Once the iPad is released and the hype dies down, we'll likely get the next generation of iPhone in June or July to keep us excited.  In the interest of my own amusement, here are some ideas / predictions regarding the iPad and the activities surrounding it until the next version is released (our guess? within the first 12 months of the inital release).

1.  It will be jail broken within the first 3 days of its release.  There are some really good hackers out there, and I wouldn't be surprised if, in the short term, iPads would be available to work on T-Mobile too.  In the slightly longer term, apps that only work in jail broken iPhones, will also work on the iPad.

2.  It will become the must-have device for people in education and the arts, along with legal, medical, and just about every other industry that has mobile professionals.  I know, obvious right?  But I'm beting this happens in the first 12 months of its release.  Would you want to carry around textbooks with that musty smell?  Or all of your meeting notes and research on a heavy laptop instead of a sub $500 elegant device that gets unlimited Internet access for $30 / month?

3.  It will only slow down the inevitable destruction of the publishing industry rather than save it.  Despite the success of music sales within iTunes for the iPod, the industry still sells in terms of dollars only a fraction of what it used to.  With so much free content available online, I don't see how anybody trying to sell a form of text for money will actually survive.

4.  The next iteration of the iPad will have a front-facing camera.  The second generation needs a catch to pull in those that purchased the first generation.  That will likely be it.  Of course, that isn't going to stop us from getting our 1st gen iPads when they are released!

What do you think is going to happen?  Think it will be a game changer?

With all the publicity about how the iPad is going to revolutionize various industries, everybody seems to forget about the industry that is currently practically supporting the iPod Touch (the current mini-version of the iPad minus the iWork and 3G capabilities): the gaming industry.  A hefty chunk of the top-selling apps in the App Store are games.

Could the iPad also be a competitor to portable gaming systems like the PSP or the Nintendo DS?  It does have a bigger screen with a better resolution, but it's larger size is a bit of a hindrance when it comes to carrying the thing around.  I don't see kids taking their iPads out of their backpack to play another round of Warcraft.

On the other hand, if lots of games changed their interfaces to make use of the larger screen (ie. head to head, board games, etc), then the iPad might bring something special to gaming, the ability for people to 'share' the gaming experience while in the same room.  I think a lot of that has been lost since most video games currently are really solo acts.  The iPad's larger screen definitely makes sharing the experience much more likely.

With some tweaking, all the current games in the App Store can run on the iPad.  But does having a larger form factor make the game any better than its smaller cousin the iTouch / iPhone?  I don't think so.  Do you?

And then there is the price.  For $200 (iTouch, PSP, DS) you might be able to afford having a gaming system in your pocket.  For $500?  That price is a little high if you plan on using the iPad for just games.

I think the iPad will finally let the non-game apps take their place in the top spots.  I imagine that most people buying the iPad will do so for the other genres of apps outside of games.  Productivity, Educational, Medical, eBooks, and all those other non-gaming categories will most likely be the biggest hits for iPad users.

Perhaps now, a few more non-games will make the top 100 list.  What do you think?

One of the big announcements we've heard is the first look at Windows Phone 7. It is supposedly the next major "iPhone killer" (what with Google and Palm pretty much backing away from the title).  

Of all the companies that have released a smartphone, Microsoft holds the best chance of reaching anything close to the sales of the iPhone. Keep in mind that while AT&T is a "premier partner" (whatever that means) for Window 7 phones, it is not the exclusive carrier of their smartphone. That status will however likely provide AT&T with some sort of specialized software or maybe a special mobile plan?

However, to compete with the iPhone, Microsoft should not target the iPhone.  Instead, the company should target the Blackberry.

For years, the business appeal of Blackberry was its ability to interface with various types of mail servers (including Microsoft Exchange) and deliver e-mails in a reliable and simply way to the user. If Microsoft developed a special type of Microsoft Outlook for Mobile (along with Word, Excel and Powerpoint) and market those toward businesses, it could be  a player in the business market.  After all, Microsoft concentrates on the business market with their desktops, doesn't it only make sense they would do the same thing with their portable OS? 

The iPhone has too much of a buzz appeal for Microsoft to tackle the consumer market. Also, Microsoft seems a shadow of its former self without a figure like Bill Gates in the picture. Apple remains dominant by having a powerful central voice in Steve Jobs.

There is the question of the sheer number of apps available on iTunes. By having an open system with more applications available, Microsoft won the operating system wars. If Microsoft wants to win this one, it should release a toned-down, free version of Visual Studio for mobile developers as well as a central marketplace to overcome Apple's advantage in that department.

