The Apple (2G) iPhone Hype

The hype surrounding the Apple iPhone is now in full swing, but apart from the new ads and the information on the Apple site, not many details are currently available. It seems that very few people have actually used one. I'd certainly like to try one out, if only to see what the multi-touch screen and soft keyboard are like. They way the technology is presented in the ads, it all seems easy and seamless, as you would expect in an Apple ad. I must say that I love the idea of having mobile web, iPod and phone is one beautifully designed package. It seems like it's been a long time coming.

I do have some reservations about this first release. According to the tech specs, it's basically a GSM phone with Wi-Fi capability for wireless data. In the U.S. it will support Cingular’s EDGE network. I can understand the business reasons behind this decision but can't help but be disappointed that the first release will not be 3G. I could be wrong about that here in Australia, it'll be interesting to see what the network arrangements are in Australia when the iPhone is eventually released here. This is not going to be until next year I believe. It seems clear that it won't be running on a 3G network, unless Apple releases a different version here.

Considering the capacity of current iPods, it's also a little disappointing that the storage capacity is going to be 4GB and 8GB. Having said that, it's easy to forget that this is still great compared to most other mobile phones on the market – and it is a iPod.

In the interests of full disclosure, I need to say that I currently own a Nokia 7710. Telstra gave this to me in return for testing out a mobile tv service just before they launched their 3G network. I've also worked with Nokia (on some 3G marketing demos) in their FutureLab in Sydney, so I'm pretty attached to Nokia phones, even though their compatibility with Macs has always been a issue.

The crux of the matter for me is that I like Apple products, I've been buying them for years (and years), and I like Nokia phones. I'd love to be able to say I have no reservations about jumping in and buying an iPhone as soon as they are released, but at the moment I'm not so sure. I'd love to have a 3G iphone that syncs seamlessly with my Mac, but it looks like I might have to wait quite some time for that situation.

What are your thoughts on the iPhone?

Teenage Mutant Hardcore Turtles

Here's an excellent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Throwdown mashup.

via The Slippery Truffle

Hammer & Coop Music Video

The funny Hammer & Coop Music Video from Mini is doing pretty well on YouTube so far. To date the video has had 469,144 views. The Hammer & Coop Channel is the number 1 most viewed today, and the number 10 most viewed this week.

Interestingly, but not surprisingly, the music video is much more popular than the previous Hammer & Coop episodes. All of the videos can also be seen on the campaign microsite, where there is also a fun little Action Name Generator.

Wolfmother Grammy

Congrats to local Sydney lads Wolfmother for being the first Aussie band to win a Grammy in 25 years. They won Best Hard Rock Performance for Woman.

The band was up against Nine Inch Nails, System of a Down, Tool and Buckberry, so I guess it was a bit of a surprise considering the more established competition at such a big occasion. I seem to remember that U2 won for best alternative album (or something similar) a few years back, which seemed ridiculous.

I must admit that I'm in two minds about it. On the one hand I'm keen to support locals getting up to win big gongs. On the other hand, the cynical side of me has a suspicion that the recent wave of very popular rock acts (including Jet, The White Stripes, The Hives, The Darkness, The Strokes...the list goes on and on) are being encouraged and promoted in a disproportionate way by baby boomer record company execs who grew up with bands like Led Zep, The Who, Deep Purple and ACDC and want to continue the tradition they started. I can't help but think there might be other (and newer) forms of worthy music that could be just as popular if they were promoted with the same gusto by the heavy hitters. What do you reckon?

From an advertising perspective, it's also interesting to note the frequent use of Wolfmother's work in advertising during their rapid rise (see Wikipedia entry for details), including for Apple iPod, Optus, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 game Guitar Hero II, Jackass: Number Two and more. This phenomenon is nothing new these days though, just part of the whole deal.

I'll choose to leave those thoughts to one side however. Don't get me wrong, I like quite a few of these bands, especially The Strokes and The White Stripes and I've been listening to Wolfmother a lot. The Joker and the Thief with headphones on at work can really get me into action first thing in the morning. I also dug Wolfmother's performance at the ARIA Awards. They are a brilliant rock band.