I bought an iPod Touch as soon as they were released. I loved the capabilities of the device and was especially impressed with the battery life especially when watching movies or listening to music.

When Apple released the second generation with double the capacity I quickly purchased a second one passing the first generation down to my kids. While I love the device, I am also scared to death that I am going to scratch it or somehow damage the device.

I decided I needed to somehow protect the iPod and so began my quest for the perfect case. I have only a few requirements for the case. First it must protect the device. That may sound obvious but given the number of cases on the market you would be surprised how many of them do not protect the iPod front and back from damage.

The case must not impede the use of the device. It must not hamper the use of the touch screen or the buttons on the top and side of the device. It should also allow easy access to the headphone jack, the docking port, and all other controls.

The case must be durable. I take my iPod touch with me everywhere and the last thing I need is for the protective cover to wear out.

Another rather obvious requirement is that the case cannot damage or mar the iPod Touch in any way. You would think that would be a given but I have had cases in the past where dye from the color in the silicone case has bled onto the iPod Touch turning it a color.

Finally, the case must not add to the bulk of the device. One of the things I like best about the iPod Touch is the slim and sleek design. The last thing I want is to ruin that form factor with some large or bulky case.

Over the years I have gone through a plethora of cases. They have ranged from hard plastic to silicone skins to space aged polymer skins that adhere to the device. I purchased each of these cases with high hopes that it would be the perfect case. After limited use, each of the cases would fall short and my search would begin again.

After my latest case, the iSkin Duo, began to leave dye marks on the iPod and limited the use of the docking port I was once again in the market for a new case.

I happened into the local Apple Store once again searching for a case. After looking at everything on their display several times I was about to leave empty-handed when I spotted a metallic Air Jacket case by Power Support.

The Apple store had only one, an iridescent purple. I really didn’t want a purple case but I was intrigued by the Air Jacket. It is a plastic case that claims a maximum thickness of only 1 mm.

The case itself is plastic but feels nearly weightless in your hands. It protects the entire back of the iPod Touch. The corners on the face are exposed so you do have to be careful. The front of the iPod Touch is protected with a film that attaches to the front of the iPod Touch.

The film does offer protection and doesn’t seem to impede the touch sensitivity of the screen. The case comes with two front screen protectors. One is referred to as crystal while the other is an anti-glare screen. I chose to use the crystal. I personally believe the glossy face displays richer colors.

Installation of the screen protector and the plastic Air Jacket case were relatively painless. It may take a couple of tries to get the front protector on without any air bubbles and you do have to make sure the screen is dirt and lint free but overall it’s fairly easy to install.

While I am still not a big fan of the purple, the case is very nice and I have had several people comment on how great it looks. Besides the purple, the Air Jacket also comes in pink, gold, orange, and red.

If I had my choice I would have preferred the red but when you need a case quickly, you take whatever the store has in stock.

I’ve been using the Air Jacket case now for over a month. It has done an admirable job of protecting my iPod Touch. The case adds relatively no bulk to the device keeping the form factor the same as one without a case.

The screen protector has likewise done its job. It does tend to show finger prints more than the iPod Touch without a cover. I am willing to accept that to have the peace of mind that my iPod is protected.

I would definitely recommend the Air Jacket to anyone looking for a minimal iPod Touch case. The only thing that would have made this case better would have been if I could have found a red one rather than the purple.

Add to this the fact that the electrician on my house had to be one of the Marx Brothers and I knew I needed to find a power solution that could protect my network storage device.

I began researching battery back-up systems to find one that would provide enough time to allow the device to shut down gradually and gracefully. Looking over the documentation for the ReadyNAS Pro unit it did not appear as though it required anything proprietary.

A simple USB connection between the ReadyNAS Pro and the battery back-up unit should suffice. Since this device is in a home environment I was not interested in a battery back-up system that would keep my network running for hours during a power outage.

My theory was that if my house lost power that probably meant the network equipment in our neighborhood would most likely also lose power so even if I kept my entire network up I still would not have Internet services.

I began researching the various battery back-up systems trying to find a happy medium between stand-by power and aesthetics. After all, I was going to have to store this battery system somewhere and I was pretty sure my wife would object if I brought home a lead brick as large as an end-table.

After several online reviews and some quick Google searches I decided on the APC – 1300 VA Battery Back-up System. It is a tower model that can be hidden behind a desk or under the curtains with dimensions of 4.4 inches wide, 11.9 inches height, and 15 inches deep.

