Last week, Apple released the much-anticipated iPhone 3.0 software, available as a free download to all versions of the iPhone. To get it, connect your iPhone to your computer and follow the directions in iTunes.

They also released the new version of the iPhone, dubbed the iPhone 3GS. The main difference between this model and the 3G is speed, although it has a few nifty additions like a compass (handy in that maps can orient themselves to the direction you’re facing), better camera, and voice dialing. The new phone comes in 16 GB ($199) and 32 GB ($299) versions, but these are really AT&T-subsidized prices available only to new buyers or those eligible for an upgrade. If that’s not you, the models will cost $200 more. You can read about AT&T’s upgrade policy here.

The new software has a number of features worth noting, including the ability to cut, copy and paste, landscape mode for most apps, push notification, and a voice memo app. For a more complete list of the new features, see this page, but I’d like to review some of them here.

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Apple this week is holding its Worldwide Developers’ Conference, and has made several noteworthy announcements.

• The iPhone 3.0 software will be released on June 17. This will be a free download for current iPhone users.
• The new iPhone 3GS will be released on June 19. It will have a faster processor and some additional features like voice-dialing, video capture, a better camera, better battery, compass, and will come in 16 GB ($199) and 32 GB ($299) versions.
• The 8 GB version of the iPhone 3G will continue to ship, but for $99.
• Tom Tom will have a turn-by-turn GPS app available for the iPhone this summer.
• Apple has released new MacBook Pro models. The new versions are faster, have better batteries, more RAM, and come with 13″, 15″ and 17″ screens. They are also less expensive across the board. (However, they do away with the ExpressCard slot in favor of an SD card slot.) The new laptops are apparently shipping now.
• The next version of the OS, 10.6 (Snow Leopard) will be released in September.
• The next version of Safari, v.4.0, is available now through Software Update.

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I will be taking a day off on Monday, June 8, and will be back to work on Tuesday. In case of emergency, please call the main office number (212/201-1465) or e-mail Ed Covelli directly.

One of the greatest benefits of the iPhone is that you can surf the web in the same way that you do from your desktop. The promise is that you can view a site in all its glory rather than some dumbed-down version meant specifically for a portable device. Unfortunately, not all sites want to cooperate with this plan.

Take, for example, the New York Post. If you navigate to their site from a portable device like the iPhone, you get redirected to a version that is meant for the iPhone. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as the special page has less code (so it loads faster) and fits the screen nicely, but it doesn’t give you access to all of the same material. Usually a well-designed site will give you the option of going to the full version if you choose, but sometimes there is just no obvious way to do it.

The web site knows that you are attempting to connect via an iPhone through the “user agent,” a string that is part of the header you never see that is sent to the web server every time you navigate to a page, so the only way to “trick” one of these stubborn sites is to make them think you are connecting from a different browser, but the iPhone doesn’t give you that option.

The solution: Use a web proxy to connect to the site.

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The social networking aspect of Internet life these days is intriguing and, for some, even fun, but there can be a downside to providing too much information. For an example, see this story about a man who was offered a lucrative job and probably should have kept his thoughts to himself.

The lesson bears highlighting: Never put on the web (and that includes e-mail!) anything that you wouldn’t want seen on the front page of the New York Times.

By the way, after you read the article, be sure to check out the R-rated (for language) YouTube spoof that it mentions.

I’m back from the lovely Little Dix Bay Resort in Virgin Gorda and yes, I had a wonderful time. My only complaint is that, while we were away, the lady who was watching our cats did something that shrunk all my clothes, even the ones I took with me. I’ll have to ask her about that…

But I digress. Virgin Gorda is part of the British Virgin Islands, which meant that I had no direct cell phone service unless I wanted to pay the exorbitant cost of using my iPhone internationally without an international plan. Since I don’t travel abroad all that often, such a plan would not be cost-effective, so I was left with four apparent choices if I wanted to call home: Use the cell phone anyway, use the hotel phone (also not cheap), use iChat (or similar) for audio chats, or do without.

