Say goodbye to Net Neutrality, folks. The FTC just released an NIE of sorts, detailing the whole history of Net Neutrality and why, ultimately, the agency does not support the concept. Yes, our glorious leaders in Washington have decided that it’s a good idea to let The Market decide what’s best for all of us. All bow before the Invisible Hand.
The FTC came out against Net Neutrality because:
Policy makers should be wary of enacting regulation solely to prevent prospective harm to consumer welfare, particularly given the indeterminate effects on such welfare of potential conduct by broadband providers and the law enforcement structures that already exist
This report isn’t law or anything, but it’s kinda lame to see our officials genuflect before the Almighty Telecos. I wonder if it has anything to do with how much money the industry gives to Congress. Nah, couldn’t be.
FTC Nixes Net Neutrality [Consumer Affairs via Digg]
Nuts to the Apple store on Fifth Avenue. The Apple store in SoHo is where it’s at. (And, incidentally, where Peter and I will be for the actual launch. Woo!) The line wraps all the way around the block and the NYPD officers guarding it look absolutely thrilled to be there. And look at these two dudes, playing table tennis to pass the time. I’m sure that’s a metaphor for something. Something sinister.
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Back on June 20, I reported that there’d be new, slimmer MacBooks coming in October that along with being made from new materials would also feature some “speeds and feeds” updates to the internal components. Today, another “trusted source” told us this was correct and added that the iPhone’s multi-touch technology is theoretically supposed to roll out with all the new laptops, including those coming out in October. The feature will be built into the touchpads, allowing you to navigate through your notebook’s files, applications, etc. the same way you can on the iPhone. (Yes, I know you can already scroll with them, that’s nothing new. I’m talking about all the other finger gestures that can be done on the iPhone’s screen.)
There’s no reason to believe that Apple isn’t capable of adding this functionality and it would definitely be a sweet addition. Just having it for flipping though your iTunes Library and for zooming in on photos or docs or sites would be great. Here’s hoping this comes true.
Newsweek’s Steven Levy gets manhandled by someone who apparently wanted his mic on Fox News today. Levy, the lucky dog, actually had an iPhone and speculation was rife that he was getting his stuff stoled.
Don’t be fooled by Apple, AT&T and their luscious iPhone. The Verizon Wireless store on Broadway in SoHo is clearly jumping. Any minute now, an old man will go in there and ask what a “text message” is and how his daughter ran up his phone bill. Then the clerk will cry.
iPhoneeee
We’re filing this one under insane, creepy, interesting, telling, and WTF. You’ve possibly heard of the WWE murder/suicide of the week, featuring popular WWE superstar Chris Benoit and his family. Yah, it’s not gadgety, but it’s about Wikiepedia, and if you like, then you’ll love!
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Mere minutes until the iPhone’s launch, Apple lifted the veil on some of the iPhone accessories. They’re exactly what you’d expect: a Bluetooth headset, a dock and dock adapters, TTY adapters, stereo headsets, etc. There’s also a USB power adapter, which, according to Verizon, you’ll need to buy ASAP.
Apple also debuted its “Works with iPhone” label. Just like the similar iPod label, you’ll need to see this logo, for which I’m sure Apple charges a nice royalty for, in order to make sure that the accessory you’re buying works with the iPhone.
iPhone Accessories [Apple]
This is it. Today’s the day when every angel gets its wings. Some of us will be covering the New York madness, such as it is, but let’s not forget some of the other cities suckered into Apple Fest ‘07. For instance, in that great liberal crack den known as San Francisco, a “comedy circus group” (ugh) has set up a mini golf course and we’re also receiving reports about a man, possibly more than one, in a suit who is standing in the line. At last check he had a MacBook Pro on his person.
There’s also reports of clowns spewing iPhone propaganda. He must be a gadget blogger.
Apple Store San Fran iPhone line already a three-ring circus [AppleInsider]
The iPhone drops today. If you didn’t know, you’re probably dead and aren’t reading this anyway. If you did know, hopefully you’ve been reading our roundup of early reviews. One thing in particular has caught my eye but has been the subject of very little gratuitous blathering speculation: the iPhone’s headphone jack.
Think you’re going to use the iPhone as an iPod with your fancy aftermarket headphones? Think different(ly). But is this a missed moneymaking opportunity for Apple, or a sign of hidden secret just beyond the horizon?
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Now this is an interesting little bugger. It’s an SSH application for the iPhone written in Ajax and available for download onto your favorite servers. Back when I used to be a sysadmin I always looked for SSH implementations for my portable devices. Not having one was usually a dealbreaker. I wouldn’t call this an ideal solution — it could be rife with insecurity — but it’s the coolest iPhone app I’ve seen in a while.