The battery back-up system weight a sturdy 22.8 pounds making it light enough to move around yet heavy enough that you want to think twice before dragging it across the floor.

The device has ten power outlets on the back. Five of these are battery back-up and the other five are pass-through outlets. The device is rated for up to 140 minutes of stand-by power.

After plugging in the NetGear ReadyNAS and my 24 inch Mac monitor the device said it had enough power for 19 minutes of reserve. I could probably have extended the time by not including the monitor but I decided I wanted it to remain active allowing me to shutdown properly.

The APC unit included a USB connector and cable that I connected to the back of the NetGear ReadyNAS. I was pleasantly surprised to find the ReadyNAS immediately recognized the APC unit and set itself up to monitor the power state.

There were not configuration screens that had to be filled out, no software to be installed; it was simply plug-and-play. Considering how complicated my life and my network is, it was refreshing to have something just work right out of the box.

After plugging in all of the devices I was feeling pretty good. I still didn’t know whether the device would actually work but I was hopeful. My answer would come quickly enough.

One of my kids was making toast in the kitchen when a piece of bread became jammed causing the GFI circuit in the kitchen to eliminate power to the plug. Interestingly enough, our electrician connected the GFI outlet with the toaster to an outlet in the living room that was twenty feet away. Like I said, he had to be one of the Marx Brothers.

When the GFI tripped the APC came to life alarming and notifying the user through the front display that the unit was now on battery power. The ReadyNAS was likewise notified and began shutting down.

This was just what I would have expected and it just worked. I cannot say enough about how simple this product was to install and implement. I can now rest a little easier knowing my ReadyNAS is protected from power spikes and outages.

If only everything in my life was this easy. I might actually get some sleep at night instead of laying awake worrying.

The hard reboot was bad enough but the subsequent media check meant the reboot time would stretch into hours before service was restored. Not exactly the kind of customer experience I was hoping for when I bought the device.

Things were getting so bad that I began researching a replacement device that I could purchase to replace the NetGear ReadyNAS. In the ReadyNAS Pro I have six 1.5 TB drives configured as a RAID 5 enclosure. That gives me 7.5TB of online storage.

I have been diligent in updating the firmware on the device and give it regular cleanings with compressed air so as far as I was concerned I was being diligent in managing the device. Despite my best efforts, the device continued to cause me problems.

After yet another hard re-boot my frustration level had reached new heights. I had about reached the end of my troubleshooting patience when for some reason I decided to change the configuration.

Up to this point I had configured the ReadyNAS Pro with two gigabit Ethernet connections directly to a Cisco switch. I seemed to remember that I added the second Ethernet connection just recently. I wondered if perhaps I had a bad cable.

I removed one gigabit connection and waited. After two weeks I did not have a single drop off by the device. I wondered if perhaps I had a bad cable. I swapped Ethernet cables and again left the device to run.

Another two weeks went by with no issues with the ReadyNAS device. It did not appear that the problem was cable since I had used two different cables. I decided to see if the problem was connecting both Ethernet ports. I plugged both cables into the device and restarted the ReadyNAS.

Within two hours the problem appeared and the device disconnected itself from the network requiring a hard boot. After several hours rebuilding and checking the drives the ReadyNAS was back on line.

This time I am using just a single Ethernet port on the ReadyNAS device. While I might theoretically only be getting half the throughput in this configuration it is a lot more stable and that is better than raw speed any day of the week.

While I have written of my experiences in a previous post, let me recap for those who do not want to read that lengthy account. In an impulse purchase I bought a MacPadd Pro mouse pad through the manufacturer’s (QMS) web site.

Shortly after completing the purchase I ceased receiving any communications from the company. This lasted several months and I had given up hope of ever seeing the mouse pad I had purchased or the money.

In a last ditch effort to get closure on this transaction I initiated a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Almost immediately I received an email from a representative of QMS. Through several discussions the company agreed to send my mouse pad.

The shipment went out in early November. After several weeks I had still not received the MacPadd that had been shipped. I took into account the holidays and patiently waited to no avail, I still did not have my mouse pad.

I continued to exchange emails with the company and finally in January they agreed to re-send another mouse pad. On January 19, 2010 I received a package from MacPadd. From the postmark on the outside of the package I can only assume this was the second one that was shipped since it was dated January 8, 2010.

I have never seen the first package and I am willing to give the company the benefit of the doubt that it was indeed sent but somehow lost in transit. So nearly ten months after I ordered the MacPadd from the QMS web site, the transaction was finally completed.

