Undoubtedly, the video recording feature is absolutely phenomenal. I’ve already been recording everything around me for the fun of it, and within a few hours, I managed to capture roughly 20 different videos. Alongside this, with the new auto-focus photography feature I found myself taking more pictures. Situations where images would’ve shown up blurry or dark in the past, now have been given a nice enhancement, which inevitably increases my confidence in the iPhone’s camera, which means more photos.

But after a few hours, my photo and video library is full, and finding a specific video or photo couldn’t be more of a time suck. I have to basically choose between a list of different thumbnails. Why do I still need to do things this way when Apple’s baked in Spotlight Search into the OS? Why can’t I flick my homescreen to the right and search for my videos based on a title or a few tags I’ve given them? At that rate, why can’t I title and tag my videos or photos? With 16 and 32GB flavors of the new iPhone, we’re talking mountains more memory than competing devices. Yes, we know it’s an iPod too, but we can actually search for music in that iPod much in the same way we should be able to search for photos and videos.

Search is an absolutely phenomenal thing to focus an OS around. If done right, everything, at anytime, from anywhere inside the OS, can be found by typing in the desired result. But it doesn’t work if things aren’t indexed, like the iPhone’s photos and videos.

As an iPhone owner, I’d like to be able to give my photos and videos a title, description and some tags. Obviously, this could be worked into the entire user experience in a very elegant way, and would be entirely optional for the end user. However, as the memory in my device increases, so will the amount of media on it, and so will the need for me to alter, edit, include and omit things from my search results.

In a nutshell, Apple, if you’re going to give us Search, don’t half-ass it, let us tag and label our media so that we can find it. And in the meantime, if Apple doesn’t respond, or care, maybe an iPhone developer wants to whip up a solution for organizing your photos and videos, then making them available in search. I’d buy the a copy for me and all my friends.

As of now, the announcements only state that Pelephone will be carrying the device and that they’ve been told to “get ready” for the launch. What’s perplexing is why Orange isn’t anywhere near these negotiations. They have a major presence in Israel and surrounding nations. Plus they already have deals with Apple to carry the iPhone, and it has been reported that they have upwards of 1 million iPhone users on their network.

Either way, this is good news for Israel, and for Apple. The tech scene over there is so involved in telecommunications and innovating for mobile environments, it’s a natural fit for the country to get official iPhone support. With the upcoming release of iPhone OS 3.0, Apple announced that Hebrew would officially be supported as a language, so that definitely gave a tiny clue as to what was coming.

Of course, unlocked iPhones are literally a dime a dozen over there. Certain pockets of software developers stay in business by selling unlocked iPhones with Hebrew pre-installed, so it makes sense for Apple to get rid of this foul play and allow even more people to innovate on the already burgeoning platform.

This might totally be fake, and done with running a matte mask through After Effects, but it’s still incredibly impressive. I can think of a ton of useful real-world applications for something like this. via Crunchgear.

Since Apple first unveiled the new unibody designed notebooks, they were received very well by the industry and consumers. The design was refined, and the entire transformation into such an evolutionary defining product was successful. However, when Apple showed off some of the configurations available for the 13″ unibody Macbook model, people weren’t pleased. They had removed Firewire all together, only leaving USB built into the notebook, and it seemed that the higher level Macbook Pro’s were what Apple really wanted you to buy. Even though the Macbook is what consistently delivers Apple’s blockbuster Mac numbers quarter after quarter.

With today’s announcements, any remaining confusion over Apple’s intentions with their notebook family are diminished. By adding the 13″ Macbook to the Macbook Pro family, you can say hello to the 13″ Macbook Pro. Finally, a notebook that can outright replace the 12″ Powerbook G4 so many of us developed a debilitating addiction to a few years ago.

The new 13″ Macbook Pro comes with a built in SD slot (card reader), alongside the welcome addition of Firewire 800! When Apple initially removed Firewire from the 13″ Macbook, consumers were furious, and many people, including myself, who wanted a new unibody Macbook, held off on purchasing one. Apple is correct in their assertion that digital cameras are standardizing across SD cards, and including a SD slot is a great perk if you’re doing any photo work at all. I’m pulling the trigger on one of these bad boys as soon as possible.

After taking a six month medical leave, reports are starting to surface claiming that Steve Jobs is on track to make a full return to Apple within a few weeks, and that his lengthy recovery has been going well.

