give it 6 months and that 16GB memory will at least double. If only flash wasnt so expensive.

the nice thing is I'll be able to read LGF from it. It has a full-blown Safari browser built-in.

Gadget lust is only secondary to real lust...

I've had a ppc for years, so this ain't that sexxah to me

i don't want one.

Bought an IPod with a 30GB of storage. Put nearly everyone of my albums on it and have 28.25GB left. Would love to put some of the movies on it (without a whole lot of time involved in translating them to a format IPods understand).

Great.

iPorn.

OT: after the obligatory on-topic remark, I will use this comment to promote a petition that I think is EXTREMELY worthwhile:

You all remember the Mohammad Al-Dura Video that inflamed the Intifada in 2000 and beyond?

Well, the original unedited tapes are being kept under wraps by the France2 media. There is now a petition going around to request that the original tapes be made public.

I link to it here (via Augean Stables / also breathofthebeast):

-------------------------------------------------- ------

please sign the petition mentioned here

Please sign the petition and send it to everyone. Philippe Karsenty’s appeal trial is coming up and this petition is part of an effort to pressure France2 and the Justice system.

To Patrick de Carolis, France2 Television

France2: Release the Secret Muhammad al Durah Tapes!

People around the world who depend on the media for reliability, accuracy, and transparency in reporting, demand that France2 release the unedited video tapes (”rushes”) that its Palestinian cameraman, Talal abu Rahmah, sent them on September 30 and October 1, 2000 from Gaza.

On September 30, 2000, your Middle East correspondent Charles Enderlin, broadcast a story about Muhammad al-Durah, a 12-year old Palestinian boy. Using the footage and the testimony from his cameraman, Talal abu Rahmah, Enderlin reported that Israeli soldiers had targeted and killed the boy. That allegation of deliberate murder spread instantaneously around the world.

Extensive doubts have emerged about almost every claim of this explosive report, and they raise serious questions about both the journalistic integrity of the cameraman and the professional judgment of his employer, your correspondent Charles Enderlin.

As a result, the raw footage France2 received from Talal abu Rahmah represent key evidence in this crucial case.

But instead of releasing the tapes, your institution has responded to criticism of your correspondent’s broadcast by suing French citizens for defamation and keeping the tapes secret for nearly seven years now.

If France2 reports the news responsibly and uses reliable cameramen, you have nothing to hide. Show the tapes and let the public judge.

Whatever political or religious beliefs we hold, whatever we now think about what happened on September 30, 2000, we, the undersigned, believe that all the victims and all of their loved ones – on both sides of the terrible war for which Muhammad al-Durah’s image served as the icon – deserve that this evidence at last be shown.

We, the undersigned, respectfully, but firmly, request that France2 release all the tapes for September 30 and October 1, 2000 for public inspection immediately.

Sincerely,

I think I will stick with my Zen and Bose headphones!

Wifi?! ... No WIMAX?

That's silliness

Da-da-da-da-da!
Inspect your gadget ...

Mmmm, pod lust.

Early OT, but I gotta strike while the iron's hot, because I think it's worthy: from previous thread, the link from #141 bikermailman:

"Undercover in Little Morroco"

I object to technogadgets because they're obsolete in months. Keeping a running computer is costly enough.

So Charles is this a hint for Christmas?

I know that many people out there love their IPODS but I do not have any inclination to even own one. I do not see any need to have one.

My apologizes to all the IPOD lovers out there.

Gads..now my husband will want one.

The iPhone is pretty cool, particularly because they are able to make moderately complex things totally intuitive. That's their strength. On the other hand, I think they need to integrate Wifi, multi-region 3G and GPS and have a better way of dealing with changing a battery. Oh, and offer an unlocked unbranded version, too.

To my mind, the HTC TyTn II phone is the phone to beat, although I like the Nokia N95 (with A-GPS!) too.

The really cool thing about the ipod is that you don't have the whip out cd's or carry them - especially when you have a ton of cd's. It's really handy in that regard.

re: #15 Killgore Trout

I object to technogadgets because they're obsolete in months. Keeping a running computer is costly enough.

Amen. planned obsolescence has devastated our economy since the VCR...Thanks an effing lot Japan!

I should buy an iPod and steal the music?

I'd much rather do it the other way around.

re: #18 Steve

I know that many people out there love their IPODS but I do not have any inclination to even own one. I do not see any need to have one.

My apologizes to all the IPOD lovers out there.

I didn't think I would like it either until the kids got me one for my birthday a year ago, now it's an inseparable part of me, even though I have the same capabilities (up to 2gig of tunes per mini sdram card, I have four) on my phone.

The only part I miss is the way I set up the phone chips for moods... but if I weren't thoroughly lazy I could do the same with song lists on the Ipod. It does make buying music and synching to device over the net painless.

re: #18 Steve

I know that many people out there love their IPODS but I do not have any inclination to even own one. I do not see any need to have one.

My apologizes to all the IPOD lovers out there.

I have 3.

*grins*

An oldie but a goodie.

I Have An iPod–In My Mind

I'm sure you've seen a lot of tech-savvy people smugly showing off that new hunk of entertainment hardware, the iPod personal stereo. Well, I might not have the scratch to get one, but frankly, I don't want the white-corded wonder. I have my very own iPod—in my mind.

I hear those little things carry up to a month's worth of music. Well, so does my mind. I can call up any song I've ever heard, any time I want. And I never have to load software or charge batteries.

cont.

No envy here. I wanna 20 foot Boston Whaler with a 150 hp Mercury engine, cooler filled with beer, and a school of blues breaking on the surface.

re: #21 song_and_dance_man

re: #18 Steve

My apologizes to all the IPOD lovers out there.

You mean the iPod People?

people, lovers, whatever!

Today on the Senate floor, New York's Senator Schumer slandered the American military when he stated:

The violence in Anbar has gone down despite the surge, not because of the surge. The inability of American soldiers to protect these tribes from al Qaeda, said to these tribes: "We have to fight al Qaeda ourselves."

Here's a video of the ultimate gadget -- the Wimax Nokia Mustang

re: #31 EC Marm

No envy here. I wanna 20 foot Boston Whaler with a 150 hp Mercury engine, cooler filled with beer, and a school of blues breaking on the surface.

I'll settle for a 17footer with a 90hp yamahamer 4 stroker...screw the Merc..don't hold up in salt water!

re: #5 Perplexed

Bought an IPod with a 30GB of storage. Put nearly everyone of my albums on it and have 28.25GB left. Would love to put some of the movies on it (without a whole lot of time involved in translating them to a format IPods understand).

LOL, same here.

I have the 'soundtrack of my life' on my IPod with room to spare.

I can't figure out if I have too much IPod or just don't have much of a life.

:-(

Now I know why Apple is giving away free ipods with purchase of a macbook (for students).

Apple and Starbucks? It dispenses coffee, too?!

re: #27 Thanos

You cna get a comparable product that is less expensive form Creative Labs if you really feel the need to own one. That is if someone does not purchase one for you.

[Link: www.creative.com...]

re: #24 paxnhymn

I'm not sure if it's ruining or running our economy. I can't tell.

re: #38 buzzsawmonkey
"Nobody throws me my own gun and tells me to run"
One of my all time favorite movie lines.

If it wasn't for the libs in the MSM artificially keeping crApple alive with all the free advertising, they would've been relegated to the tech scrapheap of history by now. Good grief, and this blog with its nauseating fawning over the I-Phone...now this thing...enough already!

They should just paint the thing gold and write "Kallisti" on it.

#35 paxnhymn , #31 EC Marm

I'm going to buy a boat next year when I move out to the coast. I'll have to hit you guys up for advice when the time comes. I know nothing about boats.

