These images, found on UMPC Fever, show the 2009 iPhone in action. They are very blurry and don’t show any of the actual device design but they look really legit, and at the very least this proves that there are iPhone 2009′s out there and in the hands of those willing to brave the Apple legal team waters.

All the images really show are things that have already been confirmed by Apple or have been rumored here and by other websites. The most interesting are the really good quality image of the car’s dashboard that seems to imply that the new iPhone will have autofocus and the video recording switch at the bottom of the camera app.

(I’ve posted all of the images below, in case they get taken down from UMPC Fever).

Update 5/30/09: After looking the images over again in a little more detail, it appears that some of the images show a weird silver thing around the speaker while other do not. I don’t know if this is a sticker or something else but it does seem a little odd. After looking around on other forums/comment threads many are also pointing out that the speaker isn’t placed higher up as some of the speculators have concluded. Take it how you will but it is interesting none the less.

Update 5/30/09: Turns out that these images above might just be screenshots that were posted a month ago displayed on a current gen iPhone. At least, Mr.Gadget thinks so. The only problem I have with this is that there are a few images on the iPhone above that I haven’t been able to find online, specifically the ones display video camera and autofocus functionality. I’m not claiming that Mr.Gadget is wrong, it is very possible that this is just an iPhone 3G running 3.0 or one that is just displaying images. It is still possible that I had jumped the gun but if you managed to read the original UMPC Fever posting it did say that the reason they didn’t take any pictures of the hardware itself is because it is just a test unit and not the final hardware.

Update 5/30/09: Since UMPC Fever is down, and many of us have a difficult time reading Chinese, a translated version (translated by Bruce Poon in a 9 to 5 Mac comment thread) of the original has been posted on the Mac Rumor Forums. After reading it through it clearly states that the device is a 3rd generation iPhone prototype and the hardware is likely to change, there is autofocus, the two dashboard shots are comparison between the current and next generation iPhone, the blurrier of the two is the current hardware. They believe the CPU activity page is there for engineers not the end user.

Update 6/2/09: The Green Room has posted a single image with a rundown of every 2009 iPhone rumor. A great reference for what to expect on Monday.

Update 6/10/09: Although Apple’s announcements at WWDC are far from confirming that these images were of the iPhone 3GS it does make it seem much more likely that they were.

MacRumors has posted an image of what appears to be the iPhone 3G next to the next generation iPhone.

The image clearly shows the back of the device having a matte black finished instead of the glossy black of the current iPhone.

MacRumors doesn’t exactly say that this is in fact the next iPhone but instead says:

“We have no further evidence that this case necessarily represents what the next iPhone will look like, but it does seem to be consistent with circulating rumors.”

It is very possible that this is just a fake, but if this is even similar to what the next iPhone will look like we have something to be excited for.

Update 6/2/09: The Green Room has posted a single image with a rundown of every 2009 iPhone rumor. A great reference for what to expect on Monday.

Update 6/5/09: Luna commerce is selling what they claim to be the back cover of the third generation iPhone.

Update 6/10/09: Apple didn’t announce a matte black iPhone at WWDC. But, the FCC ID and the model number are both correct which leads MacRumors (and I) to believe that this is a leaked iPhone 3GS case. WWDC Keynote 2009.

Up until today I was certain that the Palm Pre wouldn’t be able to fit into my life. Although the device seemed really fancy and appeared to work very well it was missing one critical feature, it didn’t sync with iTunes.

I own an AppleTV and 3 iPods, that means that all of my media hits iTunes before it eventually gets consumed on one of my devices. But, how could I get that media onto the Palm Pre, I wouldn’t want to manually choose music/video to transfer over, not only would that be a hassle but it would also take too much time.

But, Palm has changed all of that.

“Palm media sync is a feature of webOS that synchronizes seamlessly with iTunes, giving you a simple and easy way to transfer DRM-free music, photos and videos to your Palm Pre.”

When you connect the Pre to your computer the Pre will prompt you asking whether you want to just charge the device, use it as a USB drive, or use media sync. If you choose media sync the Pre will show up just like a regular iPod in iTunes. Now you can mange your music, podcasts, movies, and playlists from iTunes and sync the content just as you would with an iPod.

