ForcaTech Blog

So its almost here. Excited? February 10th fan boys and girls will be rushing to their nearest retailer to pick up their long awaited Verizon iPhone. But should you?

Sure. I guess. There are plenty of reasons why you should and shouldn’t. For those of you coming from an AT&T iPhone 4 you may be disappointed. While Verizons voice and data coverage is much better their 3G speeds are lacking in comparison to AT&Ts. From my experience I was able to get speeds around 300kbps while indoors with AT&Ts 3G as opposed to around 80kbps with Verizons 3G.

Another down side to the Verizon iPhone is the CDMA network it is on. While using the AT&T flavor of iPhone you can use voice and data simultaneously. Verizons network is limited to either data OR voice until LTE hits later this year however the iPhone 4 isn’t LTE capable.

One other difference while not as big of a deal to me personally is the lack of a SIM card. If you need to swap between handsets you won’t be able to simply swap SIM cards. Instead you will have the pleasure of going into a Verizon store or calling customer service.

On top of all of this the iPhone 4 has been out for 8 months and with Apples yearly release schedule a new flavor of iPhone is bound to be coming out fairly soon. Perhaps an LTE version of iPhone will be release just a few short months after you get locked into another 2 year agreement…

Despite all of this hundreds of thousands of you will be picking up your modern, shiny iPhone 4 thanks to the marketing genius that Apple is and Verizons iPhone pre-orders have been sold out for a while.

Of course there are arguments in favor of getting the iPhone with Verizon. For starters there are those of you bound to Verizon whether it be from being locked into a family plan, AT&T not having as good of service in your area or various other reasons. For me who is rarely on the phone, always using data and in a good AT&T coverage area the AT&T iPhone is the way to go.

Then again you could always go android, but I will open that can of worms later.

I have stumbled across one of the best gimmicky toys I have ever seen. The gun takes 3 AAA batteries which are used to charge the flying duck. Connect the duck to the controller for a quick 10 second charge and then let the duck loose.

The tricky part is the birds flight time is 30 second–during which time the duck is bobbin’ and weavin’–and you have to get 3 direct hits to bring the duck down in that time. Each time you hit the duck it stutters for a second–dropping altitude–to reveal that you have hit it. After 3 shots the duck is downed–cherish that sweet sweet victory–then do it all again.

At only $29 I may have to give one a try and let you know. [HS]

The battle rages on. Pre just got its WebOS 1.2.1 update. What does this mean? Not much if you don’t use iTunes. If you do, you can sync your pre once again. Hurry and sync it up! Apple is sure to come out with an update in the coming weeks that will once again block it. Then, a few weeks later Palm with come out with WebOS 1.2.2 that will unblock it once again. And so on, forever.

Hiroo Iwata–developer of the robot tiles seen above–has created what will one day be a virtual floor at a VR lab at the University of Tsukuba in Japan. The Robot Tiles are covered with a conductive fabric that is able to detect the direction you are walking and bring the blocks in place in front of your feet.

As they are this is not very functional but with some work these could potentially be a seamless, infinite floor. In a virtual reality environment this could allow you to realistically feel like you were walking from California to New York while remaining in a relatively small room.

Once these became more efficient and usable they could even create different textured blocks or blocks with varying densities so that if in your virtual environment you walked from a street to the grass you would feel the difference below your feet.

Well, the device that Sony said would change the way we listen to music forever is here. And is it changing the way we listen to music? Not so much. I am not going to deny the fact that it is pretty awesome but definitely not Earth shattering.

The technology is this. The ear buds use capacitive technology–just like the iPhone and G1–to detect that it is in its ear. To start listening to music shoot these in your ears. When the ear buds hit your capacitive skin they begin playing the music. To pause take one ear out. Pretty cool. [SE]

When we first mentioned the Sept 9th conference and the rumors circling it the new Nano is not one that we brought up. Why? Mostly, I have no idea but alot of it had to do with the fact that I mostly just don’t care. For those of you who do here is what was announced:

• Video camera (640×480)
• NO STILL CAMERA
• Integrated mic
• Integrated speaker
• FM Radio!!!!! That you can pause!! And iTunes tag!
• One-click YouTube uploads (through your computer)
• Voice Over like Shuffle
• Pedometer with Nike+ syncing online
• Voice Recorder
• 2.2-inch screen(whoo hoo .2in bigger than the last)

The 8GB Nano is available today for $150 and the 16GB is available for $180. So if you are looking to get a Nano I don’t know why you would go with the 8GB as opposed to the 16GB. Some pretty cool upgrades for the Nano but seriously, no still camera?

