We normally leave covering iPhone apps, or the iPhone for that matter, to our friends at Gizmodo. But they’ve pointed out something worth noting here. The application Bloom is simple colors and sounds that are activated by, you guessed it, touch. The notable thing is that it was programed by Brian Eno (who created the Windows 95 start up sound, among some other work) and Peter Chilvers. So even if you don’t have a musical bone in your body the “composition” you create will still sound peaceful and euphoric. The app is $3.99 in the iTunes application store.

The Apple iPhone has many practical uses. Owners employ their magical machine for just about everything from taking photos or surfing the Internet. Many treat their jack-of-all electronics with the tender loving care they would treat a newborn babe. In other words, they would never use it as a coaster. (You wouldn’t balance a beer on an infant either.) Luckily, Brazil’s Meninos Design has the cure for such slightly inhumane inklings. Their iPhone Icon coasters allow fans of the phone to place their drinks on their favorite applications — without the touch screen getting all freaky.

via Technabob

One of the most usable and underrated apps we have in our Mac OS’ is Stickies. I find myself using them all the time– for taking notes, jotting to-do lists, scribing passwords, editing text, etc. SketchBox is a donationware app for OS X that expands the functionality of our default Stickies by adding drawing functionality, timers to remind your forgetful self, and a sexier interface that helps you organize your notes. It’s admittedly cliché to to say “we all know we could use a little more organization in our lives”– but it’s so true, dammit!

Via Lifehacker

We are all excited about the new iPhone, announced yesterday– 3G, GPS, Push (everything) and light on the wallet. So light on the wallet, in fact, that you’ll be able to get a nice carrying case for it. Fortunately, the designers at Want Design already know exactly what you… eh… want. They just put out a really crisp black leather iPhone case with a zipper. Its pretty safe to assume that the iPhone 3G is going to be pretty widely disseminated and that there will be a lot of crap accessories hitting the marketplace– everyone wants a piece, as it were. Safe to say, you’ll be looking for something that will stand out from the crowd. Peep the case (and a big sell) over at Jake.

Well, all of the mystery surrounding the new iPhone we’ve been shrouded in for the past couple months can finally be put to rest. Mr. Jobs just revealed the particulars at today’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference in San Francisco. Jason Chen and crew at Gizmodo did one hell of a job live blogging the event, and I found myself hitting ‘command-R’ just about every 10 seconds anxiously awaiting new nuggets of info. On July 11th, we’ll get (black or white) iPhones with a fast 3G network, the availability of tons and tons of 3rd party apps, impressive battery life, GPS functionality, and it’s going to be sold in 70 countries for the drastically reduced prices of $199 for the 8GB version and $299 for the 16 Gigabyte-er. Doesn’t look like they squeezed copy/paste in there, but we always need something to look forward to, right?

Photos and other informational goodies courtesy of Gizmodo.

Related: Why I’m Taking My iPhone Back

When we first introduced you to Desktoptopia it was an exclusive Mac-only service that aimed to adorn your desktop by sharing a large library of unique designs by artists from around the world at the cost of $20 per single license. Yes, for a small fee you could have a sweet hi-res image on your laptop to make your friends jealous for eternity, or until they coughed the cash for the same one so that you wouldn’t feel original anymore. Well, the times have a changed and Desktoptopia has made some improvements with Desktoptopia 1.5. No, the desktop background manager that automatically loads and displays designer desktops on your monitor hasn’t come up with a plan to prevent your friends from trying to make you look bad, but they have dropped that pesky fee and made it available for PCs. In other words, Desktoptopia 1.5 is FREE and ANYONE can get it. Rejoice!

Just because Apple’s Sudden Motion Sensor (SMS) was created to prevent your precious Macbook Pro hard drive from becoming a $2500 paperweight, doesn’t mean hackers can’t have a little fun with it. In this video demo, a Honda bike is put through its paces using the laptop’s horizontal and vertacle axis receptors. It’s a fun gimmick, and some sweet graphics, but it’s no Wii. Also, we’re pretty sure the Hell’s Angels frown upon mobile computing.