While Mr. Jobs has been on sick leave, some Apple directors have gotten weekly updates about his medical condition from the CEO’s physician, according to a person familiar with the matter. Mr. Jobs’s recovery “is coming along” and he is on schedule to return to work later this month, said this person, who has seen Mr. Jobs in recent weeks.

“He was one real sick guy,” added this person. “Fundamentally he was starving to death over a nine-month period. He couldn’t digest protein. [But] he took corrective action.”

Much of the buzz appears to be conjecture of the type that has swirled around Apple and Mr. Jobs for years. But two people who do business with Apple said senior Apple managers have told them the company is now trying to coordinate Mr. Jobs’s return with a product launch or public event.

What’s interesting is that the report explains that top Apple management is getting direct reports from Jobs’ physicians. Even though Apple seems to be shrouded in secrecy regarding products, internal information regarding the well-being of the company’s CEO is a different story. The fact that executives are receiving updates from Jobs’ doctors (at all) is a sign that most of the reports have been positive. If the updates were negative and Jobs were not making such a healthy recovery, I highly doubt the same management team would have access to said information.

Throughout the past six months, the media has exploited stories about Jobs and his health, often times combining the CEO’s name with the word “cancer” in headlines, simply looking for shameful attention. Aside from contributing to an already extremely volatile stock (AAPL), Apple was thrust into the spotlight with what seemed like a terrible situation. However, at Apple’s annual shareholder meeting in February, the company stood firm on Jobs’ return. Being only a couple of months into the six month leave of absence, Apple was only getting started showing the industry that they could deliver great products without Jobs being so heavily involved. After dipping to 52 week lows reminiscent of times before the iPhone, the stock is currently trading in the 140’s.

If and when Jobs makes an epic messiah-like return to the company this month, you can expect the industry to pay close attention to any and all of Apple’s announcements. The next few weeks will surely be some of the most exciting in recent months for Apple enthusiasts. We wish Jobs the best as always and continue to hope the best for him during this lengthy recovery.

[image via flickr]

In a matter of days Palm will be releasing the most overhyped device since the original iPhone. They’re calling it the Pre, which takes its name from the way it supposedly thinks and acts a few steps ahead of its owner. In essence, attempting to help consumers find solutions and information before they know what they need. I’ve got some strong opinions about the Pre, and for the sake of competition in the marketplace, I hope it’s not just hype. But sadly, the closer we get to launch, the more I’m realizing it’s just another plasticky iPhone competitor without a thriving developer community, no App Store and no proprietary competition to iTunes.

The video below is of ex-Apple executive, now Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein and Venture Capitalist (Elevation Partners) Roger McNamee hyping up the Pre even more at this week’s All Things Digital conference. You’d think with all the massive media outlets hyping up the Pre so much, Rubinstein and McNamee would try toning it down a bit. But they are definitely not trying to calm things down. Instead, they’re layering the hype with thick coats of redundant points about the mobile space, that Apple CEO Steve Jobs made us aware of two years ago.

With every piece of high technology, game-changing hardware or innovative software that’s announced to the masses, several coats of hype are applied before an official release date is even set. For most companies and products, this is what causes their inevitable demise. The inability to live up to the expectations set out by their own people, which in turn leaves consumers disappointed and downright angry.

We can all agree that in the last few years, the iPhone stands out as the only piece of mobile hardware to induce a puddle of drool from everyone who’s ever used one. Those who clamor against the iPhone, for whatever reasons, have already had their mobile fantasies fulfilled (Blackberry owners, email power-users), but for the vast majority of consumers, the iPhone came along and truly delivered the best and most intuitive user experience on the market. In fact, the software (iPhone OS) leaves the hardware lagging behind most of the time. With iPhone 3.0 Apple is hoping to change that, and all the rumors happen to be pointing in the right direction.

At the risk of sounding too negative, my honest opinion is that the Palm Pre will massively disappoint. The lack of dedicated Palm developed desktop software leaves the company open and vulnerable to being shut out by those they depend on to make the device sync with your media. Very early reports play as a constant reminder that a built-in QWERTY keyboard is not so enticing. Additionally, how does Palm expect potential iPhone switchers (which they are counting on) to adjust to the lack of dedicated killer apps that they have grown accustomed to using on a daily basis (twitter clients and Google iPhone offerings mainly). Not to mention the elephant in the room… Gaming.