Gadget lust? Really? I guess she just isn't my type.

/couldn't care less about an iPod

It's awesome because Apple doesn't mess around when designing excellent products that do what they should, do it well (I've never used their tech or customer support in the decade I've been using their stuff), and do it for a long time. But before I get this, I'll get an iPhone, which has everything in this and more. Before I get an iPhone, I'll be getting the new iMac, though (after Leopard is released and the chip speed goes up, presumably by Christmas). I'd get a Power Mac, but I'm on a student budget.

re: #38 buzzsawmonkey

re: #33 rab3

I prefer to think of the native participation against Al Qaeda as being equivalent to the penultimate scene in The Magnificent Seven, where the peasants who had earlier sold out the Seven to Calvera for fear of their lives and families finally joined in with anything they could lay their hands on.

Yea, that is a perfect analogy. It's just hearing him say it just unbelieveable. I sense an appology coming. Got to go my son want the computer back. Hey who's in charge here.

re: #36 markx

re: #5 Perplexed

Bought an IPod with a 30GB of storage. Put nearly everyone of my albums on it and have 28.25GB left. Would love to put some of the movies on it (without a whole lot of time involved in translating them to a format IPods understand).

LOL, same here.

I have the 'soundtrack of my life' on my IPod with room to spare.

I can't figure out if I have too much IPod or just don't have much of a life.

:-(

In my case it has to do with too little life.

Perplexed life program:

10 eat
20 work
30 sleep
40 goto10
50 vacation
60 goto10

But you say. there's no way to get to vacation.

re: #40 Killgore Trout
you tell me...how many wasted pieces of plastic & metal have you had to donate to Goodwill or shitcan over the last 20 years? Whose pocket do you think that obsolete hardware came out of? wouldn't you like to have just half of the cost of parts on those clunkers? Planned obsolesence...because someone out there knows we'll consume until we're extinct!

My daughter wants one. Fortunately, she has a job.

re: #43 Der Hirn Fanger

If it wasn't for the libs in the MSM artificially keeping crApple alive with all the free advertising, they would've been relegated to the tech scrapheap of history by now. Good grief, and this blog with its nauseating fawning over the I-Phone...now this thing...enough already!

They should just paint the thing gold and write "Kallisti" on it.

Envy. It will bring you down.

Apple is an awesome company that should be an example for all US companies.

Set the standard higher and higher boys!

I wish the Big 3 automakers were this far ahead of the competition.

re: #39 Steve

Zen`s are great,just drag and drop to load everything on it,none of the hassles of ipods!

re: #44 Killgore Trout

you got it. The hull means everything! You can always replace a motor...hulls stay with you for decades, and it depends on the local waters and what you wanna do!

Come on Charles, you should know by now the iPhone sucks:

[Link: www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net...]

Heh.™

re: #55 gibsonz

re: #39 Steve

Zen`s are great,just drag and drop to load everything on it,none of the hassles of ipods!

Get a program called EPHPOD to easily move your audio files around inside of the IPod environment.

Steve Jobs sure knows how to make his products that people lust for...

I am thinking I wanna an iPod Touch...imagine being able to browse on the web on an iPod!

re: #25 buzzsawmonkey

I remember my music teacher commenting that since people now had music almost everywhere they go, they would begin to take it for granted, and no longer see it as something special. She was afraid that music would lose its value.
That was 1959. She was talking about Muzak in grocery stores.

JWM

the price of the iPhone has been reduced ... by $200.

well, we knew that was going to happen...... Apple always drops the price after a product has been out for a coupla months.

re: #51 buzzsawmonkey
I don't think Schumer would understand it.
Well it's time to go home. Every body have a wonderful evening.

re: #59 buzzsawmonkey

ohhhh. A white knuckle toilet experience, eh?

:-D

re: #43 Der Hirn Fanger

If it wasn't for the libs in the MSM artificially keeping crApple alive with all the free advertising, they would've been relegated to the tech scrapheap of history by now.

At the risk of rekindling the titanic conflict between Apple/Mac and PC/Win users, next to which the conflict between Islam and the non-Muslim world is mere peanuts, I wish to note how well this fits into the MSM's "Strong Is Wrong; Plight Makes Right" stance.

Namely: have you noticed that, if you take the same underhanded corporate practice, the cries of condemnation ("Evil Empire! Darth Gates!") go through the roof when Microsoft does it, while a nod of understanding and sympathy ("It's a beleaguered but hip and cool company trying to make ends meet in a dog-eat-dog world") is seen when Apple does the same thing?

That's the essence of Leftthink: don't look at the facts, just consider the initial status; if a big and strong agent is involved, then roast and lambaste mercilessly, but if an "underdog" does it, then sympathize and aid and abet.

re: #48 rab3

I'd go with Seven Samurai, but that's personal preference.

Bring on the effing debate! Fred! Either get in our stay out and stop effing with people!

re: #57 William

Funny.

Of course you know, without Apple, you would be looking at a monochrome green screen with text only - no pictures.

Man I loved DOS.

/

So, Charles, is that your hand?

re: #3 Thanos

Gadget lust is only secondary to real lust...

I've had a ppc for years, so this ain't that sexxah to me

Thanos -

For the MALE approximately 50% of the population - Tech - Lust is secondary ONLY to REAL LUST. All y'all women correct me if I am wrong.

-S-

Sorry Charles, I was prompted to download the latest version of QuickTime to view the video. Did it twice and it continues to ask me to download the latest version to view the video after going thru the motions twice. I give it up to the Mac/Microsoft wars that I can claim a "victim status" defense.

PS: I run Vista Home Premium on a more than capable machine using IE7.

re: #68 Racer X

re: #57 William

Funny.

Of course you know, without Apple, you would be looking at a monochrome green screen with text only - no pictures.

Man I loved DOS.

/

I went with DRDOS once I found out about it. Paid full price for every version of that operating system.

re: #68 Racer X

re: #57 William

Funny.

Of course you know, without Apple, you would be looking at a monochrome green screen with text only - no pictures.

Man I loved DOS.

/

Well, at least it DOS was really REALLY easy to hack. Not that I WOULD - or DID - hack...

OT: to submit a question for tonight 9pm edt debate on FoxNews Channel, email to Debate@Foxnews.com

re: #44 Killgore Trout

I'm going to buy a boat next year when I move out to the coast. I'll have to hit you guys up for advice when the time comes. I know nothing about boats.

Nothing like a Boston Whaler as a fishing platform. They're pricey but they hold their value. I had a Mercury outboard in salt water and it took 20 years before the lower unit finally failed on the second owner.

#43 Der Hirn Fanger

What are you talking about? Apple lives on its own merits IN SPITE of the press (especially the computer media!). The only reason they exist is they bring innovative ideas to market in products people want to buy. And they have a clear history of doing so, being responsible for several quantum leaps in the personal computer/electronics industry.

However, I am disgusted that AlGore's on the board of directors. *That* makes me hesitate to buy Apple products.

re: #71 GeeWiz

Try turning off your firewall before doing the download.

re: #49 Perplexed

LOL!

/remembers the days of Basic programming

Buy, I need my job...

My company supplies Apple with components, that are in just about everything Apple sells.

Support your fellow lizard ;-)

They'll be here in no time.

Give 'em six months.

re: #68 Racer X

Racer X -

I call BS - Apple STOLE the GUI from XEROX. That is ALL!

-S-

I love my iPhone. Can read LGF anywhere, anytime. And comment.

