But, I still have a Touch Pro on Verizon (my main voice phone), and an iPod touch (sipping Wi-Fi from said Verizon phone).

So, now I have to somehow fit a Palm Pre on me. Aw, shucks, poor me (yeah, I know you’re saying that right now). But, I do have all of this technology for under $100/month (which makes the Simply Everything plan sound really “valuable” right now, doesn’t it). Thankfully, it’s a small device, it can actually sit on top of (or, rather, behind) an iPod touch and not stand out above a typical HTC phone.

But, let’s take a look at history for a second first, just in case the crowds at Moscone West decide revolt if Apple doesn’t announce iPhone HD at WWDC.

When the original iPhone came out, Apple categorically denied that it was even capable of TV Out. Time and time again, Apple Media Relations clearly stated that the iPhone lacked the hardware to output video.

Then iPhone OS 2.0 came out, along with 480i (SDTV) video output on each and every iPhone and iPod Touch. iPod touch 2G then went 480p at the next revision.

Will Apple announce iPhone HD at WWDC? I have no idea. I do know that you shouldn’t shoot the messenger if they don’t.

Kega Fusion is one of the most popular SEGA Genesis + CD + 32X emulators out there, and the developer has just finished porting it as his first Mac app.

This really opens up a lot of potential for better emulation on the Mac, as well as possibly on iPhone and iPod touch. I haven’t had a chance to use it throughly, but all three platforms are supported in the first release, and netplay will be added eventually. The only real caveat to the Mac version right now is that SEGA CD games have to be in BIN/CUE format to be played.

Kega Fusion

But what about Mac?

Follow me on this. Right now, I have my address book completely in Apple Address Book. I have my email accounts in Apple Mail. I have my calendar in iCal. I didn’t drink the kool-aid… this was what had to be done to keep my iPhone working with my Mac. Granted, I’ve found it much more pleasant than Outlook, but that wasn’t my motivation.

Now however, I actually want to move back to Outlook. I want all that data synced on Mail2Web Live so that I can have all my devices stay in sync. But, Apple, despite licensing Exchange, has no roadmap to adding Exchange support to their Mac apps.

You might at this point be asking “But wait, I thought Mac OS X stayed in sync between iPhone and Mac.” Well, yes, and no. The source code for all the Core* functions are synced. Meaning CoreServices (kernel), QuartzCore (drawing), CoreImage, CoreAnimation, everything up to QuickTime and WebKit all are the same base code… improvements on one platform eventually can flow to the other.

However, higher-order functions are not synced. Meaning, the Contacts app on iPod touch isn’t the same as Address Book on Mac. Likewise, while Mail on Mac and Mail on iPhone are certainly related, they aren’t tied at the hip.

This is where financials come into play. Does Apple want Exchange on Mac? Again, yes and no. Yes, they want corporate expansion, but not at the cost of an all-Apple solution. Apple wants companies to switch to Leopard Server and deploy CalDAV. Obviously, this pitch hasn’t gone over well; companies continue to believe Apple treats the corporate world as second-class citizens.

So, the ball is in Apple’s court on this one… will they roll out Exchange support on Mac OS X? I think in the short run, they won’t… but eventually they will. Remember, Microsoft has Entourage for Mac, so if a company wants to start migrating to Mac, the real barrier is not Entourage… it’s Office. And, eventually, Apple wants iWork to nullify Office completely. Having an Exchange client license may just end-run around Microsoft’s plans to keep pumping life into Office for Mac.

Of course, nobody outside of Cupertino or Redmond really knows all the terms of that agreement. For all I know, the MacBU caught wind of the deal in time to put a preventing provision from deploying Exchange directly on Mac hardware…

I also noted how I was 100% sure that iTunes would pop up one day and ask users if they wanted to install Safari. I was dead right, though my vision in of it would work is a bit different than how it was implemented.

My idea, was that iTunes, when it polled for updates, would pop up an XML-formatted iTunes Store page. The page would be a promo for Safari for Windows, and suggest users one-click install it onto their systems. Instead, the application is picked up as a software instance on Apple Software Update for Windows. When it runs, Safari appears as an available installation, checked by default.

I can see how Mozilla’s CEO would feel that this is malware. Mozilla doesn’t have the #1 most-downloaded application in the world (iTunes). Mozilla has to get users from Firefox by working for them, doing deals with other companies (Google), advertising, and word-of-mouth.

But, I think Mozilla’s mindset is biased and flawed. Now, I will say that nobody doubts I’m partial to Apple, and the case can be made that my opinion is equally biased and flawed. That said, I don’t get a paycheck from Apple, so I don’t have a real stake in this game.

Here’s why. You could argue that Apple has a monopoly in the music business. If an iTunes update had automatically installed Safari (as part of the software’s payload), that could be viewed as an unfair use of the monopoly. They aren’t doing that, they popped up with a nebulous offer. I say it’s a nebulous offer, because Safari is not as well known as iTunes. To every Mac user, to every iPhone and iPod touch user… it is. But, to PC users that haven’t touched either (no pun intended), it’s not as clear what Safari is.

