Apple gives us a sneak peek at 3.0

On Tuesday Apple Inc. gave us a sneak of the new features of iPhone 3.0 OS. As I watched the live feed from gdgt I was thrilled to see the new features that Apple is including in the update. Some of my favorites are:

Copy/Paste:

No one is sure why it took so long for Apple to implement this but we sure are glad they decided to. During the keynote I was chatting with a friend and he wasn’t sure it was a necessity. While that may be true I pointed out that there are many times I would love to have, or needed to have copied something from one application to another. I think the implementation is nice and clean and that may have been what help Apple up so long in adding this in. Apple seems to hold off until they have something just the way they like it. If it’s not good enough then it just doesn’t get released. Some will argue that’s just not true since there are many items that get pushed out that don’t seem quite ready for prime time, but I think you never know some issues until it’s in the hands of the masses and gets a thorough thrashing by the general public.

Better use of the dock connector:

While I’m not a big fan of proprietary hardware and cables I’m glad that Apple has opened up the dock connector a little to allow third parties to make devices that will work with the iPhone. Being as powerful as it is the iPhone will be the perfect companion for Doctors and students alike. I really can’t wait to see what companies are able to come up with and how much more valuable the iPhone will become to the private sector.

Push:

I like the idea of Apple opening access to the push notification API. Since they don’t allow background processes to run this makes a simple, and battery saving, way for many applications to let you know that something is going on. Now if only GMail could jump on the push bandwagon!

A2DP:

Since I have a 1st generation iPhone this is one new feature I won’t be able to enjoy but I am glad that it will exist for those who have the iPhone 3G. I need to get my hands on some BT headphones to hear what it sounds like musically but the idea of wireless is always appealing to me.

Vertical Keyboard:

This should have been there from the beginning! I paid .99 for an app to allow me to to do this in Mail but to have it natively for evry application is going to be awesome. It is almost painful for me to type on the vertical keyboard so I am thrilled to see this come to 3.0

Well, that sums up my list of pros in the new 3.0 iPhone software update. What do you think I missed? Let me know in the comments

Xtrememac FS1 High Definition Earphones

Introduction
There are so many headphones to choose from when it comes to listening to music on your iPod. There are questions you need to ask yourself before you drop your money on any pair. Do you like bass more or treble? Do you want in ear phones or over the ear cans? How much are you willing to spend? What kind of music will you be listening to the most? All of these are critical to making the right choice when it comes to what you put in/on your ears.

Features/Design
The FS1, FS stands for Future Sonics, are a wonderful set of in ear phones. When you first open the package you are hit with the design. It may seem just a little odd at first but once you slide them into your ears you will understand that the look works into the feel. The sleek design helps the FS1’s slide right into the ear and rest comfortably in your ear. You have two choices for how they fit into the ear canal. There is a three tier silicone tip that comes in three sizes, small, medium, and large, and there is a moldable foam option that you can compress and then slide into your ear and it expands to fit your ear canal perfectly. Both do a great job at blocking out noise and allowing you total immersive ability to enjoy your music.

The drivers in the FS1’s are amazing. Their ability to represent all aspects of the music blew me away the first time I plugged them in. I could not find a style of music that did not sound great in these phones. The highs are loud enough to hear but not so overpowering as to give you a headache. The mids are clear and clean and the bass is strong but not overpowering. The bass resonates in your head and is very comfortable for listing to anything form Hip-Hop to Classical to Jazz. The phones them self sit so well in the ear that you can wear them for hours with no problems.

Pricing
$149 USD plus shipping and tax

Final Thoughts
I am blown away by the over all sound of the FS1’s. These are the best I have listened to so far and I love listening to them on a regular basis. If you are looking for a good pair of phones and are willing to pay for them then the FS1’s might just be for you.

Audioengine A2 Desktop Speakers

Introduction
Audioengine has done it again. After wowing us with the A2’s big brother the A5, Audioengine has once again made us drool just a little with the sound and style of the newest addition to their line up, the A2.

Features/Design
Audioengine has an eye for design, and that is a fact. All of the style that went in to the A5 is back again in a speak that is 1/3 the size of it’s big brother. Upon first opening the box you will see that everything is wrapped up in to soft cloth pouches. These hold all of the cables and power supplies that you should need to connect everything to the A2’s. The speakers themselves also come wrapped up in soft cloth pouches to protect them from scratches. Once you pull the speakers out of the pouches you are greeted with a wonderful hard glossy finish. Smooth and well built these speakers look great sitting on just about any surface. On the bottom of the A2’s is a soft foam pad so you will be sure that no matter what surface you sit these speakers on both the speakers and the surface will remain scratch free.

Looking at the front of the A2 you will see a larger cone and a smaller cone. The larger cone, or woofer, is made of kevlar just like the A5. this allows for dynamic flex to allow for good bass reproduction and for a long lasting speaker life. The top cone, or tweeter, is made from silk which will allow for great reproduction of all the high notes. The slot at the bottom is for allowing air flow out of the speaker which is critical for proper bass reproduction.

A look at the back reveals all the things that make this speaker set go. Near the top left you have the inputs. Audioengine gives you two options for connecting what you want to to the speakers. You can choose from composite audio or you can use a standard 1/8 inch audio jack. Either way you choose will not affect the over all sound in any way. To the right of the inputs you see a silver knob. That is your on/off/volume control. Spun all the way to the left and clicked turns the speakers off. Dial it up to the right and you can rock to your hearts content. These speakers have power! They can get plenty loud enough for just about any need for a speaker of it’s size. Under the composite inputs are the speaker outputs to the right speaker. Audioengine includes the cables you need to be able to join the set together and as long as you pay attention to which you hook up to each color you should be just fine. Below the on/off knob you have what may, at first glance, look like and s-video plug. It is not! That is where you plug in the power adapter.