I think Steve Jobs is spying on me through my Mac. Every time I think "I wish Apple would make thus and such" -- for example, "I wish Apple would make a non-phone version of the iPhone" -- Apple comes out with the thing I was thinking about. It's getting creepy...(Oh, and my dog is spying on me for the Russians. Keep it to yourselves, okay?)

That's the one thing about Apple that cheezes me big time. I just bought a new iPod last week, you would think that someone would have mentioned this.....

Has the debate started?

re: #77 Perplexed

Thanks for the info but I think the content of the video may not be worth the effort.

/ a snark attack against Mac

re: #33 rab3

Schumer owes the military an apology, but I know none will be forthcoming.

And in a twist of fate - the DSCC is one of the biggest receivers of Hsu's money. Will they be giving it to charity, or will they keep it. I suspect they'll be keeping the money.

Schumer heads the DSCC.

the price of the iPhone has been reduced ... by $200.

That's huge, and I bet they're going to kick pattootie because of it. I'd buy one, if I weren't already invested in a new phone (1-1/2 years to go) although I'd have to engage in a bit of cognitive dissonance to do it, knowing what a flaming white hot liberal Steve Jobs is.

re: #83 buzzsawmonkey

"buzz" -

Was it running through your head - or an I-Pod/Mp3 player?

-S-

re: #67 paxnhymn

Bring on the effing debate! Fred! Either get in our stay out and stop effing with people!

I'm not worried. This crap of debating sock puppet snowmen two years before election day is for the Dems. It's kind of a Reaganesque aspect to not be too anxious or do too much.

re: #76 jonturner

Apple lives on its own merits IN SPITE of the press (especially the computer media!). The only reason they exist is they bring innovative ideas to market in products people want to buy.

You really need to get out of Steve Jobs' reality distortion field a little.

I think their products are decent--decent, but hyped. Masters of raising form over substance.

And they have a clear history of doing so, being responsible for several quantum leaps in the personal computer/electronics industry.

Popularizers of Xerox PARC inventions, I agree. And quick to rush to court to stop anyone else doing the same (the "look and feel" lawsuit over the graphical user interface that was, thankfully, thrown out in the end).

I did, sorta.

re: #74 fearless freep

OT: to submit a question for tonight 9pm edt debate on FoxNews Channel, email to Debate@Foxnews.com

Fred Thompson has asked Ed of Captain Quarters to have his bloggers submit questions that he will answer on his blog. Might want to keep your eyes on Ed's blog to participate.

A few years ago I started ripping my CDs to my PC using iTunes. 500 in I realized I was doing it in Apple's format! I ended up having to buy iPods for the kids. Then I bought them Shuffles to use when the iPods were in for repair. (I think I had one for myself at one point but gave it away.) Anyway I gave up on anything with a hard drive. It's better to do a bit of data shuffling rather than deal with the constant repairs.

re: #88 Thanos

Not yet. Fox says it will be streaming: Watch the GOP Debate on FOXNews.com

#99 addendum
Ron Paul!

re: #76 jonturner

#43 Der Hirn Fanger

What are you talking about? Apple lives on its own merits IN SPITE of the press (especially the computer media!). The only reason they exist is they bring innovative ideas to market in products people want to buy. And they have a clear history of doing so, being responsible for several quantum leaps in the personal computer/electronics industry.

However, I am disgusted that AlGore's on the board of directors. *That* makes me hesitate to buy Apple products.

Few years back when Apple hardware was getting long in the tooth, the Copeland OS was declared dead and Scully had just been bounced everyone was declaring Apple DOA. Slight problem with the theory, they had $2 billion in cash reserves. They spent a bunch on R&D and the iMac, OSX and the iPod resulted.

Is there anything special about Apple Hardware the thing that set them apart is the industrial design and the user interface.

re: #88 Thanos

Has the debate started?

8:30 EST

As typically happens when Apple releases a great new product, and omits the anti-gravity feature, the stock tanked today. That's when I add to my AAPL holdings.

-jcr

Open the iPod Bay Doors HAL.

"You like your Macintosh better than me, don't you Dave. Dave?"

My all time favorite Apple commercial.

re: #90 lawhawk

re: #33 rab3

Schumer owes the military an apology, but I know none will be forthcoming.

And in a twist of fate - the DSCC is one of the biggest receivers of Hsu's money. Will they be giving it to charity, or will they keep it. I suspect they'll be keeping the money.

Schumer heads the DSCC.

I've got some speculation up over at my place -- I think Hsu's victim's ought to sue the campaign funds for their money.

re: #82 Dr. Shalit

re: #68 Racer X

Racer X -

I call BS - Apple STOLE the GUI from XEROX. That is ALL!

-S-

Haha!

To hear Xerox tell it they invented everything related to the computer!

In reality they may have - but they gave away the really valuable stuff and kept worthless technology.

re: #55 gibsonz

I found my son's to be that easy and they are a whole lot less expensive then IPODS.

re: #90 lawhawk

"lawhawk" -

In a real world Charles Schumer would be IN JAIL. What he did to Steele was a "SHONDA" in front of G-d. If I am wrong - please correct me. That is all.

-S-

re: #82 Dr. Shalit

re: #68 Racer X

Racer X -

I call BS - Apple STOLE the GUI from XEROX. That is ALL!

-S-

Years ago, I had a contractor job at Westinghouse working on a by then ancient Xerox Star. It was my first GUI interface, so I loved it. We'd occasionally call Palo Alto for support. which was still available, thank goodness.

Try EPHPOD. Free program that avoids iTunes.

re: #58 Perplexed

re: #55 gibsonz

re: #39 Steve

Zen`s are great,just drag and drop to load everything on it,none of the hassles of ipods!

Get a program called EPHPOD to easily move your audio files around inside of the IPod environment.

Why buy a program when Creative Labs gives that ability to you for free?

I suppose I should have said "my first GUI" instead of "my first GUI interface, but it sounds silly that way.

re: #98 greenmamba

A few years ago I started ripping my CDs to my PC using iTunes. 500 in I realized I was doing it in Apple's format! I ended up having to buy iPods for the kids. Then I bought them Shuffles to use when the iPods were in for repair. (I think I had one for myself at one point but gave it away.) Anyway I gave up on anything with a hard drive. It's better to do a bit of data shuffling rather than deal with the constant repairs.

Oh no. Are you kidding? (I know you aren't, but...). I just started doing that myself. Is there no export feature for MP3s? No way to use the files with another type of player?

re: #43 Der Hirn Fanger

If it wasn't for the libs in the MSM artificially keeping crApple alive with all the free advertising, they would've been relegated to the tech scrapheap of history by now. Good grief, and this blog with its nauseating fawning over the I-Phone...now this thing...enough already!

They should just paint the thing gold and write "Kallisti" on it.

El Rushbo uses a Mac, and was one fo the first radio hosts to begin Podcasting. Not every Mac user is a Lib. Don't be hatin'.

colonel panik! my main hunter supporter buddy!

re: #108 Dr. Shalit

I don't know if Schumer was personally responsible for that - or whether it was his staffers, but someone at the DSCC should have gone to jail for violating the law and lying to obtain credit reports and other similar dirty tricks.

re: #82 Dr. Shalit

Stole? No. Apple gave an exchange of stock for two visits to the Palo Alto research center. Apple's stock was doubling in a matter of months. It was a good deal for Xerox. Much more info here and here

IMO, Xerox only has itself to blame for failure. They were what, five years ahead? (A lifetime in the computer industry) Why couldn't/didn't they bring this technology to market? Apple bought the technology, and perfected it, and delivered it in a mass-market device.

Best essays ever re: Apple and the early days of the company, many of which were written by the people who designed the LISA and Macintosh (Hertzfeld, Horn, Atkinson, etc.) can be found at: http://www.folklore.org

re: #115 blue_like_jazz

colonel panik! my main hunter supporter buddy!