This brings in the rational interest part of things. If a user clicks on the update, they get an explanation of what it is. If that’s not a sufficient explanation, they shouldn’t install the update until they have read more, or asked someone, or done sufficient research. Mozilla is making the case that this isn’t sufficient, and I’m sorry, but it is. Malware makes vague and nebulous explanations… Apple is simply nebulous about the name.

If Apple were to be overly-zealous about this, I would say that the steps for improvement to pursue are clear. First, go back to my vision for promoting Safari in iTunes, and implement it. Then, revise Apple Software Update to differentiate between new software, and updated software. Finally, make the title “Safari Web Browser” on Windows, rather than the generic Safari. Safari is sufficient on platforms like Mac and iPhone where people use it, but on Windows going a step farther would be a huge step in appeasing the naysayers.

Since these suggestions don’t take a lot of effort, I think they will all eventually be implemented.

I can sort of understand last year, Apple not wanting to provide live demos of iPhone at the show. The device was unfinished, and Apple is against showing off unfinished products to the public.

However, this year, not attending makes no sense. Apple will announce iPhone’s (and iPod touch’s) SDK this Thursday. Having a presence at CTIA would allow for developers to walk over and gain some real-world connections with Apple, and would only improve developer relations. They don’t even need any new products to show, arranging for a few workshops and showcasing iPhone’s new SDK is the thing to do at CTIA for Apple.

However, they aren’t going. Apple wants to hold off until WWDC in June for some real-world connections with developers on the SDK. That, in my opinion, is a bad decision. There would not have been a high cost to attend CTIA, and it’s a missed opportunity for Apple.

I want you to suggest some apps that you’d like to see sponsored. Post your ideas in the comments (and yes, they will be shamelessly ripped off, hence the need for you to post them).

A couple of ideas I am already spinning… first, a remote wipe protocol, similar to Sanyo’s Find Me feature. A user is generated a hash of 160 characters, and the user can then SMS it to their iPhone. Upon doing so, all user data is erased (or, the user is locked out of the device except for emergency calls).

Also, a simple app that turns iPhone into a Wi-Fi access point. The goal would be to make it as simple as WMWifiRouter… one click, and your iPhone is now an access point.

That’s all for now, post away!

The software upgrade, for those of you that don’t have iPod touches, adds the payload of iPhone software. You know, the payload everyone has been complaining was missing from day one (Maps, Weather, Stocks, Mail, and Notes). But, it also adds WebClips and the ability to move items around on SpringBoard (the home screen). Oh, and it replaces the reflective dock with the aluminum dock from iPhone. The upgrade is free to new iPod touches, adding insult to injury.

But, here’s the newsflash you were waiting for… no upgrade, and no third-party software. Even if iTunes is used to deploy the payload, Apple won’t want you running third-party software with no way to manage the home screen. And, you can’t manage the home screen without the software upgrade.  The software upgrade has a lot of transactional code, and is actually both an enabler, as well as the first iPod touch/iPhone application to be released (it uses the same mechanism that iTunes will use to install third-party software on the devices).

Bottom line, no $20 upgrade, no third-party apps. And, with the number of iPod touches out there, that should be a nice padding for Apple’s wallet.

The combo of the N95-3 and iPod touch appears to be the optimal solution, at least for me.

The N95-3 has HSDPA, GPS, and the all-important Wi-Fi for relaying 3G to iPod touch. The iPod touch has Safari, Mail, and that looming SDK.

What does this mean for me? Porting my line to AT&T from Verizon, and putting a new line on my Verizon account (I’m way out of contract). That puts Verizon in the office-phone-I’m-just-keeping-for-work, but I’m okay with that. I’m finally going to be back to two devices, and that’s where I really need to be.

And yeah, I know, there’s another Nokia N95 about to come out. Later, eBay, repeat. Sometimes (many times, really), I wish I didn’t have to constantly upgrade. But, part of my job is being on the elite of the cutting edge… and so the expense account has to roll with the punches.

Oh, and if you were wondering about iPod touch’s lack of a speaker… I finally found one.

With the February SDK about to be released, iPod touch is primed and ready to be a first-class PDA. Problem is, it lacks a speaker. It also lacks a microphone. This is going to become the most glaring problem as people come up with innovative iPhone applications… that will seem out-of-place on iPod touch.

Third-parties however can fill the gap. There are already clip-on speakers for other iPods, I’d love to see one customized and designed for iPod touch. Such a speaker would slip on, almost like a tiny cradle, and hug the bottom of the device. It would offer stereo speakers and a small microphone. All the technology is there to do this using the iPod dock connector port.

And, for a super size version, you could even turn this into an effective case for iPod touch. The case would deliver speakers, volume control, a mute switch (a la iPhone), and you could even fit an extended battery if you wanted a ruggedized case. And, this is nothing new either… classic iPod units have had all of these for awhile.

So, how long will it take for some unlicensed iPod manufacturer to shamelessly rip off my un-patented intellectual property? I’m starting the clock… now.