The 3rd generation iPod touches were announced as well. The iPod Touch now comes in 8GB, 32GB and 64GB for $199, $299 and $399. The bigger storage is nice but our hopes and dreams were shattered when we heard that there was no camera and no mic in the new iTouch. The 32GB and 64Gb flavors do have a “50% faster processor” just like the iPhone 3GS. The graphics processor has also been updated to be OpenGL ES 2.0 capable–hence their push on the gaming market.

So why didn’t we see a camera and mic in the 3rd gen? We can’t be sure but here are some possible reasons:

• Not enough room – Anyone who has held a 2nd gen iTouch and compared it to the iPhone they know there is a big size difference. One part of that is the iPhone having the phone hardware in it but the camera also plays a big role in that. Us being camera/mic-less could simply be due to the fact that there wasn’t enough room

• Feature flow- The small iPod Nano now has a camera so why not put it in the iTouch? The iPhone has a relatively impressive camera for being a cell phone. If I were to get a 3rd gen iTouch I would expect the same quality–quality that the video camera in the Nano doesn’t have. The Nano camera is very cheap and wouldn’t flow in the larger iTouch.

• Manufacturing issues- This one is less likely. Some people have said they believe that Apple was planning on releasing the iTouch but during manufacturing they ran into some problems and decided last minute to leave it out. I could buy this if the iTouch wasn’t available TODAY but it is! If they had run into manufacturing issues they more than likely wouldn’t have made their deadline–which they did.

• Pricing- Apple wants a $199 iPod touch. Which they have–even if it is because the 8GB iTouch being offered is really the 2nd gen. If they were to add a camera to it the price most likely would have to be more than $199 in order to keep Apple’s margin at a reasonable level.

• Market control- Apple has had its eyes on the Flip which is available for less than $150. Apple wants to compete with the Flip and it will be impossible for Apple to make the iPod Touch that price and still make a reasonable profit margin.

• Consuming the iPhone market- One reason I was so excited for the Touch to have a camera and mic was so that I could use it like an iPhone when I was in Wi-Fi areas. Which is probably a big reason why Apple didn’t add these features to the Touch. If they did they could potentially take some of the market away from the iPhone–like me. For me, I would still eventually get an iPhone but it may keep me from making the plunge for longer than I would have otherwise.

• Evolution of a giant- In almost every market that Apple has products in they are the number one player–all other companies are clamoring to compete. As of now no other company has released a product that can compete. If you have the best products on the market why do your best when “good enough” is keeping you ahead of the pack? They may just be keeping a few “secret weapons”–Apple Tablet?–in case another company releases something that may steal some of their market.

The new shuffles are pretty cool. The tiny MP3 player is now more tiny and comes in 2GB and 4GB models. The shuffle is now just big enough to have a clip on it that will attach it to your shirt, etc. One of my gripes with the shuffle in the past has been the lack of any kind of screen so you have no idea who the artist is or what song is playing. Now, the shuffle has a VoiceOver option that will–in a wonderfully robotic voice–at the press of a button say the artist and track name. For an extra $20 you can get a polished stainless steel version as well to go with the polyester pants you wear to the gym.

The iPod classic hasn’t died yet. The 160GB is now available for $250.

iTunes 9 is now available as well. New features include:

