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Release Date: August 05, 2009
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iTunes New Music Releases

Release Date: September 29, 2009
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Discover New Music

  • Bowie at Beeb: Best of BBC Radio 68-72

    • 10 out of 10
    • David Bowie
    • The companion CD to a BBC television concert, BBC Radio Theatre has some of the best renditions of many of Bowie's best songs throughout his career. "I'm Afraid of Americans" is substantial

  • Playing the Angel

    • 8 out of 10
    • Depeche Mode
    • Oddly enough, Playing The Angel is a return to form for Depeche Mode, even though it may well be argued that they never truly deviated from their roots in their more recent offerings. In the

  • Another Day on Earth

    • 10 out of 10
    • Brian Eno
    • In his first proper solo release since 1996's relatively cold "The Drop," Brian Eno has constructed a whimsical and ecclectic masterpiece which is arguably one of the year's strongest records thus fa
  • The Printz

    • 8 out of 10
    • Bumblebeez 81
    • Part white rap, part alternative, part pop, and part rock, the Bumblebeez grabbed a hold of me with "Pony Ride," and didn't let go.

      This group does a marvelous job of moving seamlessly be

  • The Life Pursuit

    • 8 out of 10
    • Belle & Sebastian
    • The Life Pursuit is a sort of Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. You get Belle & Sebastian's peanut butter (its wistful, often irresistible pop) dipped in a 'Have A Nice Day!' and glam 70s chocol

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News

iPhone, Apple, Intel, And the Future

So...the iPhone is coming, much to the irritation of some folks anxiously awaiting Leopard, Apple's next iteration of OS X.

To those who are vexed at Apple's decision to delay Leopard I say tough noogies;� it's only a few months and, if Apple can be believed ( and I see no reason why they shouldn't be) Leopard's delay insures a June delivery of iPhone.

B.F.D. you say? You think iPhone is a toy and Apple shouldn't be wasting time and the efforts of good people chasing this trinket. A cool trinket, but a trinket nonetheless.

Oh ye of little faith. You fail to see the potential of iPhone. You don't understand why cellphone makers are all hot and bothered by Apple's entry into their market.

I was like you once, back when the iPod first came out. I didn't believe that a pricey hunk of electronics that played songs could be revolutionary. After all, it just played music.

As you do now, I failed to see the bigger picture back then. Maybe Steve Jobs and the crew at 1 Infinite Loop didn't see the whole picture back then either. In fact, I think it is safe to say that no one knew for sure what the iPod was capable of.

What the Apple crew did do was instead of creating a device, Apple created a platform, and in doing so they placed the iPod on a road heading towards a bright future. A future where an iPod can help train you for a marathon or teach you Russian.

People balk at the cost of iPhone, saying that it is far too expensive for a phone. They would be right IF the iPhone is just a phone. They might be right if the iPhone is just a phone and a music player. They might also be right if the iPhone is just a phone, a music player, and an Internet device.

And these folks would be wrong if the iPhone turns out to be another platform, similar to, but more powerful than the iPod.

Think of a device that you can make do just about anything the iPod can do, and more. The iPhone's interfaces and built-in sensors are clues. With WiFi and Bluetooth syncing to more powerful systems is a cinch, and all of the capabilities those systems have would be at your fingertips, anywhere. But that's nothing.

Someone at Intel has the right idea. Maybe after you take a look at the I've Seen The Future video Intel has put together you'll start to see where the iPhone, and Apple, might be heading. (Note: Video is in .wmv format, you may need a QuickTime plug-in, like flip4mac to run it)

Computer, Ultra-Mobile PC, and Personal Device all "merged".

After seeing the devices featured in the video I started wondering where do I sign up.

Maybe a better question would be; How much will the service cost?

The technology behind the devices in the Intel video is very doable, and at a reasonably affordable price. The iPhone is possibly a first step in that plausible future where mobile and home systems do more than sync, they seamlessly merge, where devices help you to connect to other devices in your world to make them personal, and help us be connected to others in ways we never thought possible.

But all of that connectivity comes at a price, nobody's going to just give it away.

For instance, Cingular, now The New AT&T, will likely require a data plan with the purchase of an iPhone, a charge of about $20 to $45, depending on the plan and features you choose, and this is in addition to the voice plan you have. Not cheap.

So, along with the technology, innovations in service must also be offered. There are signs that some of that is starting to happen. For instance, you can get unlimited� voice, long distance, and more importantly Internet and email access, along with other services from the spunky cellphone start-up, MetroPCS, for only US$50 a month!

I don't know if MetroPCS has service as good as the other carriers, but I do know that $50 a month is at least 1/2 of what I'll be paying a month for time-limited voice and data access. �

Apparently, there is room for innovation in the cell phone service offerings, and I sincerely hope that someone at Cingular/AT&T comes out with a plan that won't hinder Apple's technology. I can't wait forever to some of those gadgets in the Intel video.

I say bring the iPhone and the let the future begin, but at a reasonable price.



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