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Macworld Expo keynote 2009: What you need to know
We run down the highlights of Apple's final Macworld keynote.
Today marked the historic last Apple-presented keynote at the annual Macworld Convention at San Francisco's Moscone Center. Ever since the company announced its plans to withdraw from future Macworlds, and dropped the news that charismatic CEO Steve Jobs would not even be in attendance, there has been much speculation on what the tone of this last keynote would be like. Apple's Senior VP of Product Marketing, Phil Schiller, took the stage earlier today at noon Eastern Standard Time to announce the latest from the consumer electronics company, and we've rounded up the major highlights after the break.
Macworld '09 keynote highlights
Obsessables: Apple iPhone 3G, Apple, Geotagging, Apple MacBook 2008, Apple iPod Touch, Apple iLife, Apple iWork, Apple MacBook, Apple MacBook Pro, Apple GarageBand '09, Apple iLife '09, Apple iMovie '09, Apple iPhoto '09, Apple iWork '09, Apple Keynote '09, Apple Numbers '09, Apple Pages '09, iWork.com
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iTunes Music Store going DRM-free
Macworld keynote announcements also include price changes and 3G downloads available for iPhone.
Good news from today's Macworld Expo keynote: the iTunes Music Store is finally going DRM-free. You'll no longer be locked into the madness of digital right management when downloading tracks from the store by the end of this quarter — right now 8 of the 10 million songs are available without DRM, with the remainder of the tracks ditching the DRM by the end of March.With tracks reportedly available at higher quality as well, Apple's Senior VP of Product Marketing Phil Schiller also announced new pricing tiers for downloads: $0.69, $0.99, or $1.29. The final update to the iTunes family included the news that the iTunes WiFi Music Store accessible from the iPhone is now simply the same iTunes Music Store accessible from your computer, with high-speed 3G access to the service available from iPhone 3Gs. The new service is reportedly available today — let us know in the comments if you're as psyched as we are about the disappearance of DRM from the iTMS, OK?
Conversations: AppleInsider (3 comments)
, Telegraph Connected , Yahoo! News: Technology News Obsessables: Apple iPhone 3G, Apple, 3G, DRM, Apple iPhone
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BlackBerry Storm: netbook trapped in a smartphone's body?
Research in Motion has seen some good times this year, with a strong trio of QWERTY smartphones and the first clamshell BlackBerry Pearl Flip all making strong splashes. But is it a fair analogy for RIM founder and co-CEO Mike Lazaridis to posit the BlackBerry Storm as being essentially a small netbook? When asked by CNet Asia if he felt netbooks were competitors to the company's line of flagship business handhelds, Lazaridis replied "No, I think I can put Netbooks in here [referring to the BlackBerry Storm]. These are Netbooks. They are just smaller."
We think that what RIM's head honcho is getting at is the digerati's universal and largely unfulfilled desire for some sort of super-portable-yet-full-featured device that perfectly fills the middle ground between cell phone and laptop. The industry has seen myriad experiments in this magical realm dating back to the Apple Newton, and as we get ever closer to the always-on, ubiquitous computing society prophesied by science fiction long before manufacturing fact stepped in, we're seeing that desire manifest in smartphones, netbooks, ultra-portable PCs, PDAs, internet tablets, the often-rumoured Apple tablet seemingly forthcoming any day, and more. But to say explicitly that the BlackBerry Storm is a netbook is a bit of a stretch, no? Smartphones have certainly filled a lot of the raw horsepower gap in recent years but can anyone conscionably consider the Storm an actual (underpowered, but still) laptop replacement? What do you think — true statement, hyperbole, or just wishful thinking?
Conversations: Phone Arena - Latest News
, Engadget (2 comments) , Engadget Mobile , asia.cnet.com Obsessables: BlackBerry Storm 9530, Research In Motion, Netbook, RIM Blackberry
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Reminder: Obsessable needs you!
We're looking for feature writers to add to our team; check out how to apply.
Have a passion for technology and want to share it with others? Do you possess dedication to the writing craft? Put your writing prowess and love for tech to work on Obsessable. We're looking for regular paid feature writers in a number of areas:- Mobile (cell phones, portable media, GPS)
- Digital living room (IPTV, home theater, HTPC, wireless, etc.)
- Mac and Windows computing
- Digital imaging and video
- Software tips and tricks
- Hardware tips and tricks
- Web 2.0 and social media
You don't have to have reams of experience or volumes of bylines, but you should be:
- Able to pitch story ideas
- Able to meet deadlines
- In command of the English language
- Interested in presenting high-level concepts in easy to understand language
To apply, send an email to apply AT obsessable DOT com with a brief background on your experience in technology and writing for the web, your availability and contact information, and 10 sample feature topics relating to personal technology (if you’re pitching us a specific regularly running column, those topics should be unified within your chosen theme). We look forward to hearing from you!
[Image credit: Flickr user Gastev. Used via Creative Commons.]
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BlackBerry hat trick compared: Bold, Storm, Curve
With 3 shiny recent releases from Research in Motion, we thought it high time to put them side by side.