By targeting businesses, Microsoft could build a base with which to compete with the iPhone. If it goes directly against the iPhone, then Microsoft will be lying alongside Google and Palm as just another second tier mobile solution.

With all the hoopla about Apple's upcoming technological baby, the iPad, one has to wonder about the effects on the App Store.  We know that Apple will be releasing an iBookstore as part of iTunes for the download of books and probably magazines.

What about apps?  How will they be affected?  Most of the apps developed before now have been optimized for the smaller screens of the iPhone and iPod touch.  Is that the reason for the 60 day delay in the iPad's release?  So that developers can re-develop for the iPad.

My theory is this: a new breed of apps will be released that will be exclusively for the iPad, and they will likely have a higher price point than the iPhone apps initially.  I'm sure that after some time though, the draw of .99 for an app will probably occur on the iPad as well, and the majority will end up there.

But the real question that sticks in my mind is, what sort of apps are going to come out for the iPad that couldn't come out for the iPhone/Touch because of the extra screen real estate?  The greater amount of visual real estate will surely lead to more complex apps that would work less awkwardly than on the smaller equivalents.

If current Apps are re-created for the larger screen, will iPad versions of the apps we all know and love have to be repurchased for the iPad?  Unlikely, as that goes against the iTunes model in which one purchase guarantees free updates for the app (which should include modifications for different screen sizes).

The veracity of my theory will be proven just after the first release of the iPad is done around the end of March.  I'm sure there will be a flood of new applications shortly thereafter for us to write about, and we will have our iPads ready to review them for you!

Remember the Sherlock Holmes Mysteries game released in conjunction with the Robert Downey Jr. movie?  Well, the WB has just lowered the game price to $.99 and released a set of tips for the game.  They are:

1.  Retrace Your Steps!  If you feel like your investigation is stalling out, try revisiting previous location. Make sure you talk to everyone, as many clues are uncovered in conversation.
2.  Tap Into Sherlock’s Mind! Touch an objective to bring it to Sherlock’s Mind. You will need to complete the chosen objective before you can put the clue to mind by selecting it and tapping “Put to Mind”.
3.  Locate the Screwdriver! If you find that you are lacking this essential tool for assembling the Electric Gramophone, you would do well to revisit locations. Rotterdam was known to be quite the tinkerer. Too bad he lies chilling in the Morgue.
4.  Pick the Locks! When picking locks, you will need to discover a path that connects all of the tumblers between the start and the finish.
5.  Find the Copper Coil! If you are having problems finding the copper coil for the Electric Gramophone, be sure to scour Pennington Place.

Some clips for the game are also available online -
·         Sherlock Holmes Mysteries for iPhone and iPod Touch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD8UdZGodyU
·         Boxing Gus-Sherlock Holmes Mysteries for iPhone and iPod Touch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqj8GWH3tyY
·         Finnegan Fight-Sherlock Holmes Mysteries for iPhone and iPod Touch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLmk6BpCJ74
·         Lock Picking-Sherlock Holmes Mysteries for iPhone and iPod Touch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWqPdHw0iJw

Yes, I'm a shill, but I do legitimately like the game.  If you haven't already purchased the game and like either Sherlock Holmes or mystery games, I highly recommend it.

At this point, I think I've heard all the rumors.  However, I've heard a myriad of them with some of them being downright contradictory.  Supposedly we will have:

• The introduction of the iPad or iTablet or iSlate or whatever it's going to be called.
• The tablet application will look like an enlarged version of the iPhone without being tied to AT&T.  Rather, the users will have a choice of AT&T or Verizon.
• The screen size will be 10 inches.  No, wait, 11 inches.  No, wait, 9.5 inches.
• iPhone OS 4.0 will be introduced, which the tablet device will run a version of.
• Apple will halt its iPhone exclusivity with AT&T, which will go into effect later this year.  An unlocked version of the device will be released at that time.

Since rumors usually run rampant right before Apple makes a major announcement, I thought I'd try to start a few of my own.  They are:

• Steve Jobs will announce his affair with Angelina Jolie.
• The next generation of iPhone will come with lasers for vaporizing your enemies.
• Apple will release a new computer-based product that will open portals to other dimensions.
• Apple is abandoning the consumer retail electronics business and will open a chain of themed fast food restaurants where they will sell, what else, apples.
• Steve Jobs will autograph an HP computer.
• It will be revealed that aliens have been running Apple Inc. since 2003.

What will Apple announce on Wednesday?  Use your imagination and let me know in the comments.

It is uncertain at this point whether the iPhone will ever be free of the shackles of AT&T.  It has to happen eventually, quite possibly this year.  However, Verizon and Palm are doing something quite brilliant in case it doesn't, and everybody benefits except AT&T.

