Apple announces the release of the new 3GS iPhone at it annual conference…but what is this new iPhone all about?  

The answer is speed!

…the ability to launch applications, view attachments, and load games 2 to 3 times faster…and a data speed that will see the new device will support AT&T’s upcoming 7.2 Mbps HSPDA network.

…also, it sports a new 3.0 megapixel camera with auto focus which will record videos that can be edited right on the device and sent by email or directly uploaded to YouTube.

…battery longevity is also improved. Users will see 9 hours of  Wi-Fi Internet time, 10 hours of video, 30 hours of audio, and 5 hours of 3G talk time.

16-Gb and 32-Gb version will be available in black and white and  will go for $199 and $299. respectively. In terms of looks, there are not changes. The phones will look just like the 3G model.

Even with AT&T maintaing it “stronghold” on selling rights, I got to admit it’s really tempting.

To get one, you will have to pre-order and pick it up at a local store on June 19.

If you want an iPhone, but is not willing to pay 3GS price, you are in luck! The “old” 8-gigabyte 3G model’s going for $99 effective immediately.

In the meantime, AT&T is in the process of upgrading its software to its towers so that it can support this higher speed data.

For more information go the the Apple website…http://apple.com/iphone

Back in September 2006, Apple broke the news of its intention to release its new iTV (now Apple TV) to the world in the first quarter of 2007. Its arrival was formally announced in January 2007 at the Macworld Conference & Expo with shipment beginning in March of the same year. But how well did the public received this new product?

To get a feel for this, we first need to take a look at what this device was all about. Apple TV was simply a a wireless router design to stream content from the iTunes Store to your Wide screen TV at the click of a button on a special Apple remote control. The setup required a computer to display the iTunes interface for content download to the Apple TV and later viewing on the Wide Screen. The idea, however, never really caught on because it required too much work to eventually get the content up and running on the big screen.

With that, the device seemed to be on its way to slow but painful death. Steve Jobs – Apple’s CEO, however, never gave up. He felt that he was on to a concept that if properly delivered, would eventually change the way we watch movies in our homes. It was just a matter of figuring out how to get it done so that the public to flock to it. And so, it was time to re-visit the drawing board and re-think the entire concept.

At Macworld 2008, the announcement came. Apple re-introduced, among other things, the re-birth of Apple TV dubbed Apple TV Take 2 – a revamped approach to the internet-TV concept. But what was the difference between the “new” Apple TV and the “old” one?

According to Jobs, Apple had finally figured out what people wanted: “All of us have tried,” he said. “We’ve all tried to figure out how to get movies over the internet and onto a wide-screen TV and you know what? we’ve all missed. No one has succeeded yet…we’ve tried with Apple TV…designed to be an accessory for iTunes and your computer, that’s not what people wanted. We learned that what people wanted was about Movies, Movies, Movies, and we weren’t delivering that, so we’re back.”

Back

The big change was the elimination of the “middle-man” computer. Movies from the iTunes store were now delivered directly onto the Flat Screen TV. No more booting up and waiting for the computer to download iTunes content to your Apple TV before you could enjoy it on your Flat Screen TV. That part of the process was gone forever. Now what you had was a process so simple that even a moron could do it. Hook up your Apple TV to you Flat Screen TV, turn on both devices and the iTunes interface appears on-screen. Now all you have to do is choose, download, and enjoy.

But, will it attract the masses? Only time will tell.

But, let’s take it closer home for a minute: I come home, wanting to see a good movie, I turn on my flat screen which is hooked up to my Apple TV and immediately sees a screen which gives me access to a wide variety of movies among other content. I scroll to the movie of choice, click a button to download, and within seconds its up an playing on a huge screen in my living room.

Sounds like a winner to me. And, what are some intangibles? Convenience, theater-like screen, high definition, instantaneous movie access, plus more… What’s the cost? I can rent library titles for $2.99, new releases for $3.99, and HD for $1 extra. I rent, get thirty days to view, once I start watching, I must finish viewing within 24 hours before the movie disappears from my TV screen.

Will it replace movie theaters? I don’t think so, but it’s as close to one as you can get.

And What’s the cost of the Apple TV? It’s now $229 for the 40 GB - up to 50 hrs of video and $329 for 160 GB – up to 200 hrs of video. Is it worth my time? Well, let’s do the math. I spend $229 or $329 for the Apple TV depending on my taste, I already have my Flat Panel TV, and I watch on average 3 movies a week. That’s about $15 dollars per week in HD compared to the $19.99 I spend to buy a movie when it is first released on DVD which I might watch one or two more times. And since I don’t need to own the movies I watch, it works out perfect for me. Over time, I will come out on the plus side with a substantial amount of saving. In that case, it’s a no-brainer for me.

That said, I might as well jump-on in and see what the Apple TV can really do. Will it live up to the hype or will is continue on a path to death that it once trodded? Stay tuned.

That said, it’s time to go and check it out.

More later…

Before
Prior to the new updates, you could use the map feature on your iPhone to type in an address and get a map of a region. You could then zoom in and out with one or two tap of the screen, scroll up, down, left, or right by dragging your finger across the screen in the associated direction, get a satellite view of the map by tapping the satellite button, and bookmark the region by tapping the bookmark button.

If you wanted to find a particular location in the region, let’s say a restaurant, you could type in the name of the restaurant, do a search and get pin-pointed locations of that particular restaurant in the region. You could then tap on the pin of choice to get the address, phone number, and website of the restaurant you want. And, make a reservation by simply tapping the phone number to make the call.

To get from where you are to the restaurant, you would then map the trajectory by tapping the route button, check the traffic by tapping traffic button, and follow the turn-by-turn instruction to get to the restaurant.

But, how useful was this feature? Very useful, especially on such a small device as a mobile phone. However, there is one drawback – too many taps. With a feature such as this, you want the mapping process to be simpler, so that you can quickly Id your starting and ending points, map the route, determine traffic, and get the direction quickly.

Let’s see what the new updates offer.

After
With the new map update, you now can now automatically find your current location with a single tap of the location button at the bottom left of the screen (thanks to the Wi-Fi base stations and cell tower locations). You can then tap the direction button to fix your location in the start field, type in your destination as your end-point, tap the route button…and wala, the trajectory to your destination is mapped in a few seconds.

Now , how fast is that? Very fast. You can still do all the other stuff, like zoom in and out, scroll up, down, left, and right, get traffic conditions, and get different map views – including the new hybrid view where you can get a satellite view on top of a regular map view with street addresses etc., but only when necessary.

Also with the new drop-pin feature, you can drop a pin to pinpoint your current location, bookmark it, save it as start or end point, drag it around with your fingertips to a new location, and use it to map your path.

Are these map features perfect? Absolutely not. There is always room for improvement. But are they excellent as is? You bet, especially since this is only the second upgrade to the iPhone. Clearly Jobs and his entourage is listening and is making an effort to give the public what it wants. I am sure other smart phones will follow suit.

Now, if you want to access these updates, simply hop over to the itunes store and download the updated software for free and you are on your way. If you don’t have an iPhone yet, you can get one here.