I’m actually amazed by the fact that Palm has done this. I’m just waiting for Apple to respond to it. But, I’m not sure what they can do other than block the Pre by updating iTunes. Then again, I’m not sure if they really would want to do that. If Apple was to block the Pre from syncing with iTunes, every Pre user who uses the feature would be furious with Apple, the negative press would be off the charts.

I’m sure Apple will respond, but I don’t know what they can do or if they will even do much at all other than talk about it publicly.

On an unrelated note the Palm Pre’s (supposed) default ringtone has leaked, you can listen to and download it here.

The Palm Pre will be released on June 6 for $299.99 ($199.99 with mail in rebate).

Palm, Inc. – Palm Unveils More webOS Details: Palm Media Sync, Twitter Integration, App Catalog.
Image credit to AllThingsD Video.

Update 5/29/09: Jon Johansen, co-founder of doubleTwist, says that Palm is likely just transmitting specific USB vendor IDs and USB product IDs to trick iTunes into thinking the Pre is an iPod. He also says that there are likely enough differences in Palm’s implementation for Apple to be able to break compatibility with the next iTunes update.

Update 6/2/09: There was some question as to whether the iTunes 8.2 update broke Palm Pre syncing functionality. A Gizmodo tipster claims that Palm Pre syncing does still work.

Update 6/2/09: John Gruber has written some fantastic analysis of this whole ordeal. Why Palm’s WebOS ‘Media Sync’ iTunes Integration Can’t Be Legit and More on Palm’s WebOS ‘Media Sync’.

Update 6/4/09: Reviews have started to be released for the Palm Pre. So far I’ve found reviews by the following writers: Walt Mossberg, Joshua Topolsky, David Pogue, Jason Chen, Bonnie Cha, Steven Levy.

Update 6/5/09: Jon Johansen has confirmed his suspicions about how Palm is doing its iTunes syncing, also saying that Apple could easily update iTunes to block the Pre.

Update 9/9/09: According to forum members over at PreCentral, iTunes 9 breaks media sync on the Palm Pre.

Scott Bourne on the most recent episode of MacBreak Weekly claims that he has talked to an “extremely high up Verizon employee” that told him there will be an announcement as early as next month regarding the iPhone.

“He was a little bit cryptic but he did say there was going to be an announcement that Verizon was getting their own, he said these words. I’m trying to get it exact, their own iPhone and the announcement was coming in June. That’s what he said.”

Scott Bourne didn’t just talk to one guy about this either, he also contact another Verizon employee that, although wasn’t as high up as the first, did indeed confirm that Verizon would be getting the iPhone.

This would not only add a lot of potential customers for Apple to market to but it would also bring about some heavy competition between Verizon and AT&T. When two companies have the most sought after phone in the market those two will have to compete on price and service quality to convince customers to choose them.

Although this is still categorized as a rumor it was clear to Scott that his sources truly believe that the iPhone is coming to Verizon, very soon.

The TWiT Netcast Network with Leo Laporte.

Update 11/8/09: AppleInsider’s Prince McLean reports that OTR Global has said that sources in the Taiwan handset supply chain claim that Apple has contracted them to produce a UMTS/CDMA iPhone due in the third quarter of next year.

Apple has silently updated the white $999 MacBook. The notebook now has a 2.13GHz processor instead of the 2.0GHz of the previous model, a 40GB jump in hard drive capacity to 160GB, and the RAM is now 800MHz DDR2 instead of 667MHz.

In addition to the MacBook updates, Apple has also announced this years back to school promotion. The promo isn’t any different than years prior, college students and college/K-12 faculty who purchase a qualifying Mac (excludes refurbished Macs and the Mac mini) will also be able to get a free iPod.

You won’t be able to get any iPod for free, and the rebates are different depending on what iPod you purchase, here’s the details:

• $229 rebate on an iPod touch
• $229 rebate on iPod classic
• $199 rebate on a 16GB iPod nano
• $149 rebate on an 8GB iPod nano
• $79 rebate on an iPod shuffle

I’ve taken advantage of this opportunity two out of the last three years and have learned a little bit about how to get the most from this promotion. Apple usually offers you $100 off select printers when you buy a Mac, you might as well buy one. You’ll end up just paying the sales tax on a great printer, and besides all you need to do is buy one Mac to qualify for a free printer… and an iPod. Also, find out exactly when the promotion ends (I’ve seen October 8 as the end date), and wait until late September to purchase your new computer. This is when new iPods usually get released, and in years past Apple offered the same rebates on the new models for the window of time that the promotion is still going on (this way you won’t get stuck with the old model right before the new ones come out).

