One of the most important things to me in terms of purchasing a new cell phone is how well it could be used on the Internet. Long before the iPhone, I wanted a device that gave me full e-mail and Web support so that I could always be connected wherever I was, but whenever I took a look at some of the available devices on the market, I was never completely impressed. A few of them came close to delivering the results I wanted, but in the end, they just didn’t do the job. Of course, all of this changed when the iPhone came along.

I have to admit, I was slightly skeptical about the abilities of the iPhone when it was first announced, but after it was released and I was able to try and buy one, I realized that it was the best thing to ever happen to mobile Web browsing. I honestly can’t imagine using any other mobile device to surf the Web now that I’ve seen what the iPhone has to offer in this area.

Because of this functionality, it only makes sense that people are using their iPhones to do a lot more than simply call their friends and family. For the first time ever, people are actually enjoying the ability to use the Internet on a mobile device, and even though it’s not as quick and convenient as a regular desktop or notebook computer, they’re spending more time accessing the Internet on the iPhone. The iPhone is still a relatively new product, but how many people are using it to surf the Internet in comparison to other mobile platforms? Once again, Net Applications has some answers for us, and the numbers shocked me.

First of all, the most active operating systems on the Internet are going to be the major operating systems for desktops and notebooks like Windows, OS X, and Linux, but their mobile counterparts are making a name for themselves as well. According to Net Applications, the percentage of users browsing the Internet on the iPhone and its embedded OS X operating system is .09% while the percentage of users browsing the Internet on all Windows Mobile devices combined is .06%. Therefore, the iPhone wins under these circumstances.

I’ve used Windows Mobile before, and I can tell you from personal experience that using the Internet on that platform is not exactly pleasant. It’s better than what some of the other platforms offer, but it still doesn’t compare to the iPhone in any way, and the numbers show that. As we continue to make the move to a more mobile and connected world, Internet access is going to be tied into almost everything that we do on our cell phones and other mobile devices, and Windows Mobile is going to have to provide a better online experience if Microsoft hopes to get more of their users to actually use Windows Mobile to access the Internet, because right now, the platform just doesn’t do the trick.

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Stories at CNN, Ars Technica, and CNET are covering the fact that Apple is working on a plan that would allow unlimited “free” access to the iTunes music library — if users paid more up-front for their iPod devices.

This sounds interesting, but it seems like an up-front charge (when you buy the device, as a one-time fee) might have some legal (not to mention business viability) challenges associated with it. Now, if they were to go with a Zune-like monthly subscription model, that would be a whole different story. It would actually make a lot of sense.

Group-think/conventional wisdom seems to be that since the average iPod/Phone user spends about $20 total on music through the iTunes store, it would make sense to charge everyone that much up front. Others say something more like $80 is more reasonable. I think they’re all wrong: Charge me $20 up front, and I will do everything I can to maximize — in a big way — that mandatory investment. People only spend an average of $20 because they have to keep paying. Charge that up front and grant them unlimited access, and they’ll download more music than you can possibly imagine.

That’s where the Zune Pass idea is a better one. Recurring monthly revenue of a predictable, fixed amount (which is great from a business standpoint) and a happy customer base. I just don’t see a one-time fixed fee model holding water for very long. But then again, if your intent (hypothetically) is to launch a firestorm campaign to (further) monopolize the market and then dump it as unviable… well, you might actually succeed at one goal by failing at another. Just a thought. :)

The Apple iPod touch 8GB revolutionizes portable media players with its interface, features and versatility. The iPod touch utilizes the same multi-touch interface that has made the iPhone famous.

View your favorite media on the stunning 3.5″ widescreen display while the Wi-Fi web browsing capabilities will let your surf the web with Safari, watch YouTube videos, or buy content directly from the iTunes Wi-Fi Store. At only 4.2 oz and 8mm deep, it is astounding what you can do with the iPod touch.

Deal price - $259 + free shipping.

Any Gnomies have a take on this product? Good or bad, we’d love to hear about it! Comments are absolutely welcome.

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of OS X, and having a forum like this to discuss what’s going on with the operating system is something that I truly enjoy. Although there are plenty of positive things to talk about when it comes to Apple’s OS, I’m not so blinded by fanboyism that I can’t see the shortcomings. The other day, actually, I had a negative realization about OS X that surprised me, and I thought I’d share it with you.

For a long time, Macs have been the de facto standard for graphic designers, and although I’m not a graphic designer in any way, shape, or form, I can understand why designers are drawn to the platform, and since my wife is one of them, this is made even clearer for me. To be honest, I’ve only done some image editing on Macs that had the full Adobe suite on them, so manipulating graphics was a piece of cake even for someone like me because I had the right tools at my disposal.

With that said, I’ve never really needed to install any graphics programs on either one of my Macs, so when I had to do a little work on a particular image of mine, I looked around my installation of Leopard to see if I could find anything that was at least close to being an equivalent to Microsoft’s Paint program. I’d never really seen anything like this before, but I figured that there might be something buried beneath the surface in this latest version of OS X. I searched and searched for some basic tool beyond iPhoto, but much to my chagrin, I just didn’t find anything. Here I was using an operating system for graphic designers that didn’t even include a basic image editing application. There’s something wrong with this picture.

Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t this ridiculous? I’m sure many of you have been aware of this for years, and in the back of mind, I knew it to be true as well, but the fact that it’s still this way is completely beyond me. I know a lot of real graphic designers already have all of the expensive applications and wouldn’t bother messing with an inferior application, but for users like me, there should at least be something decent included with the operating system.

Whether they like it or not, Apple has to face the music and understand that designers are drawn to their computers, and when it comes time for one of their retail representatives to show off the design capabilities of OS X, they shouldn’t just have to launch one of Adobe’s bloated applications. Last time I checked, Macs were about simplicity and power, so where is that fantastic, yet simple, native image editing application that the platform demands?

I know there are some free and open source alternatives, but I shouldn’t have to track a third-party application down when Apple could have easily bundled their own solution with their OS. The Paint program that’s a part of Windows may not have changed very much over the years, but you realize how much you miss it when you’re using OS X.

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If you’ve been following the whole third-party iPhone applications debacle (and I’m sure that you have), then you know that the whole situation up until this point had just become completely ridiculous. Apple may not have been officially supporting the applications, but the hacks were plentiful, and oh so easy to take advantage of.

As I’ve said before, whether Apple initially planned to eventually offer an SDK (software development kit) or not, the success of unofficial applications probably spurred them on to get serious about an SDK sooner rather than later. To show his commitment to official third-party iPhone application support, Steve Jobs recently wrote a letter that revealed that an SDK is scheduled to be released in February.

This is great news for iPhone users and software developers, but I can’t help but wonder how exciting this will be once it actually sees the light of day. I mean, what is Apple’s concept of an open iPhone? As I write this, there are countless people that are doing amazing things through hacks on the iPhone, but I have a hard time believing that anything Apple produces will be as open and freeing as previous efforts by the community of unofficial iPhone hackers.

Will developers truly be able to develop applications like we’ve already seen, or will they be more limited? If Apple restricts freedom more than is necessary and releases this SDK in a half-baked way, then it will almost be worse than if they had never offered one at all. That may be a bold opinion, but I think a lot of people will support it.

In his letter, Jobs makes reference to some advancement that Nokia is making in terms of digital signatures, and it’s clear that Apple will take an approach that allows them to still protect the iPhone on their terms. It can be hard to let go, but Apple needs to do just that with the iPhone and truly make the consumer feel like it’s their phone.

Perhaps by default the device could only accept verified and approved applications, but with just a couple of small and official tweaks, it could be opened to run all applications by people that know what they’re doing and accept the fact that something could potentially go wrong if they get too adventurous. As long as these people didn’t go crying to Apple when disaster struck, and they could still restore the iPhone to its original settings and functionality, then we would be set.

Even though complete openness would be nice, I didn’t buy my iPhone only because I was counting on third-party applications. Instead, I liked the features that the phone had right out of the box, and I knew going into the purchase that Apple had initially taken a convoluted stance on application development. This didn’t stop me, and I still love the device just as it is. While I will appreciate native supported applications, I’ve already come to terms with the fact that this forthcoming SDK won’t exactly completely open up the iPhone and its OS.

This article has been republished with the kind permission of our friends at CoolTechZone. For more news about the gadgets that make the world go ’round, go give ‘em a look or Subscribe to CoolTechZone’s RSS Feed!

Dell, the PC Goliath, is experiencing an upwards trajectory ever since Michael Dell has taken over as CEO. Not only is Dell working on its retail strategy to have people come up and physically touch and feel their products, but from a pure consumer perspective, the company is also focusing heavily on innovation. It’s a new Dell. The latest in company news is the release of a special edition World of Warcraft notebook computer with high-end components that are customized for World of Warcraft. It’s not just that. The notebook is loaded with a series of special packages just for Dell consumers that are relevant. Sure, the notebook is expensive at $4,450, but it just might be worth it for hardcore WoW fans. Hey, it’s the best solution there is, and that’s saying a lot for Dell.

A few months ago, Dell also released different colored notebooks for students who wanted to flare up their notebooks and differentiate their models from their friends. There’s nothing particularly grand about it, but it’s a step in the right direction. These minuscule but important changes depict Dell’s intention to change itself, innovate for the better, for consumers. Similarly, the $4,450 model is extravagant, and Dell is asking too much from consumers. But no problem. At least it’s a step in the right direction. With PC margins declining and Dell dropping to the number two spot (behind HP in its OEM business), it has to reinvent and move away from its original roots. What better way to do that than to redefine the way people look at computers? PCs are not just inane, technological wonders; they are personality matchers with customized versions for classes of PC users. Everyone from gamers to professionals need a certain style of PC — and why not? We deserve it. And if Dell can take care of those needs, all the better. Good for Dell!

It was bound to happen. Dell was struggling and watching its market share shrink for a while, and it was only time it listened to everyone who could point out the obvious flaws.

[Gundeep Hora]

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