It has been a long and arduous path for a mouse pad and I can honestly say I never want to go through that again. I am frustrated to find my name continues to be associated with this. I was sent a link to the MacPadd web site where they have posted my email to them on their blog.

I did not authorize them to use this email and I am extremely disappointed and quite angry that they took this liberty without my permission. I do not appreciate them posting my email address in clear text to be picked up by every SPAMbot on the Internet.

While I appreciated the company following up and making sure I received the product I purchased, this has not been a pleasant customer experience. I have been accused of slander, had company representatives send scathing notes to me (which were later rescinded with a formal apology), and had my ethics questioned all over a mouse pad.

And perhaps the worst part of all of this is that after I finally received the MacPadd Pro I found that it did not meet my expectations. It is smaller than I expected, the tracking with my Magic Mouse is not as precise as I would have liked, and it was loud when dragging the mouse across it. So after waiting all that time, the MacPadd now sits in a desk drawer.

I should probably have posted this statement earlier but at approximately the same time as the second MacPadd shipped, my credit card number was stolen. I have been more than preoccupied with Internet Fraud authorities than with posting the outcome of a mouse pad purchase.

I am able to access my files across my Ethernet network using a variety of clients including Windows XP, Windows Vista, Macintosh OS X, and Linux. It is hard to express how great this system has been.

Where I used to burn DVDs and shuttle USB drives from box to box in order to share data between computers now it is as simple as logging onto the ReadyNAS and accessing the information.

Not only is the information always available but it has given me the added benefit of being able to maintain one copy of the information instead of having multiple versions stored on various computers on the network.

The ReadyNAS has been so bulletproof that it has nearly become invisible. That is the greatest compliment a network device can receive. It works so well that people just forget it is even there. It is as reliable as turning on a light switch.

Of course making that statement I immediately jinxed myself to a life of dealing with problems that cannot be resolved. Such has become the case with the ReadyNAS Pro.

Recently the device downloaded a new version of the firmware and waited patiently for a reboot. The rain storm that blanketed Arizona last week offered the perfect opportunity to reboot. A power outage took down the entire network and I spent the better part of an evening recovering all the devices.

The ReadyNAS booted and went through a diagnostic check due to the power outage. On an array of six 1.5TB of data that can take a long time. When the system finally came up things seemed to be working.

The following day the ReadyNAS suddenly just stopped working. The blue power light on the front of the box was lit but the system was unresponsive. It required removing the power plug from the wall for a minute before the system would reset.

Upon restoring power it went through another system check taking over an hour to come up. Approximately two days later the same situation occurred with the ReadyNAS having to be powered off by removing the cord.

This has since happened six times in a week. My first inclination was the unsettled weather had caused some problems. In order to eliminate that, I bought an Uninterruptible Power System which I will review at a later date.

After installing the UPS the ReadyNAS seemed to be working and I thought the problem was resolved. Today the ReadyNAS again hung requiring yet another unplug and subsequent data check.

I began researching the problem and found I was not the only one having this problem. According to the support forums there are a number of Net Gear users having similar issues. So far the company has not found a solution.

Some are suggesting it is a configuration issue but that seems implausible given the number of people reporting the problem. Others are suggesting RAM but that too does not seem accurate since many of the people reporting this issue including myself have not upgraded or changed the factory memory.

For now I’ll continue to monitor the issue and in the mean time I will need to find a replacement NAS system that is more stable. I cannot afford to use this as a storage device if it continually fails. I’ll keep you posted as this progresses.

Based upon the introduction and subsequent reviews by those who have actually seen an iPad, the device is indeed using the iPhone operating system. This was further validated when Apple introduced a new Software Development Kit (SDK) that included calls for using the iPad’s new features.

Where my prediction fell down was that I wrongfully assumed the iPad would require a new version of the iPhone OS. Instead Apple built the iPad to live within the constraints of version 3.1.2 of the iPhone operating system.

That is not to say we will not get an iPhone OS version 4, it just means that the iPad will drive a requirement to update the operating system. My suggestions and wish list items for a new version of the operating system will have to continue to be far off dreams.

Maybe with the iPad actually ships it will include iPhone OS 4.0 or perhaps we will see a new version introduced at the Apple World Wide Developer’s Conference. In the mean time I’ll stumble and struggle with the current operating system with its idiosyncrasies and long for the day when a new version will be released restoring balance to the technology universe.

Almost as quickly as the product was unveiled there were already mounds of press both positive and negative discussing the merits and drawbacks of the device. It was interesting to read these accounts especially considering the lack of hands-on experience these writers had with the iPad.