Of course, this isn’t an instant rebate, you’ll have to pay full price up front. But if ou want to get your rebate back quicker Apple makes it pretty easy, you can submit your rebate online and you will get the rebate a few days earlier than if you mailed it in.

Back to School: Buy a Mac, get free iPod touch – Apple Store (U.S.).

According to a couple of leaked AT&T slides, AT&T will be launching both a WebOS and an Android based device later this year.

The WebOS device is named the Eos and is the successor to the Centro. The device will be coming out in the second half of this year and will have a 2.63-inch capacitive 320×400 touchscreen, 4GB of storage, A-GPS, and a 2MP camera with flash.

The Android based device is the HTC Lancaster expected to be released August 3, 2009. It has a 2.8-inch 240×320 display, a slide out QWERTY keyboard, a 3MP camera, and a microSD card slot.

Both of these devices are really going to push AT&T further as having the most diverse smartphone lineup (in terms of mobile operating systems). The only device that is missing, which would really round out the offerings, is the BlackBerry Storm2 (most likely a Verizon exclusive).

Palm Eos on track for AT&T release second half of 2009.
HTC Lancaster is a QWERTY slider with Android for AT&T.

Update 6/13/09: The Wall Street Journal is saying that Verizon should be getting the Palm Pre in January 2010.

Update 7/4/09: Palm Goon has posted some images from a Vietnam forum of a GSM Palm Pre. We all knew that the device would be coming to GSM carriers, Palm has never really been one to stick with exclusives for too long but this is the first confirmation that a GSM Pre actually exists.

Update 8/16/09: Some PreCentral.net readers have found the Wi-Fi certification documents for the North American GSM Palm Pre. Although it is likely this version of the Pre will hit Canada before the US, it is still promising to GSM users in the US.

Microsoft has confirmed to CNET that a new version of the Zune is due for release this fall. The new model will be called the “Zune HD” and will pack some really interesting features, they might actually have a genuine competitor to the iPod touch on their hands.

The device will be based on Windows CE and feature a 3.3-inch capacitive OLED multitouch display, an HD Radio tuner, an accelerometer, and a version of Internet Explorer customized for the touch interface (I know, but just be happy it has a browser).

The devices display only has a resolution of 480×272, so interestingly the “HD” name comes from its ability to output video at 720p to a television through an optional docking station.

There has been no public talk about pricing or storage capacity at this point, just that the storage will be flash based. We’ll have to wait for Microsoft to be ready before we learn any more of the specifications (that is, unless someone leaks the information beforehand, which is likely).

The most interesting piece of the feature list is the inclusion of an OLED touch screen, it seems to add a bit of validity to the rumor that Apple would be using the same technology for the displays in their upcoming iPhone refresh. I was originally skeptical, assuming that OLEDs just weren’t ready for prime time, but if Microsoft is ready to use them in their device, what is stopping Apple from doing the same?

Microsoft confirms Zune HD coming this fall | Beyond Binary – CNET News.

Update 6/2/09: Paul Thurrott has heard rumors that the release date for the Zune HD is September 5.

Update 6/3/09: From the Zune HD product page on Amazon:

“Integration with the Xbox LIVE network gives you access to millions of videos, TV shows, and games from Xbox LIVE720p HD video output to your HDTV with optional docking station.”

That’s right, it says games. This is still a rumor at this point, but it seems pretty logical to me. It’s almost as if the Zune HD is going to be the handheld Microsoft gaming console that everyone has been waiting for.

Update 7/4/09: Gear Live is hearing rumors that are stating that the Zune HD will be priced somewhere between $249 and $279, will be coming in 16GB and 32GB models with the possibility of a 64GB model later in the year, and movies are finally coming to the Zune Marketplace.

Update 8/7/09: Donald Bell of CNET has posted his hands-on impressions of the device.

