I have the power! (To creep you out further.)

Posted by Heath on November 21st, 2008 @ 1:52 am, filed in Apple, Geek Life, Heath, Tech

Let me be clear. My iPhone is the greatest computer I have ever owned. I can feel the tears of my iBook gathering on her keys as I openly tik-tak the words of my betrayal. My iBook, God bless her, doesn’t fit in my pocket. My iBook, my tireless companion, does not have multi-touch. My iBook…uh, is… is not a woman, jeez, listen to yourself man!

About a half hour ago someone could have tapped me on the shoulder whilst I sat here at my desk and said, “Your obsession is showing.”

Having a pretty good knowledge through internet rumors that an update for my phone would be hitting sometime today (that would be Friday, the day I haven’t slept to get ready for yet,) I popped the iTunes update checker with a mouse click at precisely midnight central time. I had no planning on the time but it turned out to be a lucky guess because, sure enough, there was that exciting info box that told me it was time to start all those wonderful little swirly bars that come with downloading updates! 

I would say there are two big features to this update. First, podcasts are now downloadable over the 3G network, which really makes a pretty big leap forward in the usefulness of podcasts if you’re someone out and about with headphones or a car system at all times. Second, and the feature represented by the iPhone screenshot up top, is the inclusion of Google Street View in the maps feature. To create that shot I simply typed in my address, tapped the Street View icon, and spun the “camera” around to make the image of me-headquarters. I am sitting in that very house, right now! That’s my car in the driveway.

Useful? Well, we’ll see. I imagine that for someone with my personality it will be. I’m a researcher, which means that before I do anything I like to be 98% to 100% sure that I’m right about my procedure. Now, when I’m cruizin’ around, contemplating entering that building that I have the address for but never entered, I can pull the iPhone out and verify one last time that I’m good to go. All this fancy happens provided Streetview has mapped your area, mind you, and in this case Albany has been hyper-beamed to the internet. Huzzah! 

One more feature of the iPhone that will make people shudder when I show it to them while I squeal with glee!