Apple Computers dove into the mobile phone market last week with the release of their latest gadget, the iPhone. The iPhone boasts decent technical specifications (which you can read about from the link below) and combines iPod functionality with web browsing capabilities in a mobile phone.

What intrigues me most, however, is that Apple officially dropped "Computers" from their corporate name with this launch. While, technologically speaking, the iPhone is not going to be the greatest, most robust mobile phone on the market, it won't need to be. The same way many of the iPod's competitors often offer more memory, more features, and more "more", the iPod remains the most popular portable personal music device and this is largely due to it's design.

The company that developed the desktop metaphor for human computer interaction (later copied by Microsoft and released as "Windows") has continued to produce exceptional interface, interaction, and industrial design across all their products. As Apple continues to expanded beyond computers and into gadgets, this core ideology has become all the more important. The latest Mac computers now use Intel processors, however, they and the suite of software they possess, are far more usable than their Windows PC counterparts.

While their competitors throw more bells and whistles into less usable products, intelligent, sophisticated design, with a focus on usability (and inherent learnability), will result in Apple's continued success.

For more on the iPhone, please see this link
http://www.apple.com/iphone/

Here is a very interesting list (grouped by category) of the the best Web 2.0 applications. This is a very useful list and I will keep any eye out for updates by the authors.

I came across a very interesting compilation of resources on technology trends for non-profits. I am still working my way through these documents but thought I would share.

Odeo Studio is a tool that lets you record and post podcasts. I will be giving this free online tool a trial and will post my review here. This is potentially an excellent tool for museums who wish to create podcasts to accompany items or an exhibit in their collection.

Odeo Studio is a tool that lets you record and post podcasts. I will be giving this free online tool a trial and will post my review here. This is potentially an excellent tool for museums who wish to create podcasts to accompany items or an exhibit in their collection.

Watching what visitors do at your physical museum can be done in a number of straightforward, inexpensive, but time consuming ways. Determining exactly what visitors do at your museum Web site is a bit trickier, but it can now be done in a way that is very inexpensive and takes very little time. The author of Four Must-Have Web Stat Tools » SOME RANDOM DUDE has provided some excellent reviews of tools that you can use to keep track of the number of visitors to your Web site, as well as determine what they do once they get there. Most of these tools are either free or inexpensive.

Web 2.0 meets the enterprise | CNET News.com

This is a very interesting article that talks about enterprise level applications adopting a Web 2.0 feel. This is happening at the same time that productivity applications that were traditionally installed on a users` desktop are enjoying growing popularity in online form. Thanks to "Web 2.0" applications being offered by Google and others, you can enjoy free access to applications online that cost hundreds of dollars to purchase.

In a sense the adoption of Web 2.0 at the enterprise level -- which is by no means complete -- is a significant transformation of enterprise applications.

Why is this important to museums? It holds out the promise of the blending of more traditional business applications, with some of the newer, Web 2.0 technologies. It offers the possibility of lower cost and greater interoperability among these products. Stay tuned!

BBC NEWS | Technology | Digital archiving gains new tool
From the article:

A tool that makes it easier to gather and store digital archives has been developed by the National Library of New Zealand and the British Library.
As more and more information goes online the race is on to create meaningful digital archives.

The web curator tool automates the process of collecting and storing information.

It will become a key part of the British Library's existing digital preservation programme.

... according to Pew Internet, as examined in their document Future of the Internet. This document contains many interesting insights into future trends on the internet, as expressed by experts and users alike. This is an important document for cultural institutions who have or would like to have an online presence. It contains insights that will help in planning for future directions in IT for institutions.