iPhone Software 3.0 – No Scoop, Just Dreams

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Apple announced yesterday that on Tuesday they will be sharing the blueprint for iPhone software 3.0. In the Apple blogosphere this is nothing less than a class one rumor and speculation generating event. Indeed already websites are weighing in with their “inside knowledge” concerning MMS, tethering, and the long fabled cut and paste. I have no idea what the boys in Cupertino have up their sleeves. Nevertheless, I can hope. I can wish. I can dream. If you’ve been reading this blog for any time, you already know what I’m talking about. Bluetooth keyboard support. Enough said.

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LegalTech iPhone Session – Call for Apps

One of the sessions I’ll be helping lead at this year’s American Bar Assosciation Tech Show is a roundtable discussion of practicing law with an iPhone. In addition to discussing network and security issues, I also want to highlight some of my favorite business related applications. At some point I will post a listing of the top applications here but in the meantime, I’d like to hear from the readers about what apps you find helpful for getting through the work day. OmniFocus and Evernote are the easy ones. Surprise me with something I’ve never heard of. Sound off in the comments or drop me an email.


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iPhone Nano?

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The interwebs are all abuzz this afternoon based on the above photos of a case for the alleged iPhone Nano. I think all of this stuff should be taken with a grain of salt. Regardless, expect many more rumors in the next two weeks.
On the subject of rumors, if you do want to play the game, I’d recommend following the MacRumors website. Arnold does a good job of pointing out fact from fiction.

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iMacworld on your iPhone

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For those of you lucky enough to get to Macworld this January, IDG has recently released its own iPhone app, iMacworld. Currently it has details of show exhibitors but IDG is promising further updates. I assume that will include maps, conference schedules, and related useful information.
Now I’m going to cross my fingers that AT&T has adequate Edge and 3G coverage. Last year it was insufficient and the iPhone was of little use with no signal.

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iPhone Adventure – More Retro Love

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Again the iPhone developer community thrusts me back in time! Peter Hirschberg recently released the free application, Adventure. This is a faithful recreation of the old Atari 2600 game. I was 11 when the game released and spent countless hours, as a dot, negotiating catacombs and avoiding dragons, that looked a lot like ducks, in search of glory. In 1979, this game was “sweet.” This was also the first game where I discovered an easter egg. I’m not sure how entertaining this free application would be to anyone who wasn’t “there” in 1979. I even have my doubts as to how much time I’ll be playing it, but I LOVE that somebody made it.

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iPhone Gem – Say Who Dialer

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The much lamented failure to include a voice dialer on the iPhone is cured with the free application, Say Who. After installing and loading you get a simple screen that asks you to hold a button and say a name or phone number.

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It then works flawlessly. The only downside is the delay to initiate the microphone when you first turn it on (it takes about 5 seconds on my 1st gen iPhone) and the physical process of holding down the button while saying the name. This is certainly possible while driving, but not preferable. All things considered, this free application is a must have.

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Apple NetBook and iPhone Keyboards

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Yesterday during the financial call, a question was asked about Apple getting into the growing netbook space. In case you didn’t know, netbooks are the very cheap, very small laptops that are cropping up. According to AppleInsider, Steve responded explaining:
We’re not tremendously worried. As we look at the netbook category, that’s a nascent category. As best as we can tell, there’s not a lot of them being sold. You know, one of our entrants into that category if you will is the iPhone, for browsing the Internet, and doing email and all the other things that a netbook lets you do. And being connected via the cellular network wherever you are, an iPhone is a pretty good solution for that, and it fits in your pocket.
I would have to generally agree with Steve there. I don’t feel a tremendous need for a netbook so long as I have my iPhone in my pocket. If he really wants to sway me however, he simply needs to make the call and tell the iPhone software team to turn on the switch to allow use of a bluetooth keyboard. I’ve asked for it and even written haiku about it. This wold be a game changer when combined with a good AppStore word processor.
We know the iPhone has a bluetooth radio. We know just about every other smart phone has an external keyboard solution. So what is taking so long?

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