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Now that the app store is about to debut, I thought I’d write a couple of thoughts about it. First and most importantly, I think that any app should strongly consider having an interface with the web. Let’s take a mileage program for example. By itself, it may have a great interface, and functionality. But in today’s connected world, we want access to our information the way we want it. Yeah, you’ll have your iPhone with you at almost all times (for access to the info), but it’d be great if the info was sync’d to a website and you can view it on your much larger desktop or laptop and utilize the larger format’s ability to display the data in different forms. You could then take the data in a csv file and interpret/manipulate it how you see fit in a spreadsheet program of your own choosing. It’d also be backed up more securely (free from loss, not from possible trespassing though ) than just having a sync with your local computer. Perhaps, taken to another level, data could be backed up into MobileMe or maybe Google could do a hostile takeover and offer MobileMe functionality for free.

Secondly, I’m hoping that with the wireless and GPS functionality built-in, these apps will grow and expand beyond those that were written for the Palm and PocketPC. Right now, iPhone apps are in it’s infancy. This stage is going to be very familiar to those who used to have a PDA. Hopefully, the weak and inferior programs (and/or redundant and overpriced programs) can be quickly weeded out and allowed to die a quick death.

Apps I’m waiting on:

• Smugmug browser (not just uploader)
• Remember the Milk
• Wordpress publisher
• Secure Facebook (https)
• Voice Recorder
• Google Docs/notes interface

Possible Cool Stuff:

• yelp
• evernote
• moocow pianist
• guitar suite
• pandora
• tuner
• whereto, vicinity - apps that return restaurant, bar, POI information based on your location
• limbo - tells your friends/otheres where you are and what you’re doing — kinda scary too

Might be time for me to get some better in-ear headphones.

W32.Deletemusic. Deletes all your mp3s. It work by spreading through removable media such as usb drives and running through autorun. So disable your autoruns on the windows systems. Or hold down the <SHIFT> key when inserting removable media.

I often inadvertantly close tabs in Firefox with a middle click and have to go to History -> Recently Closed Tabs to reopen them. Well today I was trying to open up a blank tab with <CTRL>-T and accidently hit <SHIFT> as well and lo and behold, <CTRL><SHIFT>-T will recover/reopen the most recently closed tabs in order.

Lets start with the negatives:

• User Access Controls - this thing which is supposed to provide greater security will end up getting disabled because it is the greatest piece of nagware ever created. You can’t copy a file without the damn dialog box popping up. Did they actually test this before releasing it? It’s absurd!
• Windows Explorer - why did they get rid of the up-one-level button? That was probably the most useful icon and now it’s dissappeared. Strange how they would make a “better” version of windows yet make it less functional, no?
• Start Menu - the whole scrolling programs thing sucks.
• Icons - suck
• Memory Hog

• Some firefox config tips
• Spell-checking is great.
• Tab scroll buttons are annoying.
• Opening back up accidentally closed tabs via History is nice.

And I’m back from SEMA. In case you aren’t familiar, it’s the biggest show for aftermarket car parts and accessories. Lots of high profile manufacturers and tuners showcase their latest and greatest. Didn’t get to spend much time at the Las Vegas Convention Center where the SEMA side of thing were held, but I did spend a few hours on the first day taking some pictures. Those should be up shortly. Most of my time was spent in the B2B oriented AAPEX side of things. That’s where all the foreign undercutters were displaying their wares. Cheap labor = low prices. Overabundance of cheap labor = long term low prices.

Firefox 2.0 came out last week. The spell check feature is nice. It works like the auto spell checker in MS Word. And it works in any text box you can type in. Now I don’t have to try and hack the TinyMCE editor in Wordpress to get spell checking to work.

A tip: You can get rid of the green Goto button by going typing in about:config in the address bar and double clicking on browser.urlbar.hideGoButton to change it to true.