• Home Sharing — This allows you to share your songs, movies and TV shows with up to 5 other computers on your local network. You can copy the files to the other computers or stream them over the network.
• iTunes LPs — Basically bonus CDs for digital albums. If you buy an entire album on iTunes you will now get the LP complete with extra songs that only you get, lyrics, photo albums as well as some video content and generally some live concerts.
• iTunes Extra — aka iTunes LPs. With iTunes Extra you get the equivalent to the “Bonus Features” disc when you buy a DVD.
• New Storefront — The store is now more intuitive and feels more like a piece of software you download rather than a bloated web page feel that it has had in the past.
• Updated Interface — For the most part no real improvements here. I think Apple just felt the need to put their hand in the code and wave it around a bit. The artists list and albums list now have their own columns to the left of the music as well as the artwork column. The silver header on iTunes is now a lighter gradient that kind of looks strange at first glance.
• App Manager — iPhone/Touch fans are now in luck. iTunes 9 has a new feature which allows you to rearrange the way apps are displayed on your device and can be dragged and dropped as well as synced.
• Palm Pre Blocked — With those of you who have been keeping up with the gauntlet to the death between Apple and Palm, iTunes 9–once again–has blocked the Pre from syncing with iTunes. Palms WebOS 1.2 will fix that though. And then Apple will come out with another update that will block the Pre again. And so on and so on, forever, until the end of the world–then, Palm will come out with another update.

Steve Jobs made an appearance which was exciting but still not enough to bring life to this disappointing conference.

As for the Apple Tablet, no hope for us in sight. Apple isn’t giving us any information or even acknowledging the rumors but we know in our hearts that there is something brewing at the Apple HQ.

So lets wrap it up.

iPod nano – Now has a video camera and FM radio, no still camera.

iPod Touch — No camera in sight, bigger storage options, no Mic.

Apple Tablet — Still just a figment of our imagination.

iPod Shuffle — Now smaller, new colors, VoiceOver

Steve Jobs – Still alive, or Apple has developed a very realistic cyborg–which not likely but possible.

iTunes 9 — Updated interface, media sharing, App manger, 1 point for Apple in the Pre vs. iTunes battle royale.

The long awaited Touch Pro2 is going to be making its appearance tomorrow. The phone boasts a 3.6 tilting screen, QWERTTY keyboard, intuitive TouchFLOW 3D user interface, and is available in any color you want it–as long as that is black. The TouchFLOW 3D user interface sits on top of Windows Mobile 6.1 OS and is designed to make it more finger friendly.

I have seen rumors around the interwebs that it will be upgradeable to WinMo 6.5 and have no doubt that this is true. With Windows Mobile 6.5 less than a month away it would be a mistake by all parties involved if the phone wasn’t upgradeable.

Key specifications and features:

• High-speed connectivity over Verizon Wireless’ Mobile Broadband network (1x/EV-DO Revision A 800/1900 MHz)
• Global connectivity to allow customers to access e-mail and data in more than 180 destinations and to use the phone for voice calling in more than 220 destinations (GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz WCDMA/HSPA 2100 MHz)
• Wi-Fi capabilities (802.11 b/g)
• 3.6 inch WVGA resolution (480 x 800) tilting touch screen
• Advanced speakerphone with noise-cancelling technology
• 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera with video capture
• Touch-sensitive zoom bar
• Seamless connectivity with Microsoft(R) Exchange, Outlook and Office applications with Windows Mobile(R) 6.1 Professional
• Bluetooth(R) 2.1 with EDR and A2DP stereo
• Processor: Qualcomm MSM 7600A, 528 MHz
• Memory: 512 MB ROM, 288 MB RAM
• Dimensions: 4.57″ x 2.33″ x .68″ (length x width x height)
• Weight: 6.3 ounces (with standard battery)
• Extended 1500 mAh battery for longer operation times
• Up to 5.3 hours of talk time (CDMA) or up to 13.5 days of standby time (CDMA)

Other Features:

• Linked contact view delivers e-mail, text message, call history, and even Flickr images and Facebook(R) updates to a single location
• Push Internet technology ensures that favorite Web sites are always ready for viewing at a moment’s notice
• 3.5 mm audio jack and stereo Bluetooth support to enjoy multimedia content through a variety of audio equipment
• Optional expandable microSD(TM) memory with up to 16 GB to store music, video, images, applications and other content
• Built-in GPS for VZ Navigator(SM), VZ Navigator(SM) Global and other location-based services and applications

The Touch Pro2 will be available tomorrow, September 11th, for $199.99 after the $100 mail-in rebate with a two year contract. The rebate is provided in the form of a debit card which is frustrating. Hopefully online you will be able to get it for $199 and not have to deal with the MIR, or maybe if you haggle them in the store enough–threatening to go to the iPhone–they may be able to waive it for you.

Hopefully Verizon will decide to be nice and unlock the GPS so you can use it with your non-Verizon programs like they did recently with the first generation Omnia.