I have to admit I am more than mildly intrigued by this announcement and I can already see several applications for its unique form factor. Even with my tempered enthusiasm I recognize this is not a technology panacea that will be everything to everyone.

So far I have heard laments the device is too large while others complain it is not large enough. There are numerous complaints regarding what the device includes or does not include especially with regards to ports.

There were contingents complaining the iPad did not have a USB port, an SD card reader, a built-in keyboard, a hard drive, an HDMI connection, a camera, stereo speakers, multitasking, or Mac OS X. I even read one report blasting the iPad because it did not run Microsoft Windows Mobile.

Clearly Apple is learning once again, no matter what you introduce there are going to be detractors that will find fault with every design decision made. It is impossible to design or build the perfect device.

The diversity of the complaints of what the device includes or doesn’t include suggest Apple may be defining a new market segment. The iPad does not fit well in any current product category.

People who view the iPad as a computer attempt to compare it to the Apple MacBook or MacBook Air. They begin rattling off all of the features or functions found on a laptop that do not exist on the iPad.

Others look at this as a mobile communication devices ala an iPhone. They complain it lacks a camera, the form factor is too big, and the device includes too many unnecessary components.

Many of these arguments were similarly waged when the iPod came out. No one knew what it was supposed to be and therefore could not grasp the concept. It was not until the market began to evolve and users became familiar with where the iPod could fit within their lives did the device begin making strides in the market.

I predict a similar flow for the iPad. A few early adopters will take up the iPad and begin to establish where its capabilities fit in society’s information model. This coupled with applications that can take advantage of the iPad’s unique technology will hopefully help to define the market parameters and where the iPad makes sense.

I’ve been to enough Apple events to know the company and in particular Steve Jobs has these things down to a science. They maintain secrecy over all details of the event and subtly let out slight details at a rate that ensures the general public is spun up to a frenzy.

This was definitely the case for this event. It was perhaps the worst kept secret in the computer history that Apple would be releasing a tablet device. Despite that knowledge Apple customers and potential customers were glued to their computer screens waiting to learn the details of this new device.

After taking the stage Jobs wasted no time before bringing out the new product for everyone to see. It had been rumored the device would be named the “iPad” and that was accurate. At first glimpse it looks like an iPod Touch with a thyroid problem.

It has the same touch screen technology that the iPod Touch and the iPhone use. From the screen displays it runs a version of the iPhone Operating System with extensions that will utilize the larger screen real estate.

Apple is positioning the iPad to be missing link between the iPhone and the MacBook. It will run over 140,000 applications from the App Store with no modification giving the device an instant library of software on day one.

iPhone apps can run in two different modes. The first will set the application up in a window sized the same as an iPhone or iPod Touch. With a click you can expand the size of the window to four-times nearly filling the iPad’s screen.

The iPad is 9.56 inches high and 7.47 inches wide with a depth of 0.5 inches. It weighs approximately 1.5 pounds making it extremely light weight and portable for taking with you wherever you go. The 9.7 inch (diagonal) LED screen has a resolution of 1024 by 768 pixels at
132 pixels per inch.

The form factor was slightly different than I expected. I thought it would have a screen ratio of 16:9 rather than 4:3. While the additional width might be good for some applications, it results in black bars on two of the sides when watching video.

The iPad comes in several configurations to allow the customer to decide which one will meet their needs without overbuying the technology. There are two standard types. One is strictly Wi-Fi enabled allowing network connectivity to any Wi-Fi Hotspot in 802.11a/b/g/n flavors.

The other includes 3G networking in addition to Wi-Fi allowing the user to connect the device to a cellular network if Wi-Fi is unavailable. Apple announced that the 3G model comes unlocked meaning it can be used on any 3G network that utilize specific frequencies. AT&T immediately announced the iPad could be used on their network.

Besides the networking type, customers can also choose the device’s capacity. The iPad will be available in 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of memory. Like the iPhone the iPad includes an accelerometer to sense when the device is rotated or tilted.

The iPad uses a graphical keyboard like the iPhone and can also utilize Bluetooth keyboards such as the Apple Wireless Keyboard. The iPad includes full support for Bluetooth 2.1 which should mean you could use wireless earphones.

The processor in the device is an Apple designed chip called the A4 which is running at 1GHz. The chip was designed to provide good performance while maintaining lower power consumption.

Power conservation was an important design criterion for the iPad allowing it to have up to 10 hours of use or 30 days of stand-by power, impressive considering the device’s minimal footprint.