John Gruber has posted an article regarding the next generation iPhone. Gruber expects a new processor in the next iPhone that is 1.5-2 times faster than the 400MHz processor in the current iPhone, a July release date, video recording capablities, and 16 and 32GB models.

He also mentions some other features that he expects, but with slightly less certainty than the predictions made above. 256MB of RAM in the new device and the current $199 and $299 price points to remain.

It’s safe to say that there will be a new iPhone announced at WWDC, all signs say we will. But, exactly what that will entail is a little bit more difficult to discern. I’m sure it will be good, Phil Schiller will tell me so.

In regards to predictions, I think it is still a little too early for me to make too many, but if I was to bet today I would have to bet on a faster processor, more RAM, a 3.2MP camera, and a July release date. All the other rumors still seem a little too pie in the sky to predict upon.

There are other prediction in Gruber’s post that I suggest you read, along with a great anecdote about the move to Pentium processors from 486-based computers.

Daring Fireball: The Next iPhone.

Update 5/29/09: A recent “leak” of iPhone bezel and LCD parts detail some more changes to the upcoming hardware. The bezel indicates that the ear speaker has moved much higher above the display which could make room for a front mounted sensor or camera. The bezel is also a black metallic color as apposed to the silver color in current iPhones. These could be fakes, but being this close to WWDC means that we should be keeping our eyes and ears open for any rumor that could be legitimate.

Update 6/2/09: The Green Room has posted a single image with a rundown of every 2009 iPhone rumor. A great reference for what to expect on Monday.

Update 6/10/09: Gruber’s predictions were incredibly spot on, part of me thinks he made have had a little help from some of his connections though. WWDC Keynote 2009.

Update 7/31/09: It’s possible that the iPhone bezel from the 5/19/09 update above may be from the Creative Zii Egg, at least MacRumors thinks it might.

The images posted by Mac Magazine show some new features of the yet to be released Mac operating system, Snow Leopard. There isn’t much detail in Mac Magazine’s post so I’m just going to throw some text at you with an image gallery below (just in case Mac Magazine gets a take down notice from Apple, or decides to take it down themselves).

• Put back option has been added to the Trash (a feature I’ve been waiting forever for).
• Icon resize slider in Finder.
• Date and time are now included in the naming scheme for screenshots.
• New “Trim” option in the edit menu of QuickTime X.
• Share menu in QuickTime X with iTunes and MobileMe Gallery options.

(Mac Magazine also posted some videos of Snow Leopard but unfortunately I was unable to make my own copies of them before they were taken down.)

Bomba Confira uma série de vídeos e screenshots com novidades do Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard | MacMagazine. (English Translation)

Update 5/19/09: AppleInsider has posted some images and videos from their forums depicting some more of the new features in Snow Leopard. Some of those images have been added to the gallery above.

Update 6/2/09: Flickr user inewton1974 has posted a gallery with more Snow Leopard screenshots.

Update 6/10/09: Snow Leopard is officially coming in September with all of these features and more. WWDC Keynote 2009.

The Boy Genius was close when they claimed that Palm was going to be releasing it on June 7 for $199.99, but they didn’t quite get the date right. Finally, Sprint has officially announced that the Palm Pre will be released on June 6 for $199.99 (after $100 mail-in rebate). Another surprise to me is that the announcement was indeed made on May 19 which was claimed by a Boy Genius tipster on May 11. Although it wasn’t done through the Wall Street Journal as their source claimed, it was instead done through a press release (After writing this I learned that I was mistaken, there was a full page ad in the Wall Street Journal).

The device will be available from Sprint, Best Buy, RadioShack, and select Wal-Mart locations, it will require a 2-year contract and the Everything Data plan ($69-$99) or the Business Essentials plan.

The Boy Genius Report has also heard that Sprint stores will be closing early on June 5, at 4:00pm, to get ready for the launch the following morning, during the closed hours the store will likely be covered in Palm Pre displays and signs for all the customers to see when they show up for their purchase at 8:00am June 6.

This release will come just two days before Apple is expected to announce their next generation iPhone. I’m not sure if this is the right move from Palm but I’m not sure if they had any better release date options. It is possible that Sprint will get a ton of new subscribers, although it is also very possible that customers will just wait the extra two days to find out what Apple has to offer, and potentially end up purchasing the new iPhone instead. Either way I’m not really sure if I could have devise a better release date for Palm, I sure know that they couldn’t release it after the iPhone announcement.