With all the rumors swirling around about Apple products they are we are lucky we only have 7 days left to wait.

What will we be seeing this year? Apple tablets? Apple iPods with cameras? Death to the classic iPod?(notice the headphones in the image above are plugged into the bottom of the iPod like a Touch not on top like a Classic) Will we see MMS for the iPhone in the US?

All of these questions and more answered Sept 9.

Bluetooth headphones have never been big about looking cool. Not that we are ones to sacrifice cool technology for fashion, but some bluetooth headphones just are not wearable. The Jabra Halo headphone set has made a step in the right direction. These still aren’t going to be something I wear to the gym but they are slightly  ”cooler” than others we have seen.

Just how cool you ask?

You asked.

You are probably tired of hearing about the Omnia 2 considering all of these posts but here it goes.

With the–rumored–leaked release date of the August 23rd Omnia 2 release to Verizon just around the corner I decided to stop by a local Verizon retail store and sniff around.

Before walking in I really had my doubts considering we have heard nothing about the release of the device and Verizon is still keeping its mouth shut. As I walked up to the store I was almost positive that the Omnia 2 was not going to be here in the next few days.

I walked in and was immediately asked for my name and why I came in that day. I said my contract was about to run out and I was hoping to find something that would keep me from switching to the iPhone in the next month or two. The guy set the clipboard down and began to help me right away. He first walked up to the Storm and I shot him down. He hasn’t been reading my blog.

He walked me over to the first gen Omnia and the HTC Ozone and their other devices and I wasn’t impressed with any.

I asked him about the Omnia 2. I told him I had gotten to see some GSM versions of it and heard that Verizon would be getting one as well.

His words to me were, “Yes we are! I was very impressed with the phone myself but haven’t heard an official release date. However our biggest phone releases are in the 4th quarter so I would expect it this year.”

Booo! I was really hoping he would leak us some information that we weren’t already 90% sure of. Only a few more days to go and I doubt that we will be seeing the Omnia 2 any time in the next few weeks. Our only hope is that Verizon is trying to keep it a big secret to blast everyone into staying/switching to Verizon. I highly doubt this as it would have been smarter to advertise for it months ago when the Pre and iPhone 3GS were being released. I know of many who have left Verizon for the Pre as well as the 3GS.

Like technology from an outdated sci-fi movie the color picker concept pen designed by Jinsu Park can scan the color of an object in the real world and reproduce it using a mixture of Red, Green and Blue.

Why they thought to go with RGB instead of CMYK is beyond me. It could be that Jinsu is more used to digital design where RGB is better suited instead of printed design where CMYK is better. One way or another it is still impressive that the technology is there that can scan an object and automatically mix together the correct levels of ink in order to produce a match. All it needs now is a USB connector so you can scan the color of something and use it on your computer or push a color from your computer to the pen.

Rumors are buzzing all around the net about several different pieces of Apple news. One of the more reliable rumors bouncing around is that Apple will be hosting a keynote event for the week of September 7th. At this event the voices rumors say that Apple will be announcing some new products. This would follow the companies habit of releasing new iPods every fall.

The products that are to be announced are the new iPod touches which boast a camera, microphone and versions with 16, 32 and 64GB. These are rumored to be released for $199, $299 and $399.

More rumors include the notorious Apple Tablet that we have been hearing about. But, there are no solid rumors about that so we will just have to see. Hopefully more info will begin to leak out about the Apple Tablet such as what OS it will be running, hardware specs, will it have service through ATT or some other carrier?

An undisclosed source has said the following:

“The device, which I’ve held mock ups of, is going to have a 10 inch screen, and when I saw it looked just like a giant iPhone, with a black back— although that design could change at any time, with the same black resin back, and the familiar home button.”

“But it will come in two editions, one with a webcam and one for educational use.”

“The first prototype was built around the end of 2008. The time to market from first prototype is generally 6-9 months.”

20 year old Wu Zhongyuan–a farmer from the Henan province–created a home made helicopter using wood from an elm tree, a 150 cc motorcycle engine, steel pipes and no formal training–except for what he learned in a middle school physics class.

In Guangdong, 12-year old Xie Yanshou has created a flying car capable of taking off vertically.