Did you see where our man Duncan Hunter won the Texas GOP straw poll?

Ron Paul still in these things?

I'd like him if he weren't so 9/10.

On topic:
I'm a big admirer of style and function, but the hype is just nuts.

That they're cutting prices by $200 on the iPhone could be a signal that not all is well in iApple land.

re: #116 buzzsawmonkey

Doesn't everybody have a batch of songs that they sing/hum to themselves while doing things? I can think of four or five by Hoagy Carmichael alone.

Doesn't he have a sandwich named after him?

re: #122 lawhawk

On topic:
I'm a big admirer of style and function, but the hype is just nuts.

That they're cutting prices by $200 on the iPhone could be a signal that not all is well in iApple land.

Esp so soon after the release. Makes me wonder if Apple doesn't have an even better version in the wings.

re: #123 Colonel Panik

re: #116 buzzsawmonkey

Doesn't everybody have a batch of songs that they sing/hum to themselves while doing things? I can think of four or five by Hoagy Carmichael alone.

Doesn't he have a sandwich named after him?

Well, hmmmm.

I'm rather partial to "My Sweetheart's the Man in the Moon." "She May Have Seen Better Days" is also a goodie.

re: #15 Killgore Trout

I object to technogadgets because they're obsolete in months. Keeping a running computer is costly enough.

My rule of thumb, whether with gadgets, or when buying parts for the 'puter, is buy 6-9 months behind top of the line. By then, the early adopters have purchased enough to drive prices down, but you still have a new enough product to work well for a long time to come.

A very OT comment:

A shout-out to 3Wood:

Thank you so very much for the advice, several months back, to purchase the stock of Biocryst Pharmaceuticals (BCRX). I bought in @ $7.95 and the stock closed today @ $ 12.54. They passed their first trials, and with the backing of Roche, they should pass the second trials with flying colors. I suspect the stock to rise to the $20.00 to $30.00 range before the end of the year. Thank you sir for the tip. Please feel free to pass any other tips on to your fellow lizards. I, for one, will be listening.

OT

Former WA 8^th Rep. Jennifer Dunn passes away, one of the good ones. RIP.

re: #98 greenmamba
re: #113 Live4Truth

Just check the "mp3" box under the "options/ripping..." menu to change the target format.

re: #125 Perplexed

Actually, I suspect that they've got the G3 or G4 phone available for the holidays - and that they ran with the AT&T only phones because they simply ran into production supply probs. Getting G3/4 would be a huge advantage and eliminate some of the gripes over speed with the iPhone. AT&T got exclusivity for a period, which helps them, but Apple needs to get a wider audience than AT&T customers.

the price of the iPhone has been reduced ... by $200.

The price of Apple stock has also been reduced - by $7.40

(to $136.76)

re: #120 song_and_dance_man

I never turn it on (To early in the whole process for me). I'll come here later to find out the good stuff, and I can do something else. Also the field needs to be reduced for me. The questions are mostly stupid if you ask me, so many things can and will change between now and the election so the answers don't mean much anyway, with the exception of moral values and basic political stances. IMHO

Top

re: #68 Racer X

re: #57 William

Funny.

Of course you know, without Apple, you would be looking at a monochrome green screen with text only - no pictures.

Man I loved DOS.

/

There were other systems that would have filled that role if Apple had not. Most notably the Amiga or the Atari ST.

re: #44 Killgore Trout

#35 paxnhymn , #31 EC Marm

I'm going to buy a boat next year when I move out to the coast. I'll have to hit you guys up for advice when the time comes. I know nothing about boats.

I know there are boat/water people all over the place, including here. Never understood it, myself. When I kick back, I'm going to buy 10-200 acres in the mountains, maybe a year round road, maybe not, and the only water will be the small river or babbling brook that runs by the cabin.

re: #133 buzzsawmonkey

re: #126 Catttt

Don't know those two. But I'm always up for a chorus of "Small Fry," "Lazybones," or "Rockin' Chair."

My father was partial to "I Don't Know Why (I Love You Like I Do)" and "It's Those Big, Fat Mamas (With the Meat Shakin' On Their Bones)."

Heh.

I (and a bunch of my friends) once almost got thrown out of a restaurant for singing. The only other people there (family of real tighta**es) complained. Talk about your culture clashes (we were a motley crew).

I used to have a record of Ethel Waters singing "Take Your Black Bottom Outside." Another goodie. Don't, however, sing it at Howard Johnson's.

What I know about gadgets could fit in a fairy's bra, and leave plenty of room. The Kid, on the other hand, has mastered every hand-held game and the PS2 since he was three. He's known how to start the computer since he was a bit older than two, as well as how to enter an alpha-numeric password. He's able to figure out parental controls on his lap-top almost as fast as I can set them; the same for his TV. And, his spreadsheet skills exceed mine.

He's mastered his PSPortable he got for his birthday this summer, and I found out recently that every phone in the house has a picture on the screen and plays music while it rings a fancy new ring--not a ring-tone song but a separate song. I didn't even know the phones had this feature but he figured it out in an hour. And, he can trouble-shoot and reset (or whatever it's called) the Internet router thingy faster than I.

I can hardly wait until he's able to balance and reconcile my check book.

re: #44 Killgore Trout

A boat is a hole in the water, surrounded by wood, into which you pour money!

OT:

There once was a Phakestinian "refugee" camp in Lebanon.....

Don't expect much of the drive-by media to notice this one.

Terror Suspects: Send Us Back to Club Gitmo

Things are much worse for these beasts when they leave the cozy confines of Guantanamo Bay.

At least those who aren't freed to wreak havoc again.

re: #141 WrathofG-d

OT:

There once was a Phakestinian "refugee" camp in Lebanon.....

Those are good militants/terrorists.

OT:

The world crys out over young girls joking around on weapons of war! (remember the little Israeli girls writing on shells?)

re: #139 whiterasta

re: #44 Killgore Trout

A boat is a hole in the water, surrounded by wood, into which you pour money!

There are deals to be had.

I should know!

I have spent the equivalent of a small executive jet on boats over the last 30 years!

But nothing beats simply messing around in boats! (Toad of Toad Hall..)

re: #57 William

Come on Charles, you should know by now the iPhone sucks:

[Link: www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net...]

Heh.™

LOL....send that page to Allahpundit over at Hotair.com. He's been lusting for an Iphone since weeks before it came out.

re: #119 Colonel Panik

"Panik" -

It might be his ONLY one - AND - Dunc is a real great genuine Human Being - if that were all it took to be President. Maybe it should be. And were I voting in my Republican primary, he would be under my close consideration. My registration is still "D" - kinda like an East Coast Victor David Hanson for historic/ethnic reasons. In this - I MIGHT BE STUPID-did-did. My beliefs kinda go like this:
1. The "Enlightenment" was the source of the ideas of the American Revolution/North American British Civil War.
2. No Particularly BETTER ideas have come up since then.
3. Caliphatic Islam is CERTAINLY NOT A BETTER IDEA!

-S-

re: #141 WrathofG-d

You gotta love them for that!
DEBKA, for what it is worth, says that the camp is infested with tunnels underground and they are now working on those to route out the infestation once and for all.

re: #146 jcm

Snort, snort!

Very good! Thanks for that!

These are blisteringly cool. Too expensive for me, but still: ultra-slick.

This is why capitalism exists, and will always continue to exist and thrive, and why competing "systems" inevitably fail. Capitalism provides the "carrot" to inspire innovation. Socialism stagnates and creates no innovation and no new products because there is no motivation to do so.

