icblog

Jaguar. (Does anyone know why Steve kept referring to it as ‘Jag-Wire’ during the keynote?) The new OS was very nice to play with (especially on one of the new 17" iMacs. The Desktop picture is set to change every five seconds which is both very cool and disorienting at the same time.

Sherlock 3 is amazing, was able to look up local restaurants, Movie times, eBay auctions and get directions easily — I hardly use Sherlock 2, I plan to use Sherlock 3 extensively.

iChat was kinda cool, but it didn’t blow me away.

iCal, Address book and iSync, now here we have some killer applications. While I couldn’t find a ‘notes’ app or sub app, I plan to replace Palm Desktop with this suite. The ability to ‘publish and subscribe to other calendars is amazing. The iSync demo was with a Bluetooth enable phone security tied next to the iMac, it worked flawlessly. This is the way it was supposed to work from the beginning.

iTunes 3. Many have criticized the full version number update for the few new features it offers, don’t be fooled. Smart Playlists are awesome, when the accompanying iPod firmware is released, it can change the way you listen to music (at home or on the go). Audible support is a nice addition as well.

The new iPods. Apple has decreased the number of moving parts by making the wheel a solid state device not unlike a trackpad. It takes some getting used to and the tell tale iPod clicking sound (while spinning the wheel) is now gone. The case while made well is nothing special, many people may still go for a third party case. It is nice however that they are now including a case. The remote is a must have, the $40 accessory comes with the new smaller earbuds.