“The car is powered by two pairs of propellers of the same rotation speed and different rotation direction, which would also balance the propellers’ torsional stress at the same time. Ducted fans are another feature helping accelerate the efficiency of the propellers and protect people from getting hurt.” said Xie

This photo supposedly is a from a Best Buy computer showing the arrival of several upcoming devices. The one of course that jumps out to us is the Omnia 2 scheduled to come out on August 23rd. There are some confusing things here such as the G2 Black and Red that is probably referring to the mytouch3G that is already out at T-Mobile. Also the Tour is there on the 23rd as well which is already available through Verizon and Sprint.

I doubt that this photo is legit. Through several trips to Verizon stores and speaking with 4 or 5 different reps none of them had heard of or were familiar with the Omnia 2. One of them said to me “if we knew of one coming out later this month we could let you know but as of now I don’t know that any are”. I think I am going to wait for some more legit leaks to pop up or for an official statement as to the official release date of the Omnia 2 to the Verizon network.

What you are looking at is actually two different storage devices. The one on the left you will probably recognize as a MicroSD card. It is plugged in to the incredibly small Buffalo USB MicroSD card reader which is suppose to be available at the end of this month. This is perfect for laptops that only have an SD card slot.

This puppy is is going for ¥ 2,100.00 or a little over $21 USD. You can also buy them in an assortment of packages including one with a 16GB MicroSD card for $160 USD.

They will be available in white and black so be careful if you drop it in the grass, you may never find it again.

We all think the same thing as we pull out that digital camera to snap some quick shots, “man, I wish this thing had a projector built in!!” Now all of our hopes and dreams have come true.

Information has leaked about the next line up of Nikon digital cameras. The one that has stood out to us the most is the S1000pj. It comes complete with a built in projector that can push a 40″ image onto any flat surface.

From Nikon Rumors:

“The Coolpix S1000pj is the first digital camera with a built-in projector that lets users project photos or movies clips on any flat surface at up to 40 inches in size. A handy projector stand is included, as is a remote control that can be used to operate the projector, release the shutter, and more. This model features an effective resolution of 12.1 megapixels and a 5x Zoom-Nikkor lens with 28mm (equivalent) wide-angle coverage, along with a similar image stabilisation system to the Coolpix S640.”

Now this does actually have potential to be really cool. If the quality of the image or video that is projected is high enough it would be worth every penny of the leaked $587 USD.

The Omnia 2 has been officially announced for a Verizon release later this year. It has a 3.7 inch 480 x 800 pixel screen–largest screen ever put on a cell phone. While this is no iPhone 3GS it is a beautiful phone and has some features worth mentioning.

First the bad. It is going to come with Windows Mobile 6.1. Windows Mobile has never been a finger friendly intuitive touch screen OS like the iPhone has. Every smart phone I have ever owned or used that had Windows Mobile on it made me feel like I needed a stylus. With the iPhone it feels smoth and natural with your fingers.

It does have the Samsung TouchWiz 2.0 as you can see on the left side in the picture above but it is still just sitting on top of WM6. There will be the option to upgrade to WM6.5 which is suppose to be much more finger friendly.

One of the features that initially jumped out at me was the forward facing camera at the top left corner of the screen in the above picture. This with 3G or Wi-Fi and a program like Skype would allow you to video conference with a friend.

We don’t know much about the phone right now–Verizon is limiting the amount of info that Samsung can release now but here is what we do know:

• 65K WVGA AMOLED Display (3.7-inch, 480 x 800–largest AMOLED display yet in a phone)
• Advanced R-type Touch Screen
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional (upgradeable to WM 6.5)
• 5-megapixel CMOS camera with autofocus and face-detection, plus geotagging and a photo editor
• Video recording at 30fps@720×480, plus video editor (trim video, audio dubbing, live dubbing, add subtitle much like the iPhone 3GS)
• Audio supported: MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, WMDRM, OMA DRM 2.1, plus FM radio
• Video supported: DivX, XviD, H.263, H.264, WMV9, MPEG4
• A-GPS with Navigation (3D Map)/LBS
• TouchWiz 2.0 UI with Mobile Widget/3D Media Gate
• Multitask manager/3D Interactive Games
• Bluetooth Stereo Headset (A2DP)
• WiFi
• 2GB/8GB/16GB of internal memory (3 different models)
• microSDHC expansion slot (up to 32GB)
• Up to 10 hours (3G) talk time
• Up to 430 hours (3G) standby time
• Dimensions: 4.65 x 2.36 x 0.47 inches (HWD)

For those trapped by the Verizon regime using Verizon who don’t have the option to get an iPhone this phone could be a good way to hold you over for a few years until the iPhone comes to Verizon if you want to get an iPhone with Verizon and pay more per month.