Apples leads trhe way in computer-human interface, and all the other companies immediately try to imitate them. Why? Money. Money money money. Because you'll become rich if you create the first and best of any product.

For this reason, capitalism will always survive as a system and crush opposing systems. Because in capitalism, not only is there the best "stuff," but everyones' made enough money to get all the stuff.

Everyone's happy and the world is a better place as a result.

OT:

Olmert says: I wish to welcome all of you new religous olim to Eretz Yisroel....I look forward to your move to our country so I can send my soldiers into your homes to ethnically cleanse your neighborhoods and give them to the Arabs, or in the alternative....do nothing as you are attacked.

By the way, I wrote a similar comment to the one at #153, and posted it at the SF Chronicle comments section -- and they deleted it!

re: #130 jonturner

Just check the "mp3" box under the "options/ripping..." menu to change the target format.

Thanks - I found out too late. I believe you can also convert from Apple to mp3 with a loss of quality. I just stuck with the Apple format and blamed the kids. ("I did it all for you" etc etc.)

Goodness. Apple fans. My brother has just got a new iMac. His excited babble doesn't describe anything it can do better than a PC, and he has had to shop around for a few downloads for full functionality with some of his favourite programs. But I suppose it does look rather good.

OT

Radical books in London libraries

Public libraries serving the densest population of Muslims in London have been inundated with extremist literature, according to a report.

Multiple copies of books were found in Tower Hamlets that would feature on any jihadist reading list, the report obtained by the BBC said.

Tower Hamlets Council said their Islamic collections had been imbalanced, but they were improving.
...
Its main author Douglas Murray told BBC2 Newsnight: "This is a collection that is warped towards one particular extreme interpretation of Islam."
...
Two books by Abu Hamza, who used to preach at Finsbury Park mosque, are in the collection, as is one book by Sheikh Faisal, whose lectures inspired two of the London bombers.

Both men have been convicted of incitement to murder, but not on the basis of these writings.

The former Islamist Ed Hussain, who grew up in Tower Hamlets, said: "The shocking thing is that this stuff is available and there are people out there borrowing it.

"The worry is how many of those people - it might be a small number, but small enough to cause carnage - who are then prepared to literally act upon those teachings."

Mr Murray said: "Taxpayers' money should not be used to fund extremism... after all the library system is meant to educate and inform, not to cause separatism and bigotry."

'Hatred of women'

The Tower Hamlets collections also include multiple works by the founders of modern political Islam, Sayed Qutb and Syed Maududi, and a large number of texts from Saudi scholars, promoting the Wahhabi fundamentalist school of thought.

These, the report says, refer to "incredible hatred of women, incredible hatred of non-Muslims... and of Muslims who are not part of the Wahhabi tradition".

The report's authors counted 61 separate copies of Maududi's books including the classic Al Jihad, in which he states: "The objective of Islamic jihad is to eliminate the rule of an un-Islamic system and establish in its stead an Islamic system of state rule... the aim of Islam is to bring about a universal revolution."

There were also 11 copies of Sayed Qutb's Milestones, which is highly sought after by jihadists.

There were 20 copies of books by the founder of Wahhabism, Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab, and 16 copies of a book by modern day Saudi scholar Muhammed bin Jamil Zino.

Zino's book What a Muslim Should Believe offers advice in the form of hypothetical questions.

"Is it allowed to support and love disbelievers?" he asks. The answer is simply "no".

In a statement to Newsnight, a Tower Hamlets Council spokeswoman said: "The Islamic book stock came from a narrow range of publishers, thereby not reflecting the broad range of Islamic thought.

"We recognised we needed to improve the balance of the Islamic literature in our libraries, which has resulted in us buying extra books more widely representative of Islam."

The council said it would not remove the books by Abu Hamza and Sheikh Faisal because the writings themselves remain legal in Britain.

And who on earth advises the library on such literature?

re: #150 Steve

Lebanon did what was necessary. What bothers me however is the complete absence of World disgust or calls for the destruction/elimination/sanction of Lebanon for its actions. Israel looks in the direction of an Arab in a "humiliating" manner & there are 100s of pictures and front page articles....Lebanon destroys and entire "refugee camp", kills hundreds, causes hundres more to flee their homes...& you don't really even hear about it.

/f'n biased MSM.

re: #138 MandyManners

"M-M" -

I'll be like GWB on this one - I'll bet he still has his 256 or 512K i-pod
shuffle to exercise by. I still have my 1Gig Sansa which the best of Beatles, Rolling Stones and The Who on it with ROOM TO SPARE.

-S-

re: #139 whiterasta

re: #44 Killgore Trout

A boat is a hole in the water, surrounded by wood, into which you pour money!

As opposed to a motorcycle, or a house, or a computer, or any of the hobbies I have....

re: #158 WrathofG-d

I cannot agree with you more!

"Israel bad, Lebanon, oh yawn, are they doing anything worth while."

I remember seeing lots of coverage for a lingerie show going on in Beirut.

re: #153 zombie

Zombie -

As an old Guyanan friend of mine used to say - THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

-S-

re: #153 zombie

These are blisteringly cool. Too expensive for me, but still: ultra-slick.

This is why capitalism exists, and will always continue to exist and thrive, and why competing "systems" inevitably fail. Capitalism provides the "carrot" to inspire innovation. Socialism stagnates and creates no innovation and no new products because there is no motivation to do so.
...
Everyone's happy and the world is a better place as a result.

More than that (and what you observe is reward enough!) yet as Paul Zane Pilzer points out in "God Wants You to Be RICH!", humans create wealth, and by creating wealth humans create NEW RESOURCES for creating wealth!

We're entering a new day, Zombie, in which ALL HUMANKIND can be wealthy, when we're united in a just and enlightening manner...

OT:

Just in case you ever wanted to know what the writers and staff for Haaretz think of their home country, and why you should take what they report with a grain of salt....

re: #139 whiterasta

re: #44 Killgore Trout
A boat is a hole in the water, surrounded by wood, into which you pour money!

You hit the dock at dawn and drag the cooler and rods aboard. There is a slight mist on the water as you clear the inlet and feel the first rollies from the ocean lifting and dropping, lifting and dropping. You're barely pushed the throttle forward yet you're skimming the surface of the water at forty plus miles per hour. The mist begins to burn off and you feel the air cooling as you hit deeper water. There before you the seagulls are diving into the water as a school of ten pound blues are feeding at the surface. You slowly come into casting range and as your lure hits the water it is immediately smacked by a blue on it's way to England. After 15 minutes you net him and toss the blue into the cooler. Toss the lure back into the fracas and another blue smack it. When your arms get too tired you set the rod in the holder, crack open a beer and relax and realize you've forgotten all the insanity of the world for the past six hours. Some people take drugs that cost more money per year than a boat for that kind of therapy.

re: #157 Dom

I've one thing.

95 days uptime on a laptop. Run it at work, right in the middle of a bunch of stuff, slap the lid shut, go home pop it open and start right off. 3 months and not a hiccup.

I run both OSX and Vista on my MacBook Pro.

re: #140 buzzsawmonkey

re: #137 Catttt

Take your black bottom outside
I don't want it in my dancin' hall
Take your black bottom outside
I can't use it, that's all
People say your black bottom is hot
But your black bottom is all you've got
Take your black bottom outside
Don't want it in my dancin' hall.

A great one, along the lines of "If I can't sell it, I'll keep sittin' on it, before I'd give it away."

At one point in the song, Ms. Water's sings "Remove your dark anatomy outside." Hee hee. My copy of the song was an ancient 78 (my daddy had a bunch of them).

re: #164 Carridine

Carridine -

I agree with all y'all as to the potential. NOW, how do you explain Islamists and the "LEFT?" - LUDDITES?

