In the long term, it’s probably a bigger deal that Apple’s creating the first mobile platform that people I know outside the mobile business actually seem excited about developing things for, in a way people never got excited about Java or XHTML or WAP or BREW (never heard of any of those? Exactly) with the iPhone 2.0 software update and the new iPhone 3G. Really looking forward to seeing the first wave of socially-networked, GPS-enabled, high-speed iPhone applications and all the great entrepreneurial opportunities they’ll create — Piper Jaffray has estimated there’s a $1 billion business in iPhone apps in 2009.

But in the short term, the biggest deal for me looks like MobileMe. I don’t love the name — if it sounds like something Microsoft would name a product, that’s because it is.

But as a feature I’m really looking forward to it, and I don’t even need to buy a 3G iPhone to benefit from it, I can use it with my good old iPhone Classic. Here’s why: in a normal week, I can’t be bothered to sync my iPhone more than once or twice, but these days, I absolutely live by iCal. I don’t have an assistant — if I schedule a meeting or a call, I put it in iCal and set a reminder. If I have a task to do, I create a to-do and set a date and priority. If I’m out, I pull up my iPhone calendar to see where I need to be next. But that doesn’t work if you don’t sync your phone every day. Add to the complication that I use three different Macs regularly — one at home, and a Mac Pro and a laptop at work — and even with regular .Mac syncing it gets hard to keep everything up to date.

For a while, I was tempted to move completely to Google Calendar, but that’s not ideal when you don’t have an Internet connection. So I’ve created a crazy quilt system using a plugin called BusySync to sync my three different computers’ iCals with a Google Calendar account. It works pretty well: when I’m out, and my iPhone calendar isn’t up to date, I can pull up Google Calendar via a mobile phone or over a web browser, and my coworkers can subscribe to my free/busy information in Google Calendar or iCal without too much trouble. Plus it syncs in real time over the Internet as things change, instead of on a once-a-day schedule via iTunes or .Mac, both of which always seem to take forever to complete a sync.

MobileMe will let me throw the whole system out: any time I update a calendar entry or to-do on any of my computers, or my iPhone, as long as I have a data connection, everything else will be updated seamlessly, if all works as promised. And I imagine it won’t be hard to find some way to keep a Google calendar updated too, for any friends I have who prefer that.

I’m a little bummed the .Mac brand is going away. I’ve been a subscriber for years, still use my mac.com email as my main personal address, and like the name a lot more than MobileMe or the new “me.com” domain. But on the plus side, I’m happy to see that much of the visual design of MobileMe was done by two of my favorite designers in the world, Meg Frost (of Cute Overload fame) and Bobby Andersen. Bobby did a bunch of design work for Next New Networks (including the site for Ultra Kawaii) and Tumblr (including the amazing Dashboard icons) before going to Apple, and I won’t lie: we tried our best to hire him here instead. But it’s a once in a lifetime chance to work directly with Steve Jobs in the Apple designer priesthood on a key project, and it looks like Bobby’s knocked this one out of the park, from the screenshots I’ve seen so far. Congrats, Bobby, and I can’t wait to try it.

Most of the time I’m not a first mover. Early, sure (blogging, Channel Frederator, VOD Cars), rarely first. But with my music jones I’ve tried to be on top of most everything and often just wanted to kill myself. Over the years, I’ve been a musician, a record producer, a music television producer and most of all a stone music fan. Pop, rock, jazz, R&B, hip-hop, you name it, I’m there. So, the digital revolution has given me a wonder of hopes and frustrations.

I’ve used ‘em all –the original Napster, Winamp, MusicMatch, the HangGo, the Airport Express, heck I’ve even ran SonicNet Radio for a while– and eventually just chocked on the exasperation. The inventors have caught up with my needs –selection, convenience, and (relative) quality for a reasonable price– and though I’m a little behind the true hipsters, I’m finally at (almost) fan nirvana.

Sonos was the first level of enlightenment (more…)

Twelve hours ago: It’s 11:21pm, Friday, July 20, 39 minutes before the official release of the new Harry Potter. I’m in line at the Maine Coast Book Store in Damariscotta, Maine (”We’re not online yet — someday!). I’m with over 300 fans (including my two boys and my wife)–most of whom are well over 16– waiting for our reserved copies of Harry Potter + the Deathly Hallows. I’d never been in Maine until six hours ago and standing in this small town with all this excitement is a fantastic introduction to the state. I’ve never stood in line for the release of anything and it’s thrilling to see that a book can motivate all these folks as much as a movie star. I can’t believe I left my camera at the hotel.

This post has absolutely nothing to do with the internet, or networks, or any of the stuff we do here.

I’ve been cleaning out my drawers lately which caused me to scan some of my stuff and throw it on my Flickr page. Some of it’ll eventually get linked to on my old branding agency archive, but who knows about the rest.

The picture above is from the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City. It’s from a random collection of photographs I found in a box at a junk shop specializing in then-uncool mid-century furniture. I couldn’t resist the hundreds of vintage prints of these amazing deco buildlings I’d really only seen in amazing stylized illustrations from the fair. I had no idea what I was going to do with the snaps –hell, I still don’t know what I’m going to do with them– but they were great just to have.

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In the late 70s I was producing jazz records and became friendly with Michael Cuscuna, soon to become one of the medium’s most revered producers and the leading reissue producer in history. (more…)

From an email sent by Von Glitschka:
It seems like nearly everyone I know who is a designer has purchased an iPhone this past week. I am no exception and have been anxiously waiting for mine to show up (I ordered it online).

In preparation I have taken some of my favorite pieces of art over the last year or so and have created a set of wallpaper images that are specifically formatted for the new iPhone.

(more…)

I read books.

Sometimes in the interactive world and of moving pictures with sound plain old books are discounted a bit. But, I’m addicted. Good books, bad books, old books, new books.

So I’ve been a decent guinea pig for the electronic readers of the last 10 years, and I’ve finally found one that works good enough, the Sony Reader. The electronic “paper” it uses works like crazy and that’s the key. (more…)

Spending a long time in the business has made me as myopic as anyone; it seems hard to believe anyone has anything on their mind other than my industries. Invariably, when I’m thinking about great products and companies I think of stuff like [adult swim] or Apple or even The Ramones. But sure enough there’s a big world of star companies making and keeping promises to us every day like JetBlue, Whole Foods, and OXO International.

If one goes routing around the OXO website, there one would find a mission statement. That’s right, a company of lowly omelet turners, tea kettles, and measuring cups has a mission statement (”OXO International is dedicated to providing innovative consumer products that make everyday living easier.”) And, by the way, a mission they fulfill in a completely satisfying way. (more…)