There isn’t an official release date yet but we can expect this phone to hit Verizon stores later this year.

The iPhone has been around for several years now but there are still many people who have not made the plunge. Some have been held back due to bad experiences with Cingular–which for the most part was a horrible carrier when the iPhone first came out. Some people have held off because of the high price tag on the phone or because they were afraid of making the move to 100% touch screen.

Whatever the reason the time has never been better to give the iPhone a try. The 3GS is out now which you can get for $199(8GB). You can pick up the 8Gb 3G iPhone for $99 or the refurb 3G for $79. These are the prices on the website. I am not sure if they are more expensive in the store but if they are it may be worth it to have the phone now now NOW!

As for the carrier. Since the switch to ATT and receiving exclusive rights to the iPhone the service has been much better. When speaking with friends pre-iPhone who were on the Cingular network it was a horrible experience. Constant dropped calls and poor quality. Today speaking with friends who have iPhones my Verizon cell phone is to blame more often than theirs for poor quality.

Many people are waiting for the iPhone to come to their provider. I say its not worth the wait. The CEO of ATT has admitted that the iPhone will not be exclusive forever but if a Verizon iPhone is in the works it is at least a year and a half out. At that point it will give Verizon 6 months to work out the kinks before your contract runs out and you can come running back should the service with ATT be less than to be desired.

Moving on. Here is the list of my Top 100 reasons to buy an iPhone today! Feel free to comment and let us know what you would add.

1. You can send emails with ‘Sent from my iPhone.’ in the footer.
2. Always have your ipod with you.
3. Is friendly with PCs and even more so with MACs.
4. The App Store–If you wish your iPhone could do something it doesn’t there is probably an application to do it already.
5. It is beautiful.
6. You will never have to worry about Apple blocking your ability to sync with iTunes
7. You can have it in any color you want as long as its white or black.
8. 3G browsing speed.
9. Stock application.
10. International support
11. They are very affordable now–less than some inferior smartphones with other providers.
12. The data plan has been reduced by $10.
13. Touch screen.
14. Unmatched fluid interface.
15. Enhanced conctact functions.
16. PUSH email.
17. PUSH calendar.
18. PUSH contacts.
19. Email management–mass move and delete.
20. Email attachments.
21. GPS.
22. Maps and directions.
23. Some third-party support without the need to jailbreak.
24. MobileMe support.
25. Track your iPhone online through MobileMe.
26. Push messages, alerts and lock down your iPhone from your MobileMe account if phone is lost or stolen.
27. Additional languages.
28. Scientific calculator.
29. Password protection.
30. YouTube channel.
31. WiFi (802.11b/g)
32. Cut, Copy and paste.
33. You will have more friends and be able to influence people.
34. iPhone instantly grants you +20 cool points.
35. …and +10 to your tech points.
36. Speaker phone.
37. Blue tooth 2.0 + EDR
38. 3.5-inch widescreen.
39. Multi-touch display.
40. Accelerometer.
41. 2 megapixel camera.
42. Photo geotagging.
43. 8,16 or 32GB Flash memory.
44. Proximity sensor.
45. AAC, Proteced AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible formats 2,3 and 4, Apple lossless, AIFF and WAV audio support.
46. Convenient volume controls on side of phone.
47. Ambient light sensor.
48. Sleep/wake hard button.
49. Ring/Silent side switch.
50. USB 2.0.
51. Speaker phone usable as a built in speaker for use without headphones.
52. 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack.
53. Quad-band GSM/EDGE.
54. 0.48 inches thick.
55. Weighs only 4.7 ounces.
56. It isn’t this
57. Lightsaber application.
58. Scare intruders with the gun cocking sound.
59. Fully sync’s with iTunes.
60. You can’t cut the cheese with it. (having the iPhone does not mean that you can’t cut the cheese)
61. You will have an iPhone.
62. Best/easiest to use touchscreen keyboard.
63. You can ask the question “will this work with my iPhone?” about any piece of technology.
64. Remotely monitor your webcam at home over 3G using third-party app.
65. It can be used to make phone calls.
66. Visual voicemail.
67. Motion sensing games.
68. Find new restaurants by shaking your iPhone using Urbanspoon.
69. Voice memos.
70. Spotlight search.
71. Tether your laptop and use your iPhones 3G internet.(coming soon)
72. Under $100 for the 3G 8GB iPhone.
73. Picture, video messages.(coming soon)
74. Stereo bluetooth–play music from your iPhone wirelessly to your bluetooth stereo speakers.
75. Parental controls.
76. Sync notes.
77. Login to your YouTube account to sync bookmarks and favorites.
78. Automatic Wi-Fi login.
79. Buy and download Movies.
80. Buy and download TV Shows.
81. Buy and download Audio Books.
82. Enhanced calendar.
83. Landscape keyboard.
84. Up to 30 hours of audio play back.
85. Up to 5 hours talk time on 3G.
86. Feature rich internet browsing.
87. Multi-touch screen resizing.
88. Made out of environmentally friendly materials.
89. Reliable.
90. Durable.
    iPhone 3GS specific:
91. 3 megapixel camera.
92. Auto focus.
93. Tap screen to change camera focus point.
94. Record video up to 30fps with audio.
95. Edit video right on your iPhone and upload to share with friends.
96. Voice controls.
97. Compass for improved navigation and applications.
98. Nike + iPod.
99. Accessibility options.
100. Up to 2X’s faster than iPhone 3G.