The iPad is capable of playing music similar to an iPod Touch. It is also able to display High Definition video reproduction in 720p at 30 frames per second.

The device is initially being targeted to the traveler who wants to use multimedia while on the road. Its screen size would be perfect for watching a movie on an airplane or in a hotel room.

Besides audio and video, the device is also great as an electronic book reader. It was immediately clear that Apple was positioning this to compete head-to-head with Amazon and its Kindle product.

Besides the iPad, Apple also announced it would add books to iTunes allowing customers to purchase electronic books and have them downloaded directly to the iPad. Besides text and pictures, the electronic books can also include video and other media.

The demos of the electronic book media reminded me a lot of the newspapers in the Harry Potter movies where pictures move around the page. With networking capabilities there is no reason content could not be updated in real time as news unfolds.

Besides the iPad, Apple also introduced a version of their word processor Pages, presentation software Keynote, and spreadsheet Numbers for the iPad. This brings productivity apps to the mobile space. Perhaps the best news was that each of these applications will be priced at $9.99.

The whole pricing structure for the iPad was very aggressive. A 16GB iPad with Wi-Fi will sell for $499 putting it squarely in the Kindle’s market. Prices for the 32GB and 64GB models were set at $599 and $699 respectively. If you want 3G, it is $130 more. This means the most feature laden iPad will sell for $829; $170 less than the rumored price point.

The Wi-Fi versions of the iPad will begin shipping in late March 2010 while the 3G versions will ship in late April. Overall the iPad looks like an intriguing device that has a lot of potential allowing Apple to position themselves in another mobile market.

The most popular rumor is the release of the highly anticipated Apple Tablet which has been expected for over a year. As is always the case, Apple closely manages the information that is “leaked” prior to an announcement.

Steve Jobs and the crew at Apple have perfected the art of product releases to build the hype to a frenzied level making sure all media outlets will cover their event. You would think that the public would become accustomed to these events but Apple never seems to disappoint regardless of whether the introduction lives up to the rumors or not.

The January 27 event has been billed as being “mobile” specific. This could mean anything from an update to the successful MacBook laptops to an iPhone upgrade to the new tablet. Personally I am expecting this to be the tablet which some have suggested will be named the ‘iPad”.

Rather than regurgitating the various rumors surrounding this new product, I thought perhaps it would interesting to talk through some of the challenges Apple may have in this space.

While we all love to talk about cool hardware and get excited at seeing the device in person, it is important to keep in perspective that the success of new computing devices are less tied to hardware specifications. For a device such as the Apple Tablet to gain traction in the market it will require incredible software and one killer application.

When Apple Computer introduced the Apple I and later the Apple ][, it was largely described as a “hobbyist device”. To make it work required some software engineering to create a program each time the computer was powered up. It was relegated to a market segment of people who dabbled in electronics; definitely not a mainstream product.

All of this changed with the introduction of VisiCalc. VisiCalc was an electronic spreadsheet that allowed the user to complete mathematical tasks quickly and easily. When people saw what VisiCalc could do, the sales figures for Apple ][ computers literally took off. Suddenly people who before would never have looked at a personal computer were buying these devices and inventing ways to use spreadsheets in their daily lives.

In 1984 Apple introduced the Macintosh computer. It took some of the best design ideas from the Apple Lisa and built them into a compact computer. By itself the Macintosh was a novel experiment in alternative input/output. While the Lisa had a similar interface it did not penetrate the market as Apple had envisioned.

Apple made a decision to include two applications with the Macintosh, MacWrite and MacPaint. These two applications showcased the features of the new hardware and enabled users to envision their lives being better as a result of using the product.

Customers flocked to Apple stores after the Macintosh announcement and laid out $2,995 for a computer with 128K of RAM, a 9 inch Black & White monitor, a 400K disk drive, and a dot matrix printer. The shortage of Macintosh computers resulted in waiting lists that at times reached on for several weeks or months before delivery.

For nearly a year after its introduction the Macintosh had just MacWrite and MacPaint software available yet people continued to buy the hardware just to use these two applications.

When Apple introduced the iPod, it also included iTunes as a way for user to interact with their new handheld device. With iTunes users could not only load the iPod with music but would facilitate adding content changing the paradigm of how we buy music.

Now Apple appears to be set to introduce a tablet. The question becomes, what will be the killer application that will drive people to purchase the device. It has been rumored that the tablet will be able to act as an electronic book reader, a multimedia device capable of displaying video and photos, and provide surfing capabilities. Will that be enough to garner the interest of users beyond the current loyal Apple customer base?