Sprint | News Release: Sprint to Offer Palm Pre Nationwide on June 6.

Update 5/19/09: Engadget found out that the Pre will cost $549.99 without contract. Sprint’s Chief Executive Dan Hesse says “We don’t intend to advertise it heavily early on because we think we are going to have shortages for a while. We won’t be able to keep up with demand for the device in the early period of time.”

Update 5/20/09: Best Buy will be offering the rebate as an instant rebate when purchased from their stores, so if you are planning to buy a Palm Pre, Best Buy is probably your best option.

Update 5/21/09: For some reason BestBuy.com has the Palm Pre listed on their website for $849.99. The Boy Genius Report has dug up that there will only be 4,250 Palm Pre units across all Best Buy locations. After doing the math you will see that there will only be about 4 Pre’s per store.

Update 5/27/09: PalmPreForumDotOrg’s YouTube channel has a slew of videos up showing various features of WebOS. The videos were made using a Palm WebOS emulator for the Mac, the emulator is (most likely) included in the WebOS SDK.

Update 5/29/09: Crave claims that Verizon Wireless executive Lowell McAdam said that the carrier is expecting to have the Palm Pre sometime this year.

Update 5/29/09: A Sprint spokesman says that they “have the Pre through 2009.” Although the quote never actually says anything about exclusivity, Palm Goon jumps to conclusions stating that Sprint has the Pre exclusively through 2009. This directly contradicts Lowell McAdam saying that Verizon will have the Pre this year.

Update 5/29/09: The Boy Genius Report got their hands on the Palm Pre and had enough time to do a decent review of it. From what I read however the software version on their device isn’t the version that will ship next week. Basically they say the device itself feels a little cheap, the keyboard isn’t good, but the software works very well. I don’t know what all of you think but I’m actually excited about this device. Even though the Pre might not be the big hit device we all want it too, that doesn’t mean that Palm couldn’t come out with a better quality handset to run this great software on.

Update 6/4/09: Reviews have started to be released for the Palm Pre. So far I’ve found reviews by the following writers: Walt Mossberg, Joshua Topolsky, David Pogue, Jason Chen, Bonnie Cha, Steven Levy.

Update 7/4/09: It seems that some Pre users are having a heck of a time with build quality, to the terms of being on their third device. This is something Palm will really need to work on, eventually the damage on their reputation will be been done and consumers will stop coming for their hardware.

Update 7/23/09: The Palm Pre is now available to purchase online.

Update 7/28/09: PreCentral.net is reporting that the $99 Palm Pre pricing was actually a Best Buy error.

Update 7/28/09: CrunchGear is reporting that Verizon has confirmed in their most recent conference call that the Palm Pre will be coming to their network between Q1 and the end of Q2 next year.

Update 8/3/09: Amazon is now selling the Palm Pre, the 2-year contract price is the same but the no-contract price is only $499.99.

There are rumors circulating (from very reliable writers) saying that Apple is considering background tasks on the iPhone. The rumor doesn’t say that this is exactly a done deal yet but it seems that Apple is trying out different implementations of the feature. It’s even possible that Apple will have something to say about it at WWDC, but it is unlikely that a solution would be available then.

The most recent background task rumors point to Apple possibly approving some applications to be run in the background by adding a second approval queue, specifically for apps that want to run in the background. This would mean that Apple would only allow some applications to use this feature, their decision would most likely be based on CPU and memory requirements of the app.

The other option mentioned is the user being able to select two applications that will run in the background, these two apps would be the only ones on the device that could run in the background (aside from the current Mail, Safari, Phone, and iPod apps that can already run in the background), it’s possible that user selection would be done by placing the application icons in a special part of the iPhone’s dock area.

There are tons of upsides to being able to run background tasks but the downsides are so much harder to deal with. Battery life being one of the most important problems that would arrise. One of my favorite things about the iPhone is my ability to do so much with the device and still squeeze out about two days worth of battery life with it. Background tasks would severely impact battery life and as a result could cause the entire user experience to go down the tubes.

