Macworld

Crazy iPhone fanatics, such as myself, have watched many iPhone commercials before the phone’s release. Ask any of us what time it was on the iPhone (in the commercial), and you will likely merit a swift accurate and response. 9:42 of course! This has been consistent in almost every commercial I have watched. (9:41 has also appeared)

In the newer commercials such as ”bet," this has stayed the same. Frankly, it is kind of scary. When I saw “bet,” the first thing I noticed was the time. I was amazed it had still remained the same for many months. It reminded me of many theories I had heard about the clock.

“What time was displayed?” Ha! That question has a simple answer, but to answer “Why?” requires greater skill. The iPhone was introduced at 9:42 during the Macworld Keynote of 2007. I wonder if the “9:42” developed from this critical introduction, or if it was predestined. Chicken or egg? Many have also suggested that 9:42 refers to a Bible quote, specifically this one. Maybe, the phone just looks nicer with 9:42 displayed. It is possible that… more...

Macbook Air. We all saw Steve introduce it, but what relevance does it have to the iPhone? Steve mentioned that the ultra portable laptop was meant for the wireless world. He backs the wireless properties of the notebook so much, he eliminated the disc drive. This notebook substitutes the CD drive with a feature called remote disc, which allows for the installation of software through another computers shared drive. Complementing the “Wireless” Macbook Air is another device, Time Capsule. Working with Time Machine, this device synchronizes automatically with the mobile version of Leopard, without wires. Apple is pushing the idea of a world without wires.

Apple tests new feature and then incorporates them into more than one product. The iPhone was the first product with true multi-touch, and now the Macbook air includes the same chip in the iPhone. Just as the iPhone has given multi-touch to the Air, the Air could soon bring true wireless to the iPhone.

The iPhone could soon be able to sync wirelessly like we have always wanted. Also new firmware could be downloaded over 802.11.  When will we see true wireless on the iPhone?… more...

This product is still in development but will be out soon and is a really cool one. Contour Design showed us a prototype and there was no question in our mind that this was deserving of iPhone Matters Best of Macworld 2008. What is it? Well it is a nifty two-chargers in one. One prong is for a regular outlet, and with a little flip you have a car charger. In the world of chargers for home and car this is a great travel charger for on-the-road, and then in the hotel. It will be certified Made for iPod and will be iPhone compatible, and with two ports you can charge two devices at once. A great idea, and great product execution.

The second product to receive iPhone Matters Best of Show is iSkin’s Cerulean line. What is super-cool about the Cerulean product is that it allows you to have a wireless bluetooth stereo experience with your iPhone.  Check it out!

This year we went back and forth through the floor to come up with 5 Best of Show for Macworld. We were specifically looking for products that were best of breed for iPhone users.

The first award went to the always excellent Etymotic Research Inc. They have taken the great technology they use in their other earphones and made an iPhone (or for other mobile phones too...) specific product. The result is the easiest no-brainer replacement for the Apple earbuds that come with the iPhone. The jack works out of the box with the iPhone, and like the Apple earbuds it has a mic built into the cable. The mic also has a subtle music control button.

The hf2 is worthy of iPhone Matters Best of Macworld 2008.

Too many things happened today, but let’s not forget the important details. Remember a little while back? Gmail now supports IMAP. With 1.1.2, there was no official support on Apple’s part, but 1.1.3 has changed this. Gmail’s IMAP is now integrated within the mail app. One feature that I was upset not to see in 1.1.2 is now included with 1.1.3. The ability to have separate folders which may be used to organize the mail you may not want in your inbox. I discovered this on my own and I was surprised this was not as big of feature as some of the others.

I am glad I can finally organize my mail into separate folders and have official IMAP support. What do you think of these features? Have you heard about them before you read this? What else would you like to see included in the mail app through future updates?

This post was written on my iPhone which is running 1.1.3

Apple is Awesome! They have me under some sort of spell. They have perfect timing when it comes to the release of their products. They build up anticipation with Macworld, then “Boom!” As always, I am left drooling after the keynote. Apple introduced and talked about 4 of their products in the keynote, but let’s focus on the iPhone.

We’ve all seen it, at least most of us have. I am talking about the leaked firmware of course. How Gearlive got the firmware so many weeks early is beyond me. Even though the firmware did indeed look authentic, I was still skeptical. Apple does not like leaks, and I figured this was just another elaborate hoax. No, I was way off. Gearlive was dead on. The new firmware has these features: the ability to customize the home-screen, send SMS text massages to multiple people, and the ability to find the phone’s current location in the Maps application. Google Maps gets its triangulated location from both hot-spots and cell towers. This is especially helpful, as having both hot-spots and cell towers is sure to improve the accuracy of the system. Google maps… more...

Our publisher, Hadley Stern will be posting live updates from the Macworld keynote. You can view the updates at http://live.applematters.com/

Stay tuned at iPhone Matters for frequent updates on iPhone products and announcements.

Powered by i.Zami, you can gain access to the 2008 Macworld Directory on your iPhone. In addition to finding exhibitors by map, name, and aisle views, the directory provides virtual message boards for attendees to communicate with each other and rate exhibitors.

The directory also covers nearby restaurants, hotels, and various conveniences of interest to show attendees and is part of i.Zami’s user-maintained Yellow Pages for San Francisco, New York, Cambridge, and Boston, Cambridge.

You can access it at http://i.zami.com/mw