Don't believe them - no issues!

If you've been reading all the negative iPhone 3g reviews don't believe them. I've been playing with my new iPhone 3g for only 24 hours but I can tell you there is nothing like it. Including the first generation iPhone. The look, the feel, the audio and the software options are much improved. Maybe the cell phone reception is a little off of par but all the other features more than make up for any shortcomings. I'll be adding to this report after I've had the phone for a while but don't pass go just go out and buy one NOW!

Video update (8/1/08):

Update 5/05/2009; I'm still using my iPhone and it just keeps getting better. The apps that keep coming out allow the phone to do amazing things while still running like a MAC - ROCK SOLID! Also, the AT&T Network is much improved with 3g coverage most everywhere I go. I'm iPhone all the way and I can't wait to get a new one in June!

Paper For Bird Cages?

Today's headlines read: "New York Times to raise newsstand price to $1.50" and "S&P may cut New York Times debt into junk territory" and "Profit Plunge at the New York Times"

Here's more: "The New York Times (NYT: 13.20, +0.34, +2.64%) fell as low as $12.38 this morning after its second quarter earnings missed estimates. Profits plunged 82% to $21 mn versus the $118 mn posted in the same period a year ago, a period that was helped along by the one-time sale of an asset."

So, if the New York Times is crashing and burning what are we going to use to line our bird cages when they finally stop publishing printed newspapaers? Maybe it's time to free the birds? After all the rest of us are going to be free of the New York Times!

Will It Blend? - iPhone

This is a good one!

iPhone Shortage

I'm not surprised that the local AT&T store told me there is a two to four week wait expected for new iPhone purchases. My close inspection of a demo phone confirmed my opinion that this phone will sell well and is likely to change the way we all use our phones and the way other manufacturers and carriers look at their product offerings. Quite frankly the iPhone is clearly the leader of the pack and is worth the money for those who really want to get the most out of their cell phone subscription dollars. I've long believed it is a wise practice to have the best tools available for the task at hand and right now the iPhone 3g is the best power cell phone out there. I'm so convinced I'm now on the waiting list!

Pictured at right is one of the must-have apps for the iPhone: ShoZu

Can The New iPhone Revolutionize Radio?

(from CBS) The new Apple 3G iPhone has received a lot of attention, but the more important story isn't the new hardware, but Apple's application store and the many programs that run on the new phone.

Thanks to a few of those programs there's an even larger story - the iPhone may fundamentally change the way people listen to the radio when they're in their cars or otherwise on the go.

Two free applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and another program that costs only $4.99, make it possible to listen to live radio on the iPhone from anywhere, including a moving car.

Unlike those pre-TV days when families sat around a big radio console in the living room, a lot of people now listen to radio mainly when they're on the move. Internet radio has been around for more than a decade, car radios were introduced in the 1930's and portable transistor radios became available in the 1950s.

Until now, live radio pretty much meant listening to a broadcast station with transmitters relatively nearby. But with the iPhone you can listen to stations from around the world, including some that broadcast only on the Internet and don't even have transmitters.

Over time, this could be as disruptive to the radio broadcast industry as the Web has been to print. That's not to say that major broadcast organizations (including CBS, which owns CBSNews.com and for which I serve as technology consultant) can't survive in the age of mobile Internet radio, but it does mean they will face competition from new players, including startups operating from peoples' spare rooms.

Click Here for a demo of Pandora's FREE Internet Radio service.

...Full CBS Story...

Google Search - Thurmont Parade

Above is a screen capture of the Google Search "Thurmont Parade" AreaGuides.com Network content is the top five hits and includes videos, Blog entry and the Frederick.com article that was published yesterday! Click on the image for enlargement.

iPhone 3g Holding Pattern

Friday AT&T and Apple stores will start selling the new iPhone 3g at 8am. I'm not going to be in line and it's not just because I'm not a morning person it's because there's just too much movement in this sector and I'm planning on waiting for some of the dust to settle.

For example AT&T is still working to expand their 3g coverage area and as of now Frederick County, for example, is still not included in this faster mobile data coverage area. Also phones powered by Google's new Andriod operating system are due out later this year and they may be worth looking at. The bottom line is I love the direction the iPhone is taking the so-called smart phone market but I want to wait at least a few more months before upgrading my Treo 755P.

Old Media Troubles

According to AdvertisingAge the old media is continuing to decline.

On The Way Out
Broadcast TV, magazines, newspapers, radio and outdoor were the categories buyers were most pessimistic about. A higher percentage of respondents said they expect to decrease their budgets in those media in the next six months than said they would increase them. Pessimism in broadcast TV and newspapers was particularly bad: 30% of respondents said they expect spending in broadcast to decrease in the next six months, and only 14% said they expect it to increase. For national newspapers, 44% of respondents said they expect to see a decline in spending, and only 10% said they expected a rise.

Bright spots
The news isn't so bad for sellers in online, cable TV and mobile, however. Those were the only three media categories in which a higher percentage of buyers said they expect to raise budgets rather than decrease them. In online, 72% of respondents anticipate jumps in their company's spending; 4% said they were expecting a decrease. For cable, 28% said they expect an uptick in spending and 20% expect a drop; for mobile, 53% said they expect an increase and 9% expect a decrease.