Now that the iPhone 3.0 software update has been announced, here are my predictions for a future iPhone refresh, based on what we’ve heard so far on the rumor mill, and some educated guessing.

• New 3G chip. Very likely the Infineon X-Gold 618, or PMB9800.  I say this for several reasons.  One, Apple already uses Infineon as its current baseband provider.  Two, the chip is a significant upgrade in several important ways.  Foremost, it supports a faster upload speed (2.9Mbps), compared to the current iPhone 3G’s chip which only goes up to 384Kbps.  Also, it’s fully integrated (the current iPhone 3G chip is actually two on the same package), leading to a smaller (by 40%) more power efficient (30%) chip.  Finally, it supports two camera interfaces, and 320×480 video recording @ 30 frames per second.  This could help Apple support dual cameras (front, and back), and video recording to boot.  Plus, the faster upload speed makes sending video much easier.  Now that they have MMS capability in software, video messaging is a hardware upgrade away.
• New applications processor.  I expect it to be designed by Apple (because of their PA Semi acquisition), fabricated by Samsung (they have a manufacture only contract until 2013), and integrate a faster CPU - potentially multicore - a faster GPU (likely Imagination’s PowerVR SGX543), and more memory to boot.  There are several rumors that Marvell might supply the chip for the next iPhone, but due to Apple’s investments in Samsung, Imagination, and their aforementioned acquisition, I don’t expect this to be true.
• Upgraded camera tech.  Since the new baseband mentioned above boasts dual camera interfaces, it’s not unlikely that Apple will integrate dual cameras into the phone, one on the front, one on the back.  In any case, I expect the camera to be better.  I think this is important, not only to compete with newer phones on the US market, but to further penetrate markets such as Japan.  Just adding more megapixels is not going to cut it, as higher MP often leads to more noise in many situations, particularly low light.  My guess is that Apple is aware of this, and is not inclined to just throw in a higher MP sensor without a significant quality update to boost.  My expectations are for a better lens (autofocus would be very helpful), and a better sensor (perhaps Kodak’s new KAC-05020 as featured in the Motorola ZN5).
• More storage.  A bump from 8G/16G to 16G/32G just seems logical.
• New screen.  I’m pretty sure Apple is investing a lot in developing OLED tech for future iPhones, laptops, etc.  It’s a pretty compelling technology- OLED screens tend to be capable of higher resolutions and better color/contrast than their LCD counterparts.  Furthermore, they don’t require a backlight- leading to much, much thinner displays, as well as significantly less power.  The combination of those last two features makes it excellent for power-sensitive devices such as the iPhone.  There are drawbacks, however- such as performance in direct sunlight, and since it is a relatively cutting edge technology I’m not sure Apple will be going for this for their next hardware refresh.  There have been rumors, however, of Apple inking a deal with LG to provide OLED tech.  So, I’m probably about 50/50 on this.  The advantages are compelling, if Apple can work around some of the kinks.  Either way, I expect a slightly larger, higher resolution screen.
• Faster WiFi. Apple has introduced a number of 802.11n parts of late (new Airport Extreme, Time Capsule, etc.).  It makes sense that they’ll eventually incorporate 802.11n into the iPhone.  That said, I’m not sure there are any 802.11n chipsets on the market close to the form factor or power budget of the current chip (Marvell 88W8686).  If there are, I haven’t been able to find one.  So, I’m about 50/50 on faster WiFi as well.

The combination of a faster 3G chip, better applications processing, and a better camera would place the iPhone significantly ahead of its rivals, including the Palm Pre.  I think they can deliver on all of those points without compromising the form factor of the device in the least.  As for a newer screen and faster wifi, they may have to wait for an update down the road, but they’d also be compelling.

While we live in a Windows world, some of the best software available for that platform is actually free and open-source. Here are my picks for the best Windows Open-Source software:

1. Mozilla Firefox:  Its speed, standards support, and extensibility make this the best browser out there, pretty much hands down.
2. OpenOffice.org:  A credible Office alternative.  Version 3.0 supports reading the newest Office 2007 file formats, as well.
3. Notepad2:  A great Notepad replacement providing syntax highlighting, line numbers, multiple text format support, and a host of other features.
4. VLC:  Versatile media player that will play just about anything you throw at it.
5. InfraRecorder:  Finally, something that I can- and have- replaced Nero with.
6. Songbird:  Still in its infancy, this is the first credible alternative to iTunes yet.  It is still missing in some critical features (CD ripping/burning, equalizer, iPhone 3G/Touch support, etc.), but it handles large libraries very well, and is built to be extendable a la Firefox.
7. 7-zip: Opens up just about every type of archive file you can throw at it.
8. FileZilla:  For those of us that need an full-featured FTP client, FileZilla can’t be beat.
9. Paint.NET:  Most of us do not need something as versatile as Photoshop to edit photos.  Paint.NET is a highly functional free/open-source graphics and photo editor for Windows.    An honorable mention would go to GIMP, which has some more features but a slightly higher learning curve.
10. Sumatra PDF Reader: This lightweight, open-source PDF reader is my pick for an Adobe Reader replacement.
11. Pidgin: Formerly GAIM, Pidgin is a cross-platform, multi-protocol IM client that is simple and easy to use.