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It’s that time of year when I can leave my cares behind and go on a nice, long (well, nice, anyway) vacation. I will be departing tomorrow, March 7 and returning on March 17, 2009.

This time, we will be shrunk to the size of a peanut and inserted into the stomach of a deep-sea-bound dolphin. While on this magical journey, I will have no contact with the outside world (and would sound really tinny even if I did), but fear not! Ed Covelli is standing by, ready to ably deal with any and all issues. As always, he can be reached at 212/201-1465 or via e-mail at ecovelli at mactechnologies.com. (You will have to edit the e-mail address after you click on that link.)

However, kindly postpone all unnecessary emergencies until my return. I don’t want Eddie to have all the fun, and it will give me something to look forward to as I eagerly contemplate my return home.

Happy Thanksgiving!

If you’re in the market for new equipment, software, or gifts, this is the time of year when companies offer some great deals. For example, tomorrow Apple will offer their traditional “Black Friday” discounts both online and at their retail locations. The rumor is that the specials this year will be both deeper and broader so it’s worth a gander.

Another vendor that is already offering great deals is Other World Computing. These guys are normally my recommended RAM dealer, but these specials are on a wide array of products and you can find them here. For example, you can get the full retail version of Microsoft Office 2008, normally over $400, for $99, but be careful because, in what is a rather tricky move, it doesn’t look like every item listed is actually on sale. If buying hardware, be sure that the quoted price isn’t on a refurb.

Look around for other deals too. My guess is that, with the economy going through its current slowdown, many companies are more willing to fatten the carrot that will bring in shoppers.

I will be leaving for vacation on Wednesday, April 16 and returning to work on Monday, April 28. Where to this time, you ask? We have decided to explore the depths of live volcanoes, and since cell towers tend to, you know, melt in that environment, I will be once again out of touch with the civilized world. Fortunately, the more-than-able-bodied Ed Covelli stands ready to respond to your needs, and the best way to reach him is through e-mail.

Now that iPhones and video iPods have become so popular, you may be wondering how you can convert your videos to work on these devices. Luckily, several developers have created easy-to-use, often free, programs that make video playback and conversion as simple as a click.

If you already have a video that you want to convert for your iPod/iPhone, then the free iSquint is just what the doctor ordered. iSquint is a video conversion app for Mac OS X that’s many times faster than QuickTime Pro, works with almost all popular video formats, and is also really easy to use. You just drag in your file, choose “TV” or “iPod” size, set your quality, and then click start.

If you want to be able to convert just about any video to any format, the same developer makes an inexpensive program called VisualHub. The nice thing about this software is that it has preset choices for the iPod, TiVo or web sites that remove all of the technical complexities of video conversion while still allowing you to tweak the settings manually if you prefer.

But what if you just want to play a particular video in iTunes or QuickTime? In that case, a video codec for the particular format must be installed. To cover most of the bases, make sure you’ve installed the two most important video codecs that Apple does not include: Perian and Flip4Mac.

Perian, while not a video codec by itself, installs a preference pane which contains most current video codecs that Apple doesn’t license and many older and lesser used video codecs. Flip4mac installs the Macintosh versions of the Windows Media codecs. Unfortunately, if the video is using a DRM-protected version of Windows Media, you won’t be able to play it in on your Mac until Microsoft allows it.

If you’ve found a stubborn video file that still won’t play, and you’re sure it isn’t a DRM protected Windows Media file, don’t give up yet. The free VLC Player can play just about any video file.

How about the DVD that you’d like to watch on the plane without taking the disk? If it’s a Disney DVD or other commercial studio DVD, it is probably encoded with Macrovision, and the free MacTheRipper will allow you to copy the DVD to your hard drive without the Macrovision or region code for your private, non-commercial use only.

If you’d like to convert that decoded DVD you just saved for your iPod or iPhone, then the free HandBrake program is fast and easy. Even better, if the DVD isn’t Macrovision encoded, you can just run HandBrake.

With these tools, you should be able to watch just about any DVD or video on your Mac, iPod, or iPhone. Don’t forget to thank or donate to the hard working developers who made this possible, and enjoy your videos!