Just because your new Mac Airbook is small enough to fit in a manilla envelope doesn’t mean you should be toting it around protected only by a flimsy layer of paper. There are more practical ways to transport your new precious piece of equipment. We recommend the new Steve Sleeve from Timbuk2. This sleek Mac Messenger, while appearing paper-thin, actually sports a durable softshell exterior made from a material similar to that of the jacket you go mountain climbing in (assuming you go mountain climbing). It also sports an eco-friendly soft brush fleece lining made from recycled soda bottles to pad your new baby from bruises on the inside. Did we mention the seam welds utilize a non-toxic glue? Well, now we did. Indeed, The Steve Sleeve allows you to be nice to your laptop and your environment at the same time.

I’ve been making an effort of late to carry around less junk with me. Anyone who knows me knows that wherever I am, there’s a giant purse or laptop bag — sometimes both — and I’m at the point where I’m realizing that it’s not only unnecessary, but bad for my back and making it even to harder to walk in heels. The simple fact is, I don’t even use half of the crap I carry around day in, day out. Enter Toffee — an Aussie company offering pebble-grain leather sleeves, briefcases and slings (black and brown are pictured above) to protect your precious Apple cargo. The sleeves run the color gamut, while the slings and briefs stick with a basic palette; whichever you decide on, however, you’re sure to turn some heads and cut back on the excess junk you lug around. Score.

Someone was bound to do it, we just didn’t think it’d be in under two days. This innocent-looking manilla envelope isn’t one at all — it’s the cushiony protection dubbed AirMail for that Macbook Air you’ll be traipsing around with in two weeks time. I can see somebody’s less-than-brainy assistant getting fired for accidentally mailing it off to some lucky bastard unsuspecting party right now. Thank the heavens for stupid people.

(My mailing address follows.)

Via Coolhunting

In case you were temporarily detained during the Apple Keynote today, you should know the the new MacBook Air (shipping in two weeks) is so thin it slides inside an envelope. Weighing only 3 pounds, it’s a mere .76 inches at its thickest point and at it’s thinnest is a shocking .16 inches. Innovations in the screen and keyboard, the two areas that cause the bulk in most laptops, allowed them to slim it down so much. A 13.3 inch wide LED display saves room and battery life, while the full-size backlit keyboard’s ambient light sensor alters the keyboard’s brightness depending on how dark your environment is. Like when surfing porn…

(Ahem.)

The enlarged trackpad has built in the ease-of-use innovations from the iPhone and iPod Touch: pinch and drag with two fingers to automatically zoom in and out and use the good ol’ finger-swipe technique to scroll through websites in Safari. Their new port hatch fits into the smooth design and clicks open when you need headphones or the USB. Then, you can shut it when you don’t.

In order to ditch the optical drive, they’ve created Remote Disc so you can wirelessly download CD or DVD software from other Macs in the vicinity. Basically, you jack their drive for a while so that you don’t have to carry around your own. If you want to backup your files, the new Time Capsule uses OS X Leopard’s Time Machine to not only automatically, but also wirelessly send your stuff to an external drive. You can forget about the FireWire, too. When you open up your new Air, the Setup Assistant helps you wirelessly download iTunes, iPhoto, and all your other treasures from your old Mac. Long story short: no wires. Ever. And that, friends, is pretty sexy.

Orbino, the Italian Company that lives to cover iPhones in tanned Tuscan leathers, just released a new hand-stitched case for the iPod Touch. Called the Corsa, the new skin comes in several colors and a richly stained wood, and carries the same features as Urbino’s other premium cases. Unlike many if the iSomething cases out there, Urbino’s skins respect the already elegant contours of Apple products, making your phone or music player look extra sleek instead of extra safe. Check out the full line here.