-S-

Steve Jobs understands customer's very well and has managed Apple in a very agile manner. He has made few mistakes as head of Apple, this time around anyway. And really, that is what it often comes down to, who makes the fewest mistakes.

One of the reasons that Microsoft really succeeded in the early days, was that when it really mattered, their competition usually did something really stupid. That's not the whole story behind Gate's rise, but it was a great enabler.

re: #166 EC Marm

re: #139 whiterasta

re: #44 Killgore Trout
A boat is a hole in the water, surrounded by wood, into which you pour money!

You hit the dock at dawn and drag the cooler and rods aboard. There is a slight mist on the water as you clear the inlet and feel the first rollies from the ocean lifting and dropping, lifting and dropping. You're barely pushed the throttle forward yet you're skimming the surface of the water at forty plus miles per hour. The mist begins to burn off and you feel the air cooling as you hit deeper water. There before you the seagulls are diving into the water as a school of ten pound blues are feeding at the surface. You slowly come into casting range and as your lure hits the water it is immediately smacked by a blue on it's way to England. After 15 minutes you net him and toss the blue into the cooler. Toss the lure back into the fracas and another blue smack it. When your arms get too tired you set the rod in the holder, crack open a beer and relax and realize you've forgotten all the insanity of the world for the past six hours. Some people take drugs that cost more money per year than a boat for that kind of therapy.

Sound like fun, except that I get seasick out in the ocean. Lakes and rivers are okay but the ocean and I have never agreed.

re: #169 Dr. Shalit

re: #164 Carridine

Carridine -

I agree with all y'all as to the potential. NOW, how do you explain Islamists and the "LEFT?" - LUDDITES?

-S-

Leftist and Islamists are united in a hatred of individual liberty and everyone dwelling at the lowest common denominator of misery.

re: #135 CyanSnowHawk

Charles cut his teeth on the Atari 6502 platforms, Atari 400 & 800 machines and most notably on the Atari ST series computers based on the Motorola 6800 series processors (the same processors used in Mac's at the time). FWIW, Atari ST machines could run Mac software faster than Mac machines at that time. Sorry Charles, I date myself and you but my purpose is to give you the kudos you once enjoyed in the ST world and you have continued to move forward at lightspeed.

BTW: "DEGAS" was brilliiant, not to mention "Twister".

re: #167 jcm

jcm -

Re - Your 'pute - Guess all y'all live in a "Parallels" world. That is all.

-S-

This is more than a techno gadget.
Full blown operating system - same on in found in Apples laptops and multiprocessor workstations. Unix based.

Wait until its cracked a little better, so it's easy to stick you own executables on it. This is a full blown handheld computer with a paradigm shifting interface.

re: #173 buzzsawmonkey

You are right...but these people aren't Jews...they are leftists.

Some "peace activitsts" in Shechem. (They are lucky I wasn't there.....just saying...)

178: cont.

Those f'n punks use their knowledge that the IDF isn't what they say & in fact does respect human life against the IDF.

Would they have spoken that way to the people they thought would "kill them for sport"?

/blood actually boiling.

re: #174 GeeWiz

Gee -

"Shushh" about early Atari being potentially better than Apple - So was Amiga and it TOTALLY ruins the meme of the Apple upstart being so pure in heart coming up against "Big Blue" and the rest of the MS-DOS crowd.

-S-

re: #175 Dr. Shalit

re: #167 jcm

jcm -

Re - Your 'pute - Guess all y'all live in a "Parallels" world. That is all.

-S-

I have vista to access a DRM subscription service, MS DRM only works on windows running native on the hardware. Parallels 3 is supposed to support DRM mine is in the mail.

#171, Steve:

.."Sound like fun, except that I get seasick out in the ocean. Lakes and rivers are okay but the ocean and I have never agreed..."

The only cure for sea sickness it to sit under a tree!

Try keeping your eyes on the horizon and do not look down.

This is sage advice from a guy who has spent more than a few hours making sacrifices to the Great Sea G-d known as: RALPH and BILL!

re: #18 Steve

I know that many people out there love their IPODS but I do not have any inclination to even own one. I do not see any need to have one.

My apologizes to all the IPOD lovers out there.

I listen to my iPod whilst biking to and from work. I don't usually listen to music, although I sometimes do, mostly I listen to lectures that iTunes offers from several universities--including my alma mater. I am presently listening to Astro 10C by Professor Alex Fillipenko (or something like that) from last fall. I use the larning I get in the classes I teach, so it's like taking a class at Cal for free. I couldn't do that without an iPod.

I also hook it up to speakers and listen to tunes whilst marking papers. I carry it in my pocket when whacking green things in the yard. When I diddle at crafts. Sometimes when I hike. When I'm waiting in line.

It's a Godsend.

re: #174 GeeWiz

I cut mine on the Amiga. My first Engineering job was doing HW and SW work on Amigas. I loved the MC680x0 architecture, still prefer Big Endian memory access, and curse Windows every day that I boot it up. Now I do embedded systems, mostly TI DSP's, some PPC, and occasionally a little Windows work.

re: #171 Steve

re: #166 EC Marm

re: #139 whiterasta

re: #44 Killgore Trout
A boat is a hole in the water, surrounded by wood, into which you pour money!

You hit the dock at dawn and drag the cooler and rods aboard. There is a slight mist on the water as you clear the inlet and feel the first rollies from the ocean lifting and dropping, lifting and dropping. You're barely pushed the throttle forward yet you're skimming the surface of the water at forty plus miles per hour. The mist begins to burn off and you feel the air cooling as you hit deeper water. There before you the seagulls are diving into the water as a school of ten pound blues are feeding at the surface. You slowly come into casting range and as your lure hits the water it is immediately smacked by a blue on it's way to England. After 15 minutes you net him and toss the blue into the cooler. Toss the lure back into the fracas and another blue smack it. When your arms get too tired you set the rod in the holder, crack open a beer and relax and realize you've forgotten all the insanity of the world for the past six hours. Some people take drugs that cost more money per year than a boat for that kind of therapy.

Sound like fun, except that I get seasick out in the ocean. Lakes and rivers are okay but the ocean and I have never agreed.

A lot of you are probably about to laugh at me... I've never been on the ocean. With the exception of looking down on it from 40odd thousand feet, have never seen the ocean. (the Gulf of Mexico doesn't count, and I've never even been on it)

Oops, time to run, all you lizardoids have a very good evening.

steve

Apple used the Xerox technology they bought to bring out the Lisa. it was an office oriented computer like the Xerox Star and it also flopped. Steve and Co. gutted the Lisa greatly reduced the price and brought out the Mac. it was very much an inferior computer but it was cheap enough to sell. With a few refinements they brought out the Mac Plus and the Xerox based LaserWriter and hit the main stream. I used a Lisa but only in the guise of a Mac XL. Apple licensed its Look and Feel to MS for Windows 1. This made it really tough to win a law suit based on MS copying the interface for Windows 3.

i like the new iPods but still am sticking with my 2nd Generation for now. I would really like to get the iPhone but it is still a little pricey for me for now.

re: #87 mbruce

That's the one thing about Apple that cheezes me big time. I just bought a new iPod last week, you would think that someone would have mentioned this.....

They can't. They aren't allowed to do that...my son has a friend who works for Apple, and trying to get him to let me know if now is a good time to buy is like pulling teeth.

Fortunately he's a terrible poker player, and that's helped me out quite a bit.

re: #179 WrathofG-d

178: cont.

Those f'n punks use their knowledge that the IDF isn't what they say & in fact does respect human life against the IDF.

