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(Before I get started with this review, a note of caution about one of my other gizmos. My Sony PRS-500 eBook reader has developed some kind of display problem; the leftmost inch of the screen no longer updates. I checked around online and the going price for this repair appears to be about $250. That's on a gizmo that sells for $279 on Amazon right now. Not a good deal. I'll check with Sony and update this information if I get a better price.)

I've been carrying around a cheap nylon briefcase I bought at the Apple Company Store about ten years ago. I bought it because it had a front pocket the perfect size for my… Read more

"The beat goes on" on September 5 in San Francisco, where Apple will hold a "special event" presumably to introduce new iPods.

As usual, Apple avoided directly stating what's on tap, but the use of the Cover Flow album artwork and Apple's latest iPod ads rather heavily suggests that we're in store for an iPod/iTunes-related event. Ars Technica reported last week that Apple was planning an event for the 5th, and several reports have surfaced in recent weeks implying that Apple's about to refresh its iPod lineup.

CNET will be there … Read more

Miss out on that Lego minifigure of Steve Wozniak that came out a couple of years ago? No worries. Now you can buy a Lego-ized Woz and gets Steve Jobs for free.

The Young Woz and Jobs Playset, the latest limited-edition custom minifig product from Rockville, Md.-based PodBrix, goes on sale Wednesday at 9 p.m. EDT. If you're into Apple-related Lego tzotchkes, you might want to act fast. Only 300 will be available.

Created by an artist named Tomi--also of 1984 Playset fame--each $40 set contains a young version of Jobs and a super-smiley Woz standing beside … Read more

When Steve Jobs and company first envisaged the iPhone, a few things surely came to mind. First, Apple wanted a phone with an appealing design and advanced functionality. In essence, the company wanted a device that was nothing like its predecessors. And while it achieved this feat, Apple was still in need of a carrier. It went to Verizon and others, but it was AT&T that was able to offer it what it wanted: revenue sharing on activations and service plans. Basically, Apple was able to sell the device, make a profit and even capitalize on the iPhone'… Read more

Remember, folks: different does not inherently mean "bad."

I was surprised at the reaction to my article, published this morning, titled "Coming to grips with the iPhone's design." Specifically, with the way some people see a discussion of design tradeoffs as an attempt to tar and feather the nonconformist.

Yes, you can use your iPhone with one hand. But it's not as easy as some would suggest. Some reviewers didn't think it was that big a deal, some thought it was more of a problem. Whether or not you think it's easy … Read more

Before I bought my iMac, the vast majority of my work was done on a notebook, so I never was forced to use a mouse. I used to be an all-desktop guy back in the late '90s and found that most of the time, the rubber ball worked quite well. Today? No such luck.

I hate every mouse I own. I own a wired and wireless Mighty Mouse (yuck!) and a wired laser mouse from Logitech that should have been burned years ago. But it doesn't end there. When I go to a friend's house and use a … Read more

As a Mac Mini and MacBook owner, I think it's safe to say that I know my way around the Mac. My MacBook comes with me wherever I go and as for my Mac Mini? Well, the Mac Mini was an impulse buy that was designed to make my life a little more comfortable. Along with the purchase of the lowest-end Intel Core Duo Mini, I purchased a wireless keyboard and wireless mighty mouse for distant computing. Once home, I hooked it up to the HDTV in my bedroom and it has sat there ever since. Why in my … Read more

With rumors of new iPods heating up, fresh news comes of a trademarked Apple "special event" to be held in two weeks.

Ars Technica's Infinite Loop is reporting that unidentified Apple sources have brought word of an upcoming Apple event scheduled for September 5. While Infinite Loop's sources were unable to specify the exact details of what is coming, they signed off on a general reading of AppleInsider's recent report that a series of new iPods are on tap.

There will be at least one new iPod, according to Infinite Loop's sources, but details … Read more

The rumor mill is buzzing about new iPod models that Apple will apparently introduce in a press event on Wednesday, September 5.

That date comes from "sources within the company" who spoke to Ars Technica. The article goes on to cite AppleInsider, which is suggesting that there will be four new models, all incorporating Apple's OS X (like the iPhone) and based on flash memory (like the Nano). The consensus seems to be that these new models will not feature a full touchscreen like the iPhone, but will have some of the music-interface features from that product, … Read more