Pro and was delighted to discover super-fast connectivity!

So, this week’s tip: bring an ethernet cable with you whenever you’ll be staying in a hotel. Odds are the hotel will have a data port you can use if the wireless isn’t good enough. I knew there’s a reason they charge $39 for that cable!

Higher Ground and Small Dog Electronics are teaming up to bring you ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro to the HG Showcase Lounge on Sunday, June 21.

“Read about Jake here.”:http://highergroundmusic.com/calendar/show/3198/

So… here’s where you need to pay attention: one lucky person will win a pair of tickets to the show, a 1GB iPod shuffle, and a copy of Jake’s new live album. To enter, email “intern@highergroundmusic.com.”:mailto:intern@highergroundmusic.com

__The fine print: The deadline to enter is Wednesday, June 17. One entry per person. Prize package must be claimed in person by the winning contestant the night of the show. Contest will be conducted at the discretion of HG and SD.__