Watch the video. While awesome I see this potentially causing head aches at our favorite–greasy–fast food joint. Coca-Colas idea is awesome: one dispenser that is easy to refill, easy to monitor and remotely manage. The machine will send info to let Coca-Cola monitor different trends, see when a certain drink is selling well, see if they need to recall another or see if something needs to be repaired. This will also make it easier for the owner of the machine to see when something is about to run out, etc.

The bad? Two things. The first–most concerning–problem from this is Coca-Cola’s ability to remotely manage the machine and release some kind of widespread liquid based epidemic. Lets face it this is bound to happen sooner or later will probably never happen but still–scary.

Seriously though. Here is the real issue.

Making something more complex than it needs to be.

Renting a movie at RedBox could not be simpler–easier than going to another store, walking through to find the movie you want then standing in line to pay for it–however those who are technologically challenged still take 10 times longer than it should to rent a movie. During my time in retail I saw that the majority of people would rather stand in a line of 5 to 10 people than use self checkout.

Now Coca-Cola is hoping to have standard fountain machines in restaurants replaced with these “Freestyle” drink machines. What do most of us think? Awesome! With the ability to choose from over 100 drinks on a touch screen that all come out of the same place we all feel a little bit closer to the Jetsons. But techy people aren’t the only only people who go to Mcdonalds. So, when we begin to see the “Freestyle” in our fast food restaurants expect to stand in line behind a few tech illiterate people who are starring at the screen confused and slightly scared.

Help them figure it out. You may be their only hope.

As strange as it may seem for Verizon to do something like this as of the 16th they have started pushing out a new update for the Samsung Omnia i910 over the air.

The update has unblocked the GPS capabilities from the phone allowing 3rd party programs to utilize it. Hopefully this is opening the door for future devices to come unblocked from initial release and maybe–big MAYBE–one day we will get to see a phone come to Verizon with its own spiffy interface.

I would love to see the Omnia HD come to Verizon with the Symbian OS with TouchWiz 3D interface instead of Windows Mobile but I am probably asking too much.

For those unfamiliar with the Omnia HD click the link and watch the video. Briefly, it has a 360×640 pixel resolution screen with 16 million colors. The 8-megapixel camera that records 720p HD video is unheard of for a cell phone. Comes with 8 or 16GB built-in memory with an expansion slot that can take up to an additional 32GB. Features also include Wi-Fi, 7.2Mb HSDPA, GPS, HDMI, 8mpx camera, front facing camera for video conferencing and accelerometer. Record your HD home video and then instantly watch it on your HD TV via the HDMI port.

This is already out there and available in the UK but we have yet to see it in the US. When we do we will never have need of another cell phone.