App Page via Skippy
DemystifyingDigital is a new feature written by Dan Havlik, editor of DemystifyingDigital.com
As much as we love all the bells and whistles they’re putting on digital cameras these days (how could we live without our optical image stabilization?), a lot of features are so hard to figure out that most camera buyers don’t even bother. That’s why it’s refreshing when manufacturers actually put some real world R&D into their products and come up with cameras designed for regular people to use. Below are some of our favorite new and easy point-and-shoot models that you don’t need to a degree from the Brooks Institute to figure out.
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Did you just get your iPhone? Want to put it in a little cozy? Wrappers has 50 of their little iPod condom thingies to give away provided you have proof of iPhone ownership.
Wrappers’ covers are designed for using your Apple iPhone in its natural state. To use your iPhone, you remove the cover.
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Dave at MobileCrunch dug up an interesting comment by his Steve-ness about the iPhone being the third leg in the Apple chair, next to iPod and Mac. During the internal Jobs-note, however, an employee asked if the iPhone would cannibalize the iPod, to which Jobs responded that he’d rather see Apple cannibalize it’s own gear rather than someone else.
So, as Dave points out, that chair is going to have only two legs, if all goes according plan. The resulting chair, it seems, will really suck. Man. These metaphors are trippy.
Free iPhone? [MobileCrunch]
Late last night some AT&T geeks started benchmarking their network speed. Suddenly, after months of sub-standard EDGE speeds, they noticed 200+kbps during most trials, suggesting that someone out there has been tweaking things to make iPhone browsing a little less like pulling teeth.
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A few months ago some of the CG crew were offered a spot on the Huffington Post, which is essentially a big free-for-all that includes work by Henry Rollins and a few other cultural luminaries along with a bunch of media schlubs like me. I decided to talk to their audience about the iPhone, explaining in no uncertain terms that they’d better get their noses out of their Kafka and pay attention. Kind of a dopey read, but fun nonetheless.
Why Everyone Else Should Care About the iPhone [HuffingtonPost]
Today we take a look at Belkin’s new Network USB Hub which claims to be the most easily configured wireless USB hub on the market — you could probably also say it’s the only wireless USB hub on the market.
Basically, Belkin’s software tricks your computer into thinking that it’s connected to a printer or peripheral directly while they are actually hooked up to your router. Sneaky!
Sounds simple right? Let’s check it out…
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Technology seems to improve rapidly as time goes by. Think back to fifteen years ago – ah yes, I can still remember my IBM PS/1. I was drawn to it by its sexy Windows 3.1 operating system and of all things, Paintbrush. That computer system is the reason I am writing this article today, because it sparked my love for technology. But that wasn’t my only childhood love. Another was camping.
Camping isn’t for everyone, but for some, it is hands down the greatest way to get in touch with nature. Way back when, camping meant a tent (maybe), sleeping bags and fresh air. When it came down to food, you ate whatever you could cook over an open fire, if it was cooked at all. But just like the evolution of computers took us from PS/1 to PDA’s, the science of campsite cooking has made giant leaps as well. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the products that will help you cook and grill like you’re at home, all while taking in nature’s beauty.
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The folks over at MY iTablet have hunkered down in front of New York City’s 5th Ave. Apple Store and are sharing their experiences. The hype and attention surrounding the launch of the iPhone is the kind we usually only see for next-gen game consoles when they launch, but for cell phones/MP3 players/PDA’s, this is relatively uncharted territory.
iPhone Camp Out [MY iTablet]
Helio users are lucky people. Besides not being nickel and dimed to death with extra charges that don’t actually cost the carriers anything, they get badass handsets like the Ocean that do pretty much everything, and rate plans that don’t leave them with self doubt in the morning. And things are about to get better.
To be announced Monday, Helio is upgrading its Helio UP service. Currently it’s an online storage locker for photos and video taken with Helio devices. But come midnight tonight, it’s a lot more. Users can upload photos from their phones handsets directly to their Flickr accounts. Likewise, video can be sent straight to YouTube. Coupled with the built-in MySpace support, that is so socially-networkably radical it makes my head hurt like the first time I saw Megafox. Er, Megan. Fox.
It’s unofficial until Monday, so we don’t wanna hear about it if it doesn’t work for you on the first try. But the message is this: Helio is making its already strong offerings stronger, and in all the right ways. If the iPhone’s not your bag, look at the Ocean and at Helio. They’ve got the best hardware/network synergy we’ve seen yet, and they’re making it better all the time.