After Wednesday’s drastic iPhone price reduction, it came as no surprise when the phone’s early adopters collectively responded with a succinctly stated “WTF.” After all, the iPhone’s success — and subsequent price reduction — was partially in thanks to the loyal Apple consumers that jumped on board barely two months ago, making the premature and dramatic price change feel suspiciously similar to a punch to the babymaker. In typical Apple fashion, Mr. Steve Jobs quickly responded to the clamor with the promise of $100 Mac Store credits to all initial buyers of the iPhone. This efficient reaction somewhat quelled the disdain, but still left an important question lingering: What the hell was that about? It seems ridiculous to think Apple could have expected anything less than an uproar; sure, we’re all well-meaning people who want to share the magic of an affordable touchscreen, but quite honestly, the way the price reduction was initially introduced (i.e., no acknowledgment of potential offense) went against basic human instinct. And ethics. And the thing is, we know how smart the crew at Apple is, so we just don’t get it. Thank heaven we also know how smart the crew that reads JS is, because we need you to help us make sense of this mess. Extra points if you have an iPhone; extra extra points if your theory turns out to be correct. Also, if you just need to vent, feel free — this is a safe space.

You know how every time you stop by a friend’s place, they always seem to have some interesting, offbeat desktop image on their computer? You want to ask where the heck they found it, but you’re worried that you’ll look like a total fool for not already knowing about that one site that’s the talk of the web (of course, it’s the part of the web you don’t read) or not knowing about that hip new artist that everyone else is talking about. Here enters Desktoptopia, a Mac-only app (exclusivity rears its ugly head again) that aims to make you the one with the interesting, offbeat desktop image. They’ve amassed a library of high-end, hi-res desktops by artists and designers around the world, and they’ll zap them to your computer whenever you’re looking to upgrade. It looks like you can also set up an automated process to switch your desktop image whenever you’d like (and you can pause that process if you stumble on an image that really floats your boat). All of their wallpapers are exclusive to Desktoptopia, so you don’t have to worry about seeing it on every other computer in the office.

The service costs $20/single use license but – infomercial moment – if you act this week, you can enjoy all of the benefits of Desktoptopia at just half the cost! That’s right, simply enter the coupon code “luckyme” at checkout, and you’ll get access to a huge library of exclusive desktop images, all for…half cost! Don’t wait, act now!

Before I get into why my iPhone is wrapped up tight, on the way back to its maker, let me first say this: I love Apple. I love, love, love everything about them. I grew up on a Macintosh, started all my companies on Macs, and came from a family that bought essentially every Apple product as early as I can remember (Yes, even the Newton — we still have two of them in boxes). I was first in line for a first generation iPod and continue to buy every first generation product before even seeing them in person. When I was old enough to buy stock, I bought all the AAPL I could get my hands on. You get the point. I’ve been an evangelist for Apple products my entire life, and will continue to be one as long as I live if they continue to innovate the way they seem to be doing on a daily — even quarterly — basis.

I used to dream about the iPhone. Seriously. I couldn’t wait for the perfect interface, the impeccable design that is Apple. When I used to dream about the iPhone, I didn’t think about what running a business (or three) would be like from one. I never really thought about how it might affect my productivity, and why I carry a smart phone around in the first place — that is until I started using one.

The lack of crucial business features slow down my day. It might sound sappy, but it’s true.

Here’s What I Need:

• Mark All Read/Delete All (If you receive more than 300 messages a day, you need this.)
• Blind Carbon Copy (How can I actually talk behind someone’s back without it?)
• Copy and Paste (So frustrating…)
• iCal invites (Accept and Send, or at LEAST see them)
• Push Email (Using a BlackBerry makes me feel 15 min ahead of the iPhone population)
• AT&T’s EDGE network is pitiful. (Unlock the phone and let me use it on other networks, already.)

If any 3 of the 6 requests above get fixed, I’ll gladly go back to the Apple Store and buy another iPhone the day the software update comes out.

What I’ll miss:

• Multi Touch is absurdly cool, but hasn’t sped up my day yet.
• Chicks love the Google Maps feature, and so do I. I can do this on my BlackBerry, it just doesn’t look as sexy.
• A WiFi enabled internet browsing powerhouse and looking at the real internet. Good thing I carry a laptop everywhere.
• Cover Flow on a touch screen is too much fun.
• Carrying around one of the sexiest devices in the world.

The beauty of the iPhone is that updates don’t require a new device. I’m sure Apple will approach all of my above issues in a tactful and borderline ingenious way but until then, I’m back to being a BlackBerry-carrying fool, lusting after an iPhone that works well with my heavy day-to-day business needs.