Palm is facing a steep uphill battle. One that may very well turn out littered with lawsuits and legal troubles stemming not only from Apple, but other patent holders in the mobile industry. Yes, Palm has some very old patents in the books, and in court, some may hold up. But unless Apple’s legal team takes a drastic turn, Palm may not even be able to afford the legal fees associated with taking on a company that has $30 billion (debt free) in the bank.

Some Facts:

• For the 13 weeks ending 2009-02-28, Palm’s net profit was -95 million
• Palm is burning close to $1 million a day
• “Palm shares closed Thursday up 93 cents, or 8.8%, to $11.46 and are unchanged in recent late trading” (WSJ)
• The Pre syncs with iTunes, which leaves it completely vulnerable to being shut-out by Apple
• Apple is closely watching Palm and will aggressively defend its intellectual property through legal outlets
• Palm’s stock is currently surging on rumors that the device is headed to Verizon
• ” Instead of creating an entirely new trunk Palm is branching off of the established phone environments.” (John Biggs over at CrunchGear)

Just an icon.

Here’s what I was able to get:

• AT&T is working on an “everything plan” to directly compete with Sprint’s offerings
• Tethering should be a predominant feature and be included in this
• Can’t release it before iPhone 3.0
• Can’t release it without new plans (as previously explained)
• Once this is released, tethering will be an optional add-on for most AT&T subscribers
• Data caps still a major concern

When we first started hearing about iPhone tethering, we were a little shocked by the lack of an unlimited plan. Especially for potential power users and extensive travelers. Seems like they are trying to address this, plug any holes and have an answer for all competition from any and every angle.

Note: AppleInsider’s latest reports about Carbon Fiber patent-thingies or whatever is complete bullshit. Apple applies for an incredibly vast amount of conceptual approaches towards rethinking existing technology. Most end up gathering dust… Stay classy AI.

Back in January, when Palm first revealed the Pre to the masses, I said that Apple should take notice of the device, especially since the entire project was being spearheaded by ex-Apple handyman Jon Rubinstein.

Let’s face it, this is Palm’s last chance. The company is pretty much dead in the water and if the Pre doesn’t live up to all the hype surrounding webOS, it will be a major disappointment. Not only for Palm’s wacky investors, but for consumers and the mobile industry in general. At the moment, Apple’s iPhone has absolutely no competition, and with the Pre, Palm is hoping that will change, and so am I.

When patent lawsuit rumors were getting heated between Apple and Palm, I wrote the following, “Instead of lawsuits, we’d like to see this settled with the separation of proprietary technology. But for that to happen, Palm needs to reveal how its multi-touch interface and operating system function. If that technology impedes on Apple’s patents, Palm might need a plan B.” This coupled with the rest of the obstacles standing squarely in Palm’s way don’t make for a very positive outlook.

If the mobile industry keeps chugging along without any real competition, Apple will be able to take its sweet time releasing software and hardware upgrades, not to mention giving the users core features like copy-and-paste, which is coming in iPhone OS 3.0… finally. But even if Palm has enough mojo to make Apple reconsider, or rethink their software/hardware releases, there’s one thing Palm simply won’t be able to compete with. A little neighborhood shop they call the App Store, which just demolished the 1 billion downloads milestone.

The Palm Pre has an incredibly steep hill to climb. And along the way things will only get worse for both Palm, and Sprint. Which is sad considering the extremely poor state both companies are currently in. Palm’s investors simply won’t be able to keep floating the company hundreds of millions of dollars. And when getting into complex mobile innovation, we’re talking about billions spent in research and development, emulating network environments and stress testing against millions of users. There’s just no way for them to compete against Apple, who at this point has around $30 billion debt free and growing.

Assuming people actually buy the Palm Pre, begin loving it, developers leave the iPhone platform and flock to Palm’s Mojo SDK framework, and Palm gets through the undeniable bugs, mobile carrier pitfalls, and gross outcry from consumers about whatever issues the masses choose, they still have to compete with Apple. Who, as CEO Steve Jobs put it, “is at least 5 years ahead of the curve.” However, when compared to Palm, Apple seems more like 10 or 15 years ahead of the curve. And putting Apple in an even better situation, the Palm Pre is the iPhone’s only real competition for the foreseeable future.