ARTICLE: David Pogue - iPhone FAQ

David Pogue, technology columnist for the New York Times, took a look at the iPhone in his "Circuits" column yesterday, and today he's back with a really good article that reads as a F.A.Q. for all of us eager users that can't wait to get their mitts on one, and have questions about what our hundreds-of-dollars flying out of our wallets are going to get us.

On the bright side, he mentions that some folks will ultimately say "neat, but, it's missing (fill in the blank)". He notes:

Apple has indicated that it intends to add features through free software updates, so the real, secret answer to some of the “no” answers is actually, “Coming soon.”

Excellent!

Often-Asked iPhone Questions - NYTimes.com

ARTICLE: Apple Lays Down the iPhone Rules

Original article at engadget.com, here. Apple has come out with some rules on purchasing an iPhone, due to launch tomorrow, at Apple Stores and AT&T stores.

Highlights --

• Two iPhones per person, max.
• First come, first served.

There is also a gadget Apple has that will let you look at availability for a particular Apple Store.

Check it out!

Apple Lays Down iPhone Purchase Rules

iPhone Mania: 3 Blogs

The first day of summer is upon us, and you know what that means -- we're just days away from the release of Apple's iPhone! (Wait, what? That's not what it means? Oh. Well, anyway...)

I think it's safe to say that no techie gadget (certainly no cell phone) has ever seen so much anticipation, so much pressure, to be the end-all and be-all of everything cool in this world than the iPhone does at this moment. Yes, it will be released, and there will be those folks that will buy one on the first day, the first minute, the first second that it's available. Heck, there's probably people camped out at Apple Stores right now. So what is it about this gadget? Apple says it's the best iPod they've ever made, that, oh, by the way, happens to also be an internet appliance and, oh yeah, the best phone ever. I'd love to say that I will personally test all these features myself and report here, but it's just a wee too steep for my budget at the moment. But hey, we should be able to play with one at the Apple Store once they become available (at least I hope so.)

However, until it launches, I say enjoy the hype. I know of no other company that inspires such brand loyalty and can whip the fan base into a lather than Apple, Inc can. After its release, there will almost undoubtedly be some bell or whistle that doesn't work exactly as advertised, or was left off completely. But until then, we have the image of a perfect product, and Apple can do no wrong.

Here's some links to sites blogging about the iPhone, courtesy of the gettrio.com newsletter I receive:

iPhoneFreak
theiPhoneBlog
TalkiPhone

Free Software: Bryce 5.5 for Mac & Windows

You gotta love free stuff, right? Well, it's not Free Friday yet, but this one is too good to sit on. Bryce is an application you use to create 3-D landscapes and more. From the product download page description:

Create breathtaking realistic 3D landscapes and animations with DAZ 3D Bryce 5.5. The easy user interface simplifies the design process for a novice or the seasoned professional. Start out building or importing a landscape as impressive as the Grand Canyon. Populate it with buildings, people or any other object you create or from the extensive DAZ 3D library. The Light Lab provides you robust control over your sunsets, moonlight nights or high-noon ambiance. Tree Lab allows you to plant your landscape like the gardens of Versailles. You'll have to register your copy of Bryce 5.5 on the publishers web-site to gain access to your free Bryce serial number.

It turns out that that Daz 3-D, the company that makes Bryce, is touting version 6 now, so what better way to get folks interested in maybe upgrading to v6 than by offering v5.5 for free? Niiice. It's available for Mac and Windows platforms off the downloads.com website.

Search link for Bryce 5.5 on Downloads.com

Once you get a copy of Bryce (it is a longish download depending on your connection speed; my T1 took almost 30 minutes), launch the app, and then it will ask you for your license code. You obtain a free code by going to the Daz3D site and creating a Daz account for free.

Daz3D webpage to obtain free serial number for Bryce 5.5

Not bad...this product retailed for about $80 when it was out on the market new...enjoy!

WWDC '07 Keynote Highlights

On Monday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs gave the keynote address at this year's Apple World Wide Developers Conference. This meeting is targeted at the companies and programmers who develop software for the Macintosh platform. Steve's presentation focused on key features of the MacOS X 10.5 Leopard that will be released in October.

Watch a Quicktime stream of Steve Job's presentation (approx. 90 minutes long)

MacOS X 10.5 Leopard Highlights

The new release of MacOS X will feature an extensively refined desktop and Finder, bringing many of the features of the iTunes interface to the Mac desktop. It also features easier to use file sharing, the new Time Machine backup utility, Spaces - a screen virtualization tool, and Quick Look that allows you to preview entire documents without opening them in an application.

Safari 3.0 Beta for Mac and Windows

Apple also released a beta version of the Safari web browser for not only the Mac platform, but for Windows XP and Vista as well. However, I'd caution you that this beta version has already been found to be fairly buggy, so be cautious.

More MacOS X 10.5 Links

Apple 10.5 Leopard website with video previews
MacWorld Preview article
Information Week review

[Thanks, Verne!]

Steve Jobs' Keynote Video Now Available

For those of you that weren't around for the live event blogging, the video of Steve Jobs' keynote presentation at the WWDC '07 has been posted by Apple.

Steve Jobs WWDC '07 Keynote

Steve's WWDC Keynote Coverage on Engadget

Hello, fellow Mac fans. For those who don't know, today is the kick-off of the Apple Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC). And you can't kick-off an Apple conference without a keynote by His Steveness, Steve Jobs. I still miss the days where Apple released satellite feed links so you could watch along in real-time, but I guess those days are over as Apple keeps the lid tight on news, even as it happens.

Oh well. In the meantime, you can watch Engadget.com provide live updates on their webpage, and we'll all gather 'round the virtual watercoolers after, to discuss topics like the iPhone and the upcoming Leopard release.

Engadget.com WWDC live updates

NEWS: Apple Updates MacBook Pros

Apple on Tuesday introduced a refresh to its line of MacBook Pro laptop computers, raising CPU speeds, memory capacity and improving graphics performance across the line. The new systems can accommodate up to 4GB of RAM and feature CPU speeds of up to 2.4GHz.

http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/06/05/macbookpro/index.php

http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/06/05/new.led.macbook.pros/