My hopes for the iPhone HD, or whatever the next iteration of the iPhone hardware happens to be:

1. A better camera.  The iPhone 3Gs main chipset can process 5MP images, but the sensor is not up to par.  Apple, how about you integrate Kodak’s new image sensor like the Motorola Zine ZN5 did?  It takes some pretty awesome pictures.  3X zoom, Xenon flash, and a lens cover too please.
2. More storage.  I fully expect there to be a 32GB option available, perhaps even up to 64GB by the end of 2009.
3. 16:9 display orientation.  Frankly, watching TV shows on a widescreen device and still having black bars is kind of annoying.
4. 802.11n.
5. Better DAC in the iPhone.  This is wishful thinking, but it’d be nice.

As for software, the usual applies, in order of preference:

1. Allow 3rd party apps access to write to the iTunesDB.  I want to sync with Songbird!
2. Landscape keyboard for Mail, SMS, Mail, etc.
3. Cut, Copy, Paste
4. Follow-Up Flags in Mail
5. Update Free/Busy Status in Calendar
6. Invite/Delete Attendees in Calendar
7. “Push” GMail
8. Push Notification Services or multitasking for 3rd party apps
9. Flash support for Safari
10. Java support
11. Notifications (SMS, reminders, invites etc.) should be on the bottom and not interrupt workflow

That should be good enough for now.

I’ve tried out a few financial management applications in my day, not limited to MS Excel, MS Money, and Quicken, and I can’t say that I have been in any way impressed with any of those approaches.  They require a lot of work to set up, a lot of work to maintain, and in some cases (here is looking at you, Quicken), just plain don’t work at all..in my seemingly endless quest to get a budget going, I have typically ended up giving up.

That said, it was with both hopeful optimism and well-deserved skepticism that I started playing around with Mint.com a few months ago.  Mint.com is a free online financial management application with the ability to automatically connect to over 5,000 financial institutions to import transactions and help you manage your financial life.  Desperately wanting some solution to make managing my finances easier, I put aside the inherent security concerns of having all of your financial life located on some company’s servers, and dove in.

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Test Server

Dell PowerEdge 2950
Dual Quad Core Xeon CPUs (3GHz)
16GB RAM
2x 300GB 15000rpm HDD, RAID-0

Test Client

Dell PowerEdge 2550
Dual Xeon CPUs (933MHz)
4GB RAM
2x 18GB 10000rpm HDD, RAID-1

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Reflecting a current trend in higher education, and the broader computer industry, I recently received an Apple MacBook Pro for work, and I thought I would post a brief review from the perspective of someone who has mostly dealt with Windows for quite some time.

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I was having some trouble getting my BartPE disc to work correctly with Dell’s new Optiplex 755 desktop, due to the fact that it comes with a new Intel Gigabit NIC chip (82566-2, specifically). I had added the new drivers as downloaded from Dell’s website, to no avail, getting a “Cannot install network devices” error at bootup.

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1. Windows Media Center: If I happen to throw down a small fortune for a Digital Cable Ready (read: CableCard) Windows Media Center PC, I would love the ability to stream both live and recorded TV to other Windows Media Center PCs in the house. It only makes sense to offer the ability to combine the resources of multiple WMC PCs with eachother, with a unified electronic program guide (EPG). Media Center Extenders should also be able to use this aggregation of resources, presenting a seamless experience.
2. iPhone: the closest thing to the perfect phone needs some serious upgrades before I’d consider owning one.
   • Exchange ActiveSync
   • 3G
   • Picture Messaging
   • WPA enterprise
   • Bluetooth DUN/PAN or WiFi sharing support
   • More storage would also be nice
3. Other automobile OEMs to offer something similar to Ford’s Sync. It doesn’t necessarily need to be voice activated, but I really would like my car to seamlessly integrate with my iPod and Bluetooth phone.

Engadget had a post yesterday detailing rumored plans for a Lotus Notes application for the iPhone. I’m pleased to see that at least someone is doing something to try to get corporate email on the iPhone, but my immediate response is “WTF about Exchange”? You can access Exchange via IMAP, but that hardly compares to the push-email features of Exchange ActiveSync or even on a BlackBerry. I’ve come to enjoy push email on my seriously outdated Treo 700w. Why I can’t have my cake (wicked cool phone) and eat it (push email) too?

I stumbled upon a really nice utility for Windows Vista called Start++.

From the website:

Start++ is an enhancement for the Start Menu in Windows Vista. It also extends the Run box and the command-line with customizable commands. For example, typing “w Windows Vista” will take you to the Windows Vista page on Wikipedia!

http://brandontools.com/content/StartPlusPlus.aspx