Each of the markets (book reader, multimedia, and browser) is adequately covered by existing products both within Apple and elsewhere. Personally I think it will take a completely different piece of software to push the tablet to cult status that previous Apple products seem to have achieved.

It is hard to envision what that software may be especially since very few have been fortunate enough to see the device before its release. The announcement needs to not only provide a glimpse of the new hardware, it must also capture the imagination of software developers to inspire them to develop something that will capture the public driving not only software sales but also hardware.

Like many, I will be glued to my computer during the presentation to see what the device can do and hopefully be inspired to develop something that can push the limits of the device and enable the users to places they could not imagine before the product was announced.

As an owner of an iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS as well as several iPod Touch devices, I am eagerly awaiting the newest version of the iPhone OS. When Apple introduced iPhone OS 3.0 I was ecstatic.

When the iPhone 3G was released, the operating system had some challenges that severely impacted the usefulness of the device. The battery drain was excruciating and it was a struggle to hold and maintain a signal in some areas.

The update to the iPhone OS cleared up a lot of these issues and enabled the devices to become much more useful. We are now currently on version 3.1.2 meaning there have been some minor changes. Some of these changes have been welcomed while others introduced new issues that iPhone users have had to live with.

While Apple has never asked for my input, I would be happy to provide them with a wish list of items that I’d love to see them build into the next version of the OS.

iPhone 3GS Battery Usage. I bought an iPhone 3G on the first day it was available. For those first few weeks I really questioned my sanity. The battery would dramatically drain throughout the day requiring a charge during the day if I wanted to use the device for longer than a few hours.

iPhone OS 3.0 solved most of those issues. When I upgraded to an iPhone 3GS I was shocked to find my battery woes had returned to nearly the same level I had with the iPhone 3G at introduction. Apple engineers in conjunction with AT&T needs to figure out what is causing such a drain on the 3GS and resolve it. There must be a way to better manage energy usage to allow a user to use the phone for longer than a few short hours between charges and turning off the 3G network or not using applications cannot be the answer.

Multi-Tasking Applications. To be honest this one is really not high on my priority list. Given the aforementioned battery issues adding multi-tasking to applications may not be possible and I would rather have longer battery life than have multiple applications running.

That being said, I realize multi-tasking is necessary to be competitive in the smart phone market. Google has implemented this feature in their Android product so Apple will need to offer something similar. The key to multi-tasking is to have an appropriate algorithm that can manage potential runaway apps that could jeopardize the user experience.

Better Bluetooth Connectivity. Apple recently added the ability to connect wireless headphones to the iPhone using a Bluetooth connection. When it first was released it worked well with my motorcycle headphones. During subsequent OS updates, Apple broke that capability.

The level of regression testing needs to be better at Apple so that they don’t break functionality when they update. With more and more emphasis being placed on eliminating the wires, Apple needs to provide a more robust toolset within the OS to support Bluetooth functionality not just for headphones but also headsets.

Ability to Change Text Messaging Sounds. This is one of those things that leave you scratching your head wondering what Apple engineers were thinking. The iPhone supports custom ring tones for incoming calls but the user is limited to the six sounds that are included on the phone for text messages.

Nearly every cellular phone on the planet supports custom sounds to be used for receiving text messages; the iPhone is not one of those. This is such a simple change that you have to wonder why it was never supported in the first place.

There are documented hacks that will allow users to replace one of the six sounds with a custom sound but these hacks require the user to “jailbreak” the phone. iPhone OS 4.0 should at a minimum allow the user to set a global sound to all text messages.

If Apple really wants to impress the customer base, let the user set a sound on a per user basis to provide audio queues of who is trying to contact them.

Make Communications Contact Centered. With the iPhone I will get communications via several different ways from the same person. I might receive a phone call, a text message, a photo message, a Twitter message, or an email all from the same person.

It would be extremely beneficial if I could look at a user’s contact information and see all the communications I have had with them regardless of the medium. I understand this may not be a trivial task but it would extremely useful to consolidate all of the data in one place.

Apple took the first step when they introduced Spotlight search capabilities on the iPhone but a user should not have to go to the search function to find all the information about a recipient. Make the interface more user centralized.

These are just a few things that come to mind, I am sure I could come up with additional examples of features or functions that would be helpful in the iPhone OS 4.0. These are not complaints, they are helpful suggestions of ways to endure this device to the hearts of the users.