The iPhone would also take a hit because of the hardware resources necessary to perform these background tasks, John Gruber puts it best:

The major limiting factor right now is RAM. There just isn’t much left for third-party processes on the current hardware’s 128 MB.

If the recent bump up in RAM rumor is true though this problem would completely go away (for new iPhone users at least).

I just hope that everyone, calms down about this and remembers that these rumors only say that Apple is considering their options in regards to background tasks and there are no current sources publicly available saying that Apple is actually going to do this, just that they are thinking about it and could do it.

Apple Serious About Background App Support For iPhone 3.0 (AAPL)
Apple Is Indeed Talking About Opening iPhone Background Tasks

Update 6/2/09: The Green Room has posted a single image with a rundown of every 2009 iPhone rumor. A great reference for what to expect on Monday.

While everyone is clamoring to find out when the Palm Pre release date is and talking up rumors about the next generation iPhone RIM is just sitting back with the BlackBerry Storm2 in their back pockets.

There is no telling whether this model is actually going to be any better than the current model (which is generally considered to be an all around bad cell phone) but it sure does look pretty.

There isn’t really much to say about these images except that the device does appear to be thinner than the current model and the buttons below the display seem to be touch sensitive, just like the rest of the screen.

Exclusive: First Look at the BlackBerry Storm 2!! | CrackBerry.com.

Update 5/15/09: Engadget has posted some more pictures of the BlackBerry Storm2.

Update 5/16/09: Engadget has some more details about the BlackBerry Storm2. RIM is said to be abandoning their SurePress technology and moving to a stationary screen, this means that typing on the BlackBerry Storm2 will feel more like typing on an iPhone (So what is RIM going to claim is better about the Storm 2 compared to the iPhone? Media playback? …I think not).

Update 5/19/09: BlackBerryOS.com says that a senior level Verizon employee has said that the BlackBerry Storm2 should be out by the end of this month.

Update 5/21/09: Engadget can confirm that RIM has abandoned the SurePress screen and is now using a traditional capacitive display for the Storm 2. “The Storm 2′s sleeker style and more heft combined with the newly-stable screen collaborate to make everything feel a wee bit higher end than the original.” More impressions, images, and videos from Engadget here.

Update 5/29/09: Crave claims that Verizon Wireless executive Lowell McAdam said that the carrier is expecting to have the BlackBerry Storm2 sometime this year.

Update 8/4/09: The BlackBerry Zone has heard that the BlackBerry Storm2 is set to be released in October on Vodafone in the UK and November on Verizon in the US.

Update 8/24/09: 0rimental has a look at the BlackBerry Storm2 hardware and The Boy Genius Report has some screenshots showing that the Storm 2 is coming in October.

My instinct is to laugh off these rumors as fake but many other reputable web sites have already written about them, so for the sake of documenting rumors (and the possibility that it might actually be true) I’ve decided to write about them.

The forum user, who uses the handle “patapon200,” says he has a friend who works for Foxconn, a known Apple hardware manufacturing partner. patapon200 describes the physical design of the new iPhone as a repeat of the current hardware, while the majority of hardware changes being under the hood.

patapon200 says that the new model will feature a faster CPU clock speed, 600MHz compared to the current 400MHz ARM processor, it will have twice the RAM as the current model, bringing it up to 256MB, it will come in 16GB and 32GB versions, and will also have a 3.2MP camera with autofocus.

Mentioning FM radio features and the fact that the screen capture displays AT&T3.5 instead of the usual AT&T3.1 that most iPhone users see makes me wonder about the validity of patapon200′s story.

But, obviously we won’t know for sure until (at least) WWDC, but I’m hoping to see a new iPhone in my pocket in the not too distant future.

WeiPhone.com Forum Thread

Update 5/15/09: Hardmac has sources that also say the next generation iPhone will be the same size and shape as the current iPhone 3G.

Update 6/2/09: The Green Room has posted a single image with a rundown of every 2009 iPhone rumor. A great reference for what to expect on Monday.

Update 6/10/09: I guess my instinct was wrong. I’m glad I ended up writing about it. patapon200 appears to have been on the up and up, most of his claims were found to be true at the WWDC keynote, FM transmission excluded.