Pricing
The A2’s run $199 USD plus shipping and tax although as of the writing of this review they are offering free shipping.

Final Thoughts
I really was not sure what to expect when I opened the box and saw how small these speakers were. I was a little concerned about the type of sound they could produce for the size. Audioenging must have known people would think this way and figured how to get the best out of these speakers. I was impressed with the mids and Highs that these speakers could produce. I listened to many different types of music from Les Miserable to my Bass Explosion USA albums and with respect to the size they sounded great. Most speakers need some sort of a break in period to sound really great and knowing this I can’t wait to hear what they sound like once I have a few more hours into them.

Marware Sport Grip Extreme for iPod Nano

Introduction
Skins for iPods offer wonderful protection form the everyday elements that attempt to attack your iPod. They are extremely soft and somewhat sticky to the touch which makes them easy to grip on to and hold as well as making them stick flat on the dashboard as you go careening around “Dead Mans Curve” at 110MPH. The draw back as usual is lint. Pocket lint, backpack lint, belly button lint, all of these are the constant enemy of a silicone case. So, now that you know the facts it is time to get on with choosing a silicone case. Marware has a few to choose from but we are only discussing one today, the Sport Grip Extreme.

Features/Design
Made from quality silicone rubber these cases have a lot of stretch built into them. This skin covers just about everything on the iPod except the screen, the hold switch, and the headphone port. To me this seems a bit of a problem. You have no ability to charge the Nano in the case. You must strain to pull the Nano out of the case completely to charge or use any dock connector accessories. For some this may not be a big issue but I found it very inconvenient to hassle with. The headphone port has a hole the leads to it but really is only designed for straight headphone jack connector. I attempted to plug my angled connector from my Shure e2c’s in and while I was successful in getting it to connect the headphone hole on the silicone looked like it was stretched to the max. The hole for the phones is also tight next to the area where the lanyard slides through. This makes it rather interesting to hang the iPod around your neck and ads a little pressure to the headphone jack which could in the future lead to connection issues. The lanyard is made of a very soft and stretchy material and is very comfortable to wear even over long periods of time. Also included in the package is a metal ring with a lanyard attached to it. There is a hole on the bottom by the lanyard to allow you to connect this. The clip makes it simple and easy to connect to your belt loop, backpack or purse and is made of metal so the clip won’t be breaking any time soon. The way the clip attaches to the case is a little concerning since it really only goes through the silicone. If caught on something you can tell the silicone will give long before the metal ring or clip do running the risk that your iPod is about to take a fall. For the Nano it’s not as critical as if it were a hard drive based iPod but no one wants to see their investment hit the ground.

Pricing
$19.95 +tax and shipping

Final Thoughts
While like any skin the Marware Sport Grip Extreme offers good protection I just feel it is lacking in some concept areas. I would rather see the lanyard attached differently and i would really like to be able to access the dock connector without having to pull the iPod out of the case. I love the cushion it offers should it fall but the other things I mentioned make it not worth it to me to pick this case up and use it on a daily basis.

Marware CEO Classic

Introduction
Marware is known for producing quality, functional cases that both beautify and protect the iPod they cradle. The quality in the CEO classic shows that Marware has no intention of letting you down.

Features/Design
Made from top quality leather the CEO Classic is as stylish as it is beautiful. The case feels great in your hand and holds the iPod snugly inside it. This case has 4 main components: The inside, the clip, the solid cover, and the access cover. The inside portion of the case is a leather sleeve that allows you to slide your Nano into. It has a piece of clear plastic stitched in where the screen sits. It is very clearly see through and offers excellent screen protection from fingerprints and scratches.

Once inside the protective sleeve you now have a choice to make. The CEO Classic comes with two different outer covers. One is a solid cover that needs to be unsnapped and lifted to access the Nano controls while the other allows you basic play/pause, Fwd and Rev functions.

The above picture is of the solid cover. This completely covers the front of the Nano and is secured to the case with snaps. two snaps hold the cover on at the top and one secures it closed at the bottom. The front also has a small pocket in it for storage but seems to me to be too small to be really effective for much of anything.

This next shot is the other cover choice you have. This cover is also secure by the snaps at the top and bottom. However is has the impression of the click wheel stamped into the cover. This allows you access to the buttons in the wheel but does not work so well for menu navigation or volume control as the amount of force you have to use to get it to register forces you to click the buttons in the process.

The next part of the case is the clip. Marware has added this feature to all of their non-silicone cases and as it is universal there are a ton of other things that this case can clip to. Bike mounts car clips, all sorts of things. The included pocket clip is made of very rugged plastic and looks like it would withstand a decent amount of abuse. The clip is hinged so it can expand to go from pocket, to purse, to backpack easily

Pricing
The CEO Classic for Nano runs $29.95 plus tax and shipping and is available at Marware.com

Final Thoughts
While I find this case to be a beautiful addition to the Nano as well as adding a touch of class to any professional attire I was a little disappointed that to charge the Nano you need to remove it from the case completely. This is also a problem if you have dock accessories for the Nano that you may want to use from time to time. Aside from that main issue for the price this is a quality case that is worth the price.