Would they have spoken that way to the people they thought would "kill them for sport"?

/blood actually boiling.

Yours and mine both. I've always wanted to visit the Holy Land, maybe it's time to visit these protesters sites and coordinate my trip with theirs. That actually fits with a line of thought I had running a while back, that we, here at home, do have a role to play in the 'GWOT'. There are two enemies facing all free thinking people: Islamists and the Left. Our marines and soldiers can handle the splodeydopes, but they need us to run interference on the dems in Washington, academia, MSM, et al. That would be a perfect case to try it out, over in Israel, in a very literal manner!

re: #178 WrathofG-d

(IsraelNN.com) A video released by “internationals” in Shechem (Nablus) – foreign citizens who travel to Israel as tourists and then seek to act as human shields for wanted terrorists – has been uploaded onto the Internet as counter-terror operations in the city continue.

By any other name... Communists... the enemies of liberty.

re: #193 buzzsawmonkey

To elaborate on my #188: One clear indication by the IDF that the penalty for this kind of "international" interference is death and the number of volunteers for would-be Rachel Corrie status would drop to zero.

Line 'em, save wear and tear on Cat treads.

re: #168 Catttt

re: #140 buzzsawmonkey

re: #137 Catttt

Take your black bottom outside
I don't want it in my dancin' hall
Take your black bottom outside
I can't use it, that's all
People say your black bottom is hot
But your black bottom is all you've got
Take your black bottom outside
Don't want it in my dancin' hall.

A great one, along the lines of "If I can't sell it, I'll keep sittin' on it, before I'd give it away."

At one point in the song, Ms. Water's sings "Remove your dark anatomy outside." Hee hee. My copy of the song was an ancient 78 (my daddy had a bunch of them).

Oh, how I'd love to have them all on my iPod!

I would be happy if it were twice as thick or more if that meant it would:

1. not break when I sat on it
2. Store at least 40 gig. I want lossless audio! And I want to store a large collection.

re: #181 jcm

"jcm" -

A bit of humor AND thanks for the update.

-S-

re: #196 Joshua (not a hamster) Scholar

josh -

lossless audio in HOW MANY CHANNELS? - considering 2 hours of standard definition will fit on a standard play DVD, sounds like you want your own radio station library in your pocket. If all y'all do that is TOTALLY COOL!

-S-

re: #87 mbruce

That's the one thing about Apple that cheezes me big time. I just bought a new iPod last week, you would think that someone would have mentioned this.....

If you really did buy it last week, you should be able to return it with a 10% restocking fee. Link. It could be worth taking the hit, depending on what you bought.

Or, if the price dropped within 10 days of purchase, then you can request the difference back. Link.

Don't get me wrong, I love my iPhone, and was tickled to be the first kid in TOWN with one, but...

WTF?!?!?!?!... $200.00 off?!?!?!... A FEW WEEKS AFTER THE RELEASE DATE?!?!?!... *sigh*

re: #184 CyanSnowHawk

I also enjoyed my time on the Atari ST computers and the software developed for that platform as you did on the Amiga. To honestly compare software for different computer platforms, one must consider that the Atari ST and the Amiga machines had the majority of their OS code contained on ROM chips that loaded exceptionally quick versus todays OS's that load from the HD at boot-up. This difference can affect program's performance greatly. To be fair, PC's load the OS from the HD which slows down the boot up process, but allows changes to the OS's structure about hardware and software requirements.

The old "closed system" vs "open system" arguement.(ie: Apple vs PC)

re: #200 Hucbald

Huc -

Henry Ford did the same thing "model year" to "model year" with the Model "T" - In fact he invented the "buyer's loyalty" coupon rebate as well which Iacocca copied at Chrysler in 1985 along with quoting his own $56 for a '56 as 8.5% for an '85. Very little TOTALLY new under the sun. Jobs would be smart to do the same thing.

-S-

re: #200 Hucbald
You should know by now that it's always the SECOND mouse that gets the cheese.
// {;-)™

re: #198 Dr. Shalit

One for each ear bud that goes into my head, so that would be...

"Take your hand off my leg, Zaphod.... and the other one.... and the other one." - Trisha McMillan, (The HGTTG)

Anyway the idea is to put my entire music collection on a pod, plus language tapes etc. And the music I wish I had, and the CDs that have been lost or stolen over the years.

That would take more than 40 gig, but it's a start.

You know, maybe it makes sense that music players just play music.

That way they can have button form factor that won't break when you put it in your back pocket and sit down, or better yet, can hang from your neck.

re: #201 GeeWiz

Gee-

Truth be known, for all of the posturing, MS-DOS/Windows of any generation was and IS a more OPEN system vs. Apple. This has been so since 1982 and the advent of the IBM PC. Apple has been much like SONY if NOT more so. Proprietary formats and proprietary stuff - the one time that they allowed a clone, they changed their mind and shut it down. Same goes for iPod and iTunes. Were they not about 5% of the market at the time, there NEVER would have been iTunes for Windows.
Gates & Co. a/k/a, Microsoft are NOT perfect or near it, neither is Apple, in a saner/fairer world, of all people, XEROX should own the PC Market, and Lynn Conway would be the "Goddess of Circuits."

-S-

I want a telephone that gets the Internet and clear, live (not streaming crud) FoxNews, Weather Channel, ESPN, TNT, USA, and Rushcasts (the band, not the DJ).

I haven't read through all the posts so apologies if someone has already been through this but, does anyone own an iPhone? If so, is it worth owning? I have seen a couple of people at work who have them, but I think they got it for work. It looks cool, but is it worth the pricetag?

#209--

Me, I do. Bought it a couple of weeks ago. I am, ah, not exactly thrilled to see that if I'd waited a couple of weeks, I'd have saved $200. That said, I am very much enjoying the gadget. Only complaints; yes, it's odd that you can't change the battery. Yes, it's odd that they have this funny recessed headphone jack that needs an adapter for those nice noise-reduction headphones you bought a while ago. And it could use more memory. But all in all, it's a pretty cool gadget.

I love my iPod. I have had my Nano for almost three years now. I am finishing up the final downloading of about 400 of the nearly 500 Cds that I own. I am planning on selling those CDS to a hipster record store next week. I expect to get three to four dollars a CD. I will take those funds and add them to another thousand or so I have been pinching out of my household budget for the last quarter and spend it all on ammo at a gunshow on the Fifteenth.

Isn't technology wonderful, and thank you Steve Jobs for creating a device that makes my CD collection a surplus value to be converted into a useful commodity.

Unintended consequences indeed.

re: #210 Occasional Reader

Thanks for the info. I think I may wait for the "next-generation" iPhone. I am thinking that when the technology improves it will be more worth the price.

re: #211 Ackomanyuki

I love my iPod as well. I received the 4GB Nano as a gift, but I own way too many CDs for it. I got sick of picking and choosing my music. One opera and the thing was half filled it seemed. I needed more memory. So I got the 80GB iPod. Far more memory than I need, but it is awesome. Just a great device.

Re: $200 price reduction

Apple hears the footsteps of the impending GooglePhone arriving at less than $100 with the primary features that people want and the capability to go to any network (plus free/low-cost ones)

re: #33 rab3

Today on the Senate floor, New York's Senator Schumer slandered the American military when he stated:

The violence in Anbar has gone down despite the surge, not because of the surge. The inability of American soldiers to protect these tribes from al Qaeda, said to these tribes: "We have to fight al Qaeda ourselves."

Chuck “Smear the Troops” Schumer:

Our knuckle dragging Troops had nothing to do with drop in violence in Anbar. It was just pure luck - or possibly the Rovian Mind Control Rays.

