Phun with iPhone

I love the Washington Post... totally understating Friday's launch:

















Also, check out this probably soon-to-be ex-Apple employee trying to impress chicks at a Silicon Valley party this weekend (thanks Cult of Mac):

iPhone: More info than ever before!

The latest iPhone demo video on the Apple website brings us more info than ever about this little beastie I like to call "Christmas 2006" (since I hoarded Apple gift cards since then to pay for the sucker)... looks like it has an intuitive interface and should make you the king of all geek gatherings. Also, I suspect it would be a cool thing to whip out at a bar next to the hot woman or man you're trying to start a conversation with... "why, yes! this IS an iPhone..."

Of course, my girlfriend is almost certainly already sick of me speaking of my soon-to-be new phone. I'll have to stick with impressing the geek gathering...

iPhone... seriously, some day I may stop posting about it

I'm out in the country enjoying a semi-vacation, but I can't help to post... again... about the latest iPhone news. Glass surface and an 8 hour talk-time battery!

Um, yeah... news, sort of. The real question I pose to myself (apparently publicly now) is whether I'm going to be one of the sad suckers camping out to get one of these beauties. After a very nice gift from the girl, I now I have Apple gift cards aplenty to cover the cost. But a first generation electronic device? Isn't there some rule that only suckers buy those, considering the price comes down and the quality goes way up a mere few months later?

This is my disease. Apple knows it... so does Nike, I think. In any event, assuming I have the iPhone next Friday, you better believe I'll be blogging about it...

Site refurb

Made a few changes to the site this afternoon... mostly cosmetic behind the scenes coding stuff, so I won't bore you with the details. Check out the new contact page... we're bicoastal now!

Making the microphone upgrade

You've started to podcast, and you were smart... you used the built-in microphone in your computer or you bought an inexpensive USB mic. You like it... it's not a fad. Let's make your show sound better with a microphone upgrade!

The best mics for recording your voice are condenser microphones. The sound is simply warmer and more professional. I could go all geeky and explain how and why these sound better, but quite frankly that's some other guy's blog...

A couple of suggestions:

The Samson C01U... this mic sounds great and it has the added advantage of plugging right into your computer directly with USB. It has great sound, and it's relatively inexpensive for what you get... usually around $90.

The Samson is great if you only have one person. If you have a multi-person podcast where everyone is in the same room, it's time to go to a multi-mic setup. The problem with the Samson for this is really a problem with USB... you can only have one sound input for the vast majority of computers, so even if you have multiple USB ports, the computer can only handle one mic at a time.

The solution? A mixer... this is a device that sits outside of your computer that takes in multiple audio devices (i.e. more than one mic!) and mixes it all together into one signal that goes into your computer. I use a Behringer mixer and Behringer condenser microphones for the bulk of my multi-mic setups. The microphones need what is called "phantom power" from the mixer to work properly, and my mixer has phantom power for two mics. That's a good starting point for most podcasters, unless you have some zany morning zoo crew kind of show with 74 people in the room. Good luck to you on that... but I digress.

For beginners, I suggest a mixer that connects to the USB port of your computer. There are several good ones, but I like the Alesis best. That will run you about $100-150. Next, you'll need some mics... I like the Behringer's I use (<$50), but there are some other good inexpensive ones by Samson as well (about $70). You'll need to get some XLR cables for the mics... they connect to the mixer and power the mics... they'll run $10-15 apiece (and you can get them from your local Radio Shack or online).

As Steve Jobs would say.... boom! You've got an upgraded mic setup for pretty cheap. You'll be amazed how much better your show sounds with better mics!

iPhone email: more nothing

Details... we'd like some details. So far Apple has done a great job of telling consumers the exact same thing about the iPhone... over and over again. How much will the iPhone service plan cost? What's the contract details? Nothing. For those of us who kind of care about operating cost, particularly considering the high price tag of the iPhone, it's starting to get a bit old.

In any event... here's the latest info from Apple as it appeared in my mailbox:

iPhone arrives on June 29. iPhone features an amazing mobile phone, is the best iPod we've ever created, and puts the Internet in your pocket with desktop-class email, web browsing, searching, and maps. And iPhone makes it all easy to use with its revolutionary multi-touch user interface. iPhone syncs with your PC or Mac just like an iPod, so organizing your content now will help you start calling, texting, emailing, surfing, listening, and watching even faster when you get your iPhone. Here are a few suggestions to help you get ready:

Making a call with iPhone is as simple as tapping a name. You won't need to re-enter all your contacts because iPhone syncs with the address book you already use on your computer—Address Book or Entourage on a Mac, or Outlook or Outlook Express on a PC. If you keep your contacts on the web using Yahoo! Address Book, iPhone can sync with them, too. To get ready for iPhone, organize your contacts in one of these applications and make sure they're up to date with the latest phone numbers and email addresses. If you don't have contacts on your computer, don't worry. You can still enter them directly into iPhone.

Using its built-in calendar, iPhone lets you check your appointments with the flick of a finger. iPhone uses iTunes to sync with the calendar application you already use on your computer—iCal or Entourage on the Mac, or Outlook on a PC—just like it does with your contacts. If you don't already use one of these applications to manage your appointments, now is a great time to start, so you'll be ready to sync when your iPhone arrives. If you choose not to use a calendar program, that's OK. You'll be able to enter appointments directly into the iPhone calendar.

iPhone is the first phone to come with a desktop-class email application. So now your phone can display rich HTML email with graphics and photos alongside the text. iPhone will even fetch your latest email every time you open the application and automatically retrieve your email on a set schedule, just like a computer does. iPhone works with the most popular email systems—including Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, AOL, and .Mac Mail. If you're not already using one of these services, now would be a great time to get an account. iTunes will make email setup on iPhone a breeze by automatically syncing the settings from email accounts stored in Mail on a Mac or Outlook on a PC. Don't worry if you're not on one of these email services; iPhone also works with almost any industry-standard POP3 and IMAP email system.

iPhone has a 2-megapixel camera and a gorgeous 3.5-inch display, so it's a great way to enjoy and show off your digital photos. iPhone uses iTunes to sync your photos from iPhoto on a Mac or Adobe Photoshop Elements, Adobe Photoshop Album, or any picture folder on a PC. You can carry thousands of photos on iPhone, but you can start by creating an album or two with 50 to 100 of your favorite photos, so that when you first sync your iPhone, you'll be ready to quickly show off some of your best shots.

iPhone is the best iPod ever. Its beautiful, 3.5-inch widescreen display allows you to easily enjoy the music, TV shows, and movies you have in your iTunes library. If you already use iTunes, you can start getting ready for iPhone by creating a playlist of a few hundred of your favorite songs. If you don't have iTunes, now is a good time to download it and start a music and video library. That way, when you sync your iPhone with iTunes, you'll be able to take your favorite music, as well as a few of your TV shows and movies, with you wherever you go.

To set up your iPhone, you'll need an account with Apple's iTunes Store. If you already have an iTunes account, make sure you know your account name and password. If you don't have an account, you should set one up now to save time later. To set up an account, launch iTunes, select the iTunes Store, and click the Sign In button in the upper right corner of iTunes. Sign in and you're ready to go.

WWDC keytnote a yawner?

Maybe Apple is getting too good at building excitement... the reviews on the Steve Jobs keynote yesterday are a bit mixed. I think there were a few interesting things (the iPhone info and the fact that Apple is releasing a version of its Safari web browser in Windows) but overall it was a little flat.

With that ringing endorsement... check it out here.