It's a good time to be a BlackBerry fan. With the Bold 9000 in circulation, the Storm recently launched, and the Curve 8900 out seemingly everywhere but the US (aren't we always the last to the party?), fans of RIM's signature business and media-centric devices have some shiny new choices to pick from when shopping for a new smartphone. Even though the Curve probably won't hit US shores until February — sources name February 18 as the release date on T-Mobile — it's still a good time to take stock of the trio of hot offerings on the plate. Be sure to let us know in the comments: if you're thinking of picking up a new BlackBerry in the near future, what's your poison going to be?
The best things come in threes...
Obsessables: RIM BlackBerry Bold 9000, BlackBerry Curve 8900, BlackBerry Storm 9530, Research In Motion, BlackBerry Curve, RIM Blackberry
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Track Santa's progress on your phone, Google Earth, Twitter
Google and NORAD team up to follow Mr. Claus's 24-hour journey around the world.
In what has been an annual tradition since 1955, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is teaming up with search giant Google (who joined the fun in 2004) to visually track Santa's 24-hour journey around the world today. Google engineer Brian McClendon reflects on the history of the tradition on Google's blog and describes some of the updates to the Santa Tracker in 2008, including geo-located photos from Panoramio viewable in Google Maps and the ability to keep tabs on Kris Kringle's progress on your cell phone via Google Maps for mobile; simply activate the service and search for "norad santa." You can also get updates from one of his elfish minions on Twitter by following @noradsanta, and check out the full multimedia experience including YouTube videos from the Santa Cam by downloading Google Earth and a custom santa.kml file provided by Google.
Conversations: ReadWriteWeb
, Just Another Mobile Phone Blog , geeksugar , Lifehacker , CNET News.com , Webware.com (1 comment) , CrackBerry , Google Mobile Blog Obsessables: Google, Google Earth, Google Maps, Twitter, YouTube
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E-book readers lineup
Electronic book readers are gaining in popularity; we compare the major offerings side by side.
Electronic book readers are all the rage these days, with the recent sellout of Oprah's favorite, the Amazon Kindle, testifying to their growing popularity. With the Kindle 2 not due out until 2009, what are your remaining options in the electronic book reader department? We put the major currently-available offerings side by side for this comparator, including the Kindle for reference. Keep an eye out as well for new devices on the horizon in 2009 to fill the growing demand for E-book reading, including the FoxIt eSlick due out in January and the Plastic Logic Reader coming in the second quarter of next year.
Read about the readers (so meta!)
Obsessables: Amazon, Astak, iRex, Sony, E-ink, Amazon Kindle, iRex iLiad Book Edition, Sony Reader PRS-505, Sony Reader PRS-700, iRex Digital Reader 1000, Bookeen Cybook Gen3, Astak EZ Reader, iRex iLiad 2nd edition, iRex iLiad, Sony Reader
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Obsessable cell phones directory
We've rounded up our cell phone features and pointers to our browseable phone profiles in one destination for easy reference.
Welcome to the Obsessable cell phones directory. We'll keep this page updated as we add more original features and comparators, and as the ever-changing landscape of cell phone trends shifts. If you're a phone aficionado, be sure to check back often for what's hot in mobile.
What's hot in phones?
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Top portable media players under $150
Looking for a great deal in the MP3 player department? Great tunes don't have to break the bank.
Looking for an MP3 player on the cheap? Spending less doesn't always mean sacrificing quality. We chose 10 great values in the portable media player category for under $150. Did we miss a great deal? Let us know in the comments.
Related features
- Portable media player holiday roundup
- Our three-part guide series on MP3 players
- Holiday Gift Guide 2008
Obsessables: Apple, Creative, iriver, Microsoft, Samsung, SanDisk, Sony, Apple iPod shuffle, Apple iPod nano, Microsoft Zune 8, SanDisk Sansa Fuze, Sony Walkman NWZ-S738F, Creative Zen Mozaic, iRiver Clix Gen2, Samsung S3 Slim, SanDisk Sansa Clip, Samsung T10, Apple iPod, Creative Zen, iRiver Clix, Microsoft Zune, Samsung YP series, Sony Walkman
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Obsessable is looking for feature writers
Passionate about tech and want to share it? Join the Obsessable team!
Have a passion for technology and want to share it with others? Do you possess dedication to the writing craft? Obsessable needs you! We're looking for regular feature writers in a number of areas:
- Mobile
- Digital living room (IPTV, home theater, HTPC, wireless, etc.)
- Mac computing
- Windows computing
- Digital imaging and video
- Software tips and tricks
- Hardware tips and tricks
- Web 2.0 and social media
You don't have to have reams of experience or volumes of bylines, but you should be:
- Able to pitch story ideas
- Able to meet deadlines
- In command of the English language
- Interested in presenting high-level concepts in easy to understand language
To apply, send an email to apply AT obsessable DOT com with a brief background on your experience in technology and writing for the web, your availability and contact information, and 10 sample feature topics relating to personal technology (if you’re pitching us a specific regularly running column, those topics should be unified within your chosen theme). We look forward to hearing from you!