Ether way we need to cut and run and make more tinfoil hats. Moonbat brains are too intelligent and to sensitive to be exposed to such rays.

I know our Troops and they are stupid. They did not vote for me which means they are too incompetent to calm the “restive” Anbar province.

I know it's getting closer to September 15th when the report is due. But, have to say the Troops have done a nothing to help. It’s time to cut and run before we win the war. Then we must divert the troop's monetary resources to a higher cause - vote getting programs.

And, when those troops come home to NY you can be sure that will I Gerry-Mander them right out of my state! {Sniff}

re: #213 Dahveed

Yeh I know what you mean, I have more in iTunes than I can put on my Pod at any one time. The first year I had the thing I lost iTunes on an update with about sixty CDs on it.... Bummer. Swore the thing off for about a year and then started using it again when My wife bought me a Bose Sounddock to go with it. Before loading up iTunes again I went out and bought a 150 gig USB drive to load all of my media and files too. It will never see another iTune update out of fear of what happened last time.

re: #215 Ledger1

What a scumbag.

I hope the voters remember this when Chuck's term comes up for renewal.

Charles,

Did you notice, on the keynote, when jobs is playing back assigned ringtones he runs accross "give peace a chance" and he says "thats when NBC calls". I was floored.

And now there is a 160 GB iPod?! Talk about new gadget overload. I think the idea of a touch iPod is good, as long as we don't have to pay through our nose for Wi-Fi.

this thing is a parts bin special. car and motorcycle companies do this all the time. they slap a bunch of surplus parts together and call it a new model. costs next to nothing, and they figure someone will buy it. maybe time to get an iphone, but ignore this thing.

i'm waiting for the satellite phone, web browser, gps, mp3player,camera, night vision, stun gun.

re: #87 mbruce

That's the one thing about Apple that cheezes me big time. I just bought a new iPod last week, you would think that someone would have mentioned this.....

A good place to check BEFORE you buy an Apple product is:
http://www.macrumors.com/
Lot's of discussion also and you can waste a lot of time sorting it all out but can save some $$$!

I didn't know about the return policy that someone mentioned with a link. Good Info! Thanks.

Also, the new iPod classic will hold 180 gigs and that is one big record collection!

To the father that ripped using AAC, (Apple codec): There is a setting in iTunes in ADVANCED pulldown where you can re rip to another codec such as mp3 or WAV or Apple Lossless or...... Since mp3 is not the quality of AAC, you won't have lost anything. Not so good going the other way..... :)

You will end up with the original copy and the re-ripped copy. You can find out which codec it is by clicking the tune while holding down the CONTROL KEY (on Mac) and click on GET INFO when the window opens.

Boy is there a lot of Apple misinformation in this thread.
"Apple stole from Xerox..." has been addressed. Patently untrue.
"Apple more proprietary..." In what way? The gui portion of their OS maybe but not a whole lot else. Check the UNIX side of things and it opens wide.

AAC is an opensource codec. iTunes AAC files are protected files - no surprise there. Do protected WMF files play on an iPod? It simply isn't supported by other hardware.

Apple hardware? Fairly proprietary at one point but now? Serial ATA? Firewire / i.LINK / IEEE1394? USB? Bluetooth? Wireless? I'm typing this using a Logitech PC keyboard. Operating system? OS X, Windows and Linux all run on Macs.
"Zen's are great..." When Creative has to deal with the RIAA because they're the third biggest retailer of music perhaps that might change.

I was at one time a huge fanboy of Apple products. Now I simply say that I prefer them. I don't hate PC's or Windows. They just make me feel like I've been sitting in L.A. traffic during rush hour when I use them. I don't have an iPod though the new price on an 80GB one might just change my mind. I don't have an iPhone nor will I get one at their previous or current asking price. I'd like to see what enhancements come along with the release of Panther (OS X 10.5) that might make me change my mind.

Thanks Apple!

My family spent $600 in July to get me an iphone and now its gonna be $400 within a month.

and the monthly bill just rolled in......$180!

$200 price drop? hmmm, 3 months ago when I bought my first mac the phone was $400. Im not seeing a price drop.

With half a dozen offspring, we cannot afford an iPhone or any of the other gizmos and gadgets. We can't even afford text messaging, the biggest swindle ever foisted on the public ever ever. It's easier to get a cell phone with less restrictions overseas than here in the USA, so it's annoying to be locked into two year contracts just to get a better price on a new phone - and the way phones are constructed, you can practically watch them decay in your hands.
Give those thieves more money? No. Watching our kids' friends blab and text up - even up to $2000 monthly, bills which stupid parents out there pay for them. Our kids paid for their first text extravaganza. That cured 'em. They tell their friends NO TEXTING. A good chunk of texting is 50 copies of mindless "Hi." "Yo." "WassUp?" "Nothing" "Oh." It's creepy also to see how many kids are foregoing the personal conversations/contact for the distant and cold texting. They are not learning how to become personally engaged with humans.

re: #225 wanumba

A couple of companies are offering "no charge per minute" and "no charge per message" plans, including family plans.

MetroPCS has that in some markets, though you don't get a phone that works nation wide.

Boost mobile was bought by sprint, so it should be nation wide.

Metro has no contract, so you have to pay full price for your phone.

I won't get involved in this silly Windows vs Mac debate, as I repeatedly find that Windows users are ignorant about the details of Apple and MacOS X and it is just tiresome. Really tiresome.

I do want to say that Steve Jobs today posted an open letter regarding the earlier adopters of the iPhone.

[Link: www.apple.com...]

You are going to get a $100 credit at the Apple Store or at apple.com.

Thanks Charles for using a Mac to build such an awesome site.

re: #227 Joshua (not a hamster) Scholar

re: #225 wanumba
A couple of companies are offering "no charge per minute" and "no charge per message" plans, including family plans.
.

Hehehe. We have family plan - and companies have the concept of family of four, maybe five max. We stress test every system we get into. Kids, (not ours, thank heavens) are running huge texting bills above and beyond 500 minutes and so forth. You pay a fixed fee for the unlimited plans - but for us on family that would be fixed extra monthly charge TIMES 5 phones, which makes for an unacceptable fixed cost per month for us, on top of the monthly fixed costs for the cell service as it is.
The text messaging is getting really strange and frankly disturbing - it's more like an elaborate nervous habit for kids rather than a genuine need for communication. So, we don't. We're not a business, just a family. We voice mail if we can't get through.
The phone companies are making massive amounts of money on empty texting by kids. iPhone and clones? Nooooo thanks. It has zero we need to survive, doesn't enhance our quality of life and instantly jacks up the monthly fixed costs of phone service to twice and three times the level of people's old bills. People are collapsing under their home mortagages - they bought big and probably forgot to calculate in their new monthly fixed costs that if they went from a 15000 sq ft home to a 35000 or 4000 sq foot place, their electrical, water and heating/cooling were going UP big time.
What kind of sense does it make to quadruple your monthly phone bill?

Yikes ignore some of those extra zeros.

AS for cell phones, the features I want, which none of these lovely phones can provide is NO dead zones across the country. And when there is an emergency, the cell phone system goes into overload and shuts down. It's a very bad feeling when you need to be evacuated and you can't get through. It stinks to be broken down at 11:30 pm. in Deadzoneville. Would they work on that first?

re: #139 whiterasta

re: #44 Killgore Trout

A boat is a hole in the water, surrounded by wood, into which you pour money!

BOAT - an acronym for "Break Out Another Thousand!"

JALFW

16 GB. Bleah. Step down for me. But the iPod Classic?

[homer]

Mmmmm... 160 Gigabytes... Raaarlgh *drool*

[/homer]