I haven’t spent too much time with Twitterrific 2.0 but so far I do like what I see. I’ve already uninstalled Tweetie (mostly to force myself to use Twitterrific) from my iPhone and am now using Twitterrific as my primary client. I’m still unable to make a final decision about my client of choice and/or whether or not to recommend it to others, it’ll probably take me about a week to do that.

Without further ado, here are my first impressions of Twitterrific 2.0:

The Good:

• The beautiful look of a selected tweet.
• All of the extra features you get when tapping the asterisk icon.
• Options for shortcuts when tapping, double tapping, or triple tapping on a users avatar include: show author, show conversation, toggle favorite, toggle mark.
• Compose tweet page, although a little cluttered, is absolutely beautiful.
• I love the Quick Look icon that allows you to view what is “behind” the compose page.
• Trends view.
• The RT syntax is off by default with the “(via @username)” on instead.
• The ability to mark a tweet in the app without it being public knowledge as it would when using favorites is great.
• Compress text feature helps you conserve character counts.
• I like the ability to view other users favorites.

The Bad:

• Is that icon on the bottom right of the app supposed to be a funnel? Why?
• yfrog shouldn’t be the default photo site, TwitPic is generally considered to be the better option.
• Bit.ly is the only URL shortening service used by the app, I would rather use Tr.im.

The Ugly:

• I saw this ridiculous Twoosh! popup the first time I posted a tweet with Twitterrific, I then saw an option in the settings to turn it off, since then I have seen no mention of it in the app. But, I know it exists because I have a screenshot of it.
• The other two themes (not the default) are terrible.

This release of Twitterrific 2.0 will surely heat up the war between Tweetie and Twitterrific for the title of best Twitter app for the iPhone. As you can see there are more good than bad (or ugly), this version will force other Twitter clients to get better (hopefully much better, because that is good for us users).

Twitterrific
Twitterrific Premium ($3.99)

Update 5/13/09: I’ve continued to use Twitterrific as my primary Twitter client, I’m not exactly going to say that Tweetie is dead to me but until they come out with a super cool update I’m sticking with Twitterrific.

According to GPSreview.net TomTom is looking for an iPhone developer in Amsterdam to build a GPS navigation application for the iPhone. The job listing they are referencing, posted on JobServe, does not mention TomTom specifically but, TomTom is located in Amsterdam. I don’t know about you but I can’t think of another navigation company in Amsterdam.

From the job posting (in case it gets taken down):

IPhone Mac OS Developer AMSTERDAM Contract
Objective C and MAC OS. Amsterdam based technology company seeks an experienced MAC OS developer for project to develop iPhone applications relating to navigation software. You must be an experienced MAC OS Objective C freelancer available to work in the EU.
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Reference: JS/MAC C
Agency: GAP Associates
Contact: Steve Greenall
Salary/Rate: Top Amsterdam Rates
Start: May/June 2009
Duration: 6 months initially
Posted Date: 5/7/2009 11:55:01 AM

I’ve seen a demo of G-Map for iPhone 3.0 and it looks good. I’m hoping TomTom will be able to come up with something better (although I’m not sure what they could improve). One downside of this job listing is that it is May and if TomTom is just now hiring iPhone developers there is no way they are going to be ready for the launch of iPhone 3.0. That is disappointing.

Seeking iPhone navigation developer in Amsterdam GPS Review.

Update 6/10/09: TomTom was on stage at the WWDC keynote confirming that they will be releasing an iPhone application and hardware accessory.

I was recently thinking about what happened in the 1990′s when home computers started getting ridiculously popular. Then people were primarily buying PCs, just as they are now, but the primary reason for that was because their computer at work ran Windows.

So I had a simple thought, what if businesses start to issue iPhones because their employees demand them? In the 90′s the office generally was a little bit further along than you were in terms of computers but now that has all changed. The Average Joe has a much better computer at home than they do at work and likewise with their cell phone. We are all a little bit smarter about what gadgets we want, and over the past couple of years it has seemed that we all want iPhones.

So, how long until the IT department finally cracks and starts issueing employees an iPhone instead of a BlackBerry? It’s only a matter of time (that is unless the Palm Pre does what Palm hopes it will).