Palm is adding software to the soon-to-be-released Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus that will allow either phone to act as a WiFi hotspot.  No more searching for WiFi.  You'll be able to take a hotspot with you wherever you go and use your iPhone or iPod touch with it.

Supposedly, it's possible to install a program on Windows Mobile to turn your phone into a hotspot.  I've tried it on my Verizon VX9800 and it didn't work.  In its defense my phone (and operating system) is two years old now, a lifetime in the computer world.

Obviously, other operating systems such as those by Microsoft and Google will eventually have to respond to this by offering WiFi access of their own.  Perhaps even Apple will join the fray.  After all, this sort of access only affects the wireless providers and not the device manufacturers.  The providers aren't bothered because most plans have a data cap and they can make additional money from people that go over that cap.

Nonetheless, this new technology offering is a bit of a game changer.  I currently don't have any information regarding the price or availability, however with it the iPhone will have a new competitor in the form of the iPod touch.  What do you think?  Will this technology wean people off the iPhone?

Along with the Motorola Droid and the Palm Pre, we now have the Google Nexus One as a competitor to the iPhone.  Billshrink.com has posted a lovely chart of comparative costs of each.  I would like to add a thought or two to the analysis.

The clear advantage Apple has over the competitors is iTunes and the App Store, in which the company completely controls the distribution of content.  What everybody seems to forget is that iTunes and the App Store isn't just for the iPhone.  I submit, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, that the iPod Touch is almost as much a smartphone competitor as the iPhone, it's just that nobody acknowledges it.

To turn the iPod Touch into a phone, all that is need is a Skype account, a microphone and a WiFi signal (which isn't everywhere, but is ubiquitous enough).  I have used my iPod Touch to make telephone calls several times around my house with little to no difficulty.  If Apple really wanted to blow the competition out of the water, it would introduce an app that could tether any competing smartphone for Internet access.

Granted, the total cost of ownership for an iPhone is slightly more than the competition (depending on the competition), but not prohibitively so and the user experience is much richer.  The real money for all those iPods and iPhones sold is in iTunes.  All these smartphone makers would do better to remember that, as none of them have yet introduced a viable competitor to that online store.

Mac enthusiasts usually hold the relatively virus-free environment on the Apple operating systems as proof of its superiority over Microsoft Windows.  While I agree with this, let's give a little history lesson.

Microsoft won the war of the operating systems way back when in a very similar method to what Apple is now doing with the iPhone.  There are more apps available for the iPhone or iPod Touch than most other smartphones combined, and the same was true for Windows when it was on it's way to becoming OS Champion of the World (in terms of number of users).

It boils down to philosophy.  Microsoft had an "open" environment in which anybody, with the right tools, could develop apps for their system.  Apple realized this and had a similar set-up for their iPhone.  The difference is that Microsoft neither charged a fee nor had an approval process for the distribution of applications.

By having their relatively "closed" system, it is far more difficult to develop a virus to infect it.  Plus, unlike a computer, a majority of people don't keep their valuable data such as passwords and credit card numbers on their device ... yet.

While there are those that complain about the unfair and seemingly arbitrary approval process for the App Store, it could simply be Apple doing their due diligence.  A virused iPhone would be bad for business.

(Yes, there have been viruses for iPhones, but those iPhones were jailbroken and Apple can't be found liable.)

Eventually, someone may be able to sneak in a virus through an app, but the justice of Apple will then be swift and merciless and the reward may not be worth the risk.

What do you think?  Will someone eventually get a virus on a non-jailbroken iPhone?

I've already done a wish list for the holidays, so I figured I'd also round out the new year by naming my favorite apps that are currently on my device.  That is to say, the ones I use most often.  I eliminate from this list any program that actually came with the iPod Touch and prefer to focus on third party applications.

Pocket God - A fun app in which you get to kill off a myriad of island natives in cute yet gruesome ways.  A rival company developed a similar game called Pocket Devil, in which you torture denizens in Hell.  That one is a little more bloody.

Remote - This free app lets you control iTunes by remote control.  This is great if you watch or listen to a lot of content via iTunes.

South Park Mega Millionaire - I don't play this anymore but when I first got it I didn't stop playing it until I finished all levels.

Stanza - Any app that lets me download literary classics as well as Doctor Who novels for free is okay in my book.

CNN Mobile - This is quite simply the best newsreader program in the App Store.  When I originally got it I liked that it streamed the actual network, but it doesn't seem to do that any more.  Or it could be that I just can't find that functionality anymore.

But of course, my tastes are not shared by everyone.  What are your favorite iPhone or iPod Touch apps?