The Amazon event is over and the Kindle DX has officially been announced. Amazon has made agreements with 3 textbook publishers (Pearson,Wiley, and Cengage). Combined they represent 60% of the higher education textbook market. 5 universities are also going to be distributing the Kindle DX to some of their students this fall, AZ state, Princeton, Reed College and UVA, and CaseWestern Reserve. These colleges will be comparing experiences with Kindle users to standard textbook users.

Amazon has also made deals with New York Times, Washington Post, and Boston Globe to sell the device for a reduced price with long-term subscriptions.

The new Kindle DX does have a 9.7 inch display, just as we’ve heard from the rumors. It will have autorotation so when you turn the device sideways the content on the screen will also rotate, 3.3GB of storage, native PDF support, and the device will be released this summer for $489.

Kindle 2 and Kindle DX Comparison:

The device looks very good, I love the autorotation and love the native PDF support. But, from what I’ve read there is no mention of the “real web browser” that was in the rumors. Of course, those were just rumors and some of them were bound to be false but reading books is the last thing you would find me doing with a Kindle, I’m all about the web browser.

Pre-order the Kindle DX

Update 6/2.09: The product page for the Amazon Kindle DX now displays the release date as June 10, 2009.

Update 6/22/09: Engadget has their Kindle DX review.

Update 9/29/09: From The Daily Princetonian:

less than two weeks after 50 students received the free Kindle DX e-readers, many of them said they were dissatisfied and uncomfortable with the devices.

Personally, I’m still optimistic about the Kindle. But, I have a feeling that the refresh rate is too slow and the user interface is too convoluted for the non-geek user.

The Boy Genius has heard that Best Buy will be getting some inventory of Pre handsets to be sold on June 7. There will only be 4,500 units spread out across all Best Buy Mobile locations, but every location will have at least one device.

The device will cost new customers with a two year contract $199.99, existing customer upgrades will cost $299.99.

There have been a lot of rumors about pricing and release dates for the Palm Pre, we can just add this one to the list.

Update 6/4/09: Reviews have started to be released for the Palm Pre. So far I’ve found reviews by the following writers: Walt Mossberg, Joshua Topolsky, David Pogue, Jason Chen, Bonnie Cha, Steven Levy.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Amazon will be announcing a university textbook specific Kindle with a larger screen. This university Kindle will be distributed to students at Case Western Reserve University (along with Pace, Princeton, Reed, etc.) later this year and will be preloaded with content. The university will then be comparing experiences of those with the Kindle and those with standard text books.

There is no way to know if this university Kindle is the same as the Kindle DX but we will know soon enough. But, to make things even more interesting the New York Times Co. Chairman is said to be coming on stage during the Amazon event, this means it is possible that the Kindle DX could be a device that will be sold to universities as a textbook device and marketed to consumers as a newspaper device.

We all knew that Amazon was going to make a Kindle-related announcement tomorrow (May 6) but Engadget has received a tip explaining what exactly is going to be announced at the event.

The new device will have a 9.7 inch display, the current Kindle only has a 6 inch display, and it will also have a built in PDF reader.

There hasn’t been any leaks about pricing of the device but based on what I’ve seen I would suspect that it will be priced higher than the current Kindle model, let’s say $400-500.

Shortly after The New York Times reported that a larger screened Amazon Kindle would be coming soon Amazon started sending out invitations for an event to be held this Wednesday.

The last event that Amazon held was for the Kindle 2. It seems that all the writing is on the wall for an update to the Kindle product line.

There haven’t been any leaks yet about pricing for the upcoming Kindle version but from my perspective Amazon only has three options. They can either release the newer larger screen version for the same price and discontinue the old one, they can release the new one at the same price and drop the price on the current model, or they can release the new one at a higher price and still keep the older model.

I think everyone is hoping that they drop the price on the current model and release this newer version at the current $359 price point, that would give me a much bigger incentive to purchase the current Kindle model.

Previously the computer name “MacBookAir” was found as a computer name on Adium’s publicly available user statistics. Shortly thereafter the MacBook Air was announced.

This time around we have the name “MacBookMini” popping up in Adium’s stats. Granted, it is possible to change your computer’s name to whatever you want and itt wouldn’t surprise me if some clever owner of a hackintoshed netbook would have changed their computer name.

Even with the possibility of someone changing their computer name it is also very posible that someone at Apple has been using Adium on a yet to be released Apple notebook.