Dave Caolo

Today’s WWDC announcements were a whirlwind for me, as I was focused on getting the facts up on TUAW as quickly as possible. Here are my initial thoughts on the iPhone 4. More thoughtful posts are forthcoming.

The body

The prototype Gizmodo had was very close to the final product. I still think the band of metal that surrounds the edges, protruding buttons and visible screws are atypical of Apple. But I’m thrilled with Apple’s decision to use glass on the back. I’ve owned two iPhones now, an original model and a 3GS. While the backs got scratched, the unprotected displays remained scratch-free and beautiful.

It’s quite thin at 0.37 inch and I’m curious to see what the flat back panel feels like. That’s the clincher, really. I’ve got to hold one.

Gyroscope

I didn’t expect this. The gyroscope and accelerometer give iPhone 4 six-axis motion sensing. Can you imagine games like Zen Bound with this? I’m eager to see what developers do with it.

Retina Display

I assumed the iPhone’s display would be improved, and boy was it ever. At 960 x 640 — 326 pixels per inch — it’s impressive to say the least. Check this out: Apple actually developed a new pixel for the iPhone 4. One so small — 78 micrometers across — that the human eye can’t distinguish between them. That means that the edges of text will have edges as clearly defined as they do in print. No more anti-aliasing. But it’s not just text; photos, webpages and videos will look just tremendous on this display.

FaceTime

This will be a tremendous hit and iPhone 4′s most talked-about feature. Of course, you need 2 iPhones to make it work. Good job, Apple.

But seriously, the obvious use case is with kids (I’m sure more time will let me come up with more). Mine will be elated to talk to me, their grandparents and their aunties with something small enough that they can carry around. The option to switch between the front and rear camera mid-call, moving from “look at me” to “look at what I’m seeing” was inspired. No one else does this, and it’s going to be absolutely huge.

The new camera

Five megapixels, an LED flash, HD video (720p) and upload-from-where-you-stand convenience make my Flip camera nervous. A real shocker was the announcement of iMovie for iPhone. I simply cannot imagine editing video on something that small, let alone with my fingers in the way, but I’ll reserve judgement until I’ve used it.

With this update, the iPhone maintains its reputation as a lust-worthy gadget. I cannot wait to get my hands on one.

Last month I described my suspicions that spending so much time online is making me dumber. This week, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco has confirmed it.

“[study subject] Mr. Campbell can be unaware of his own habits. In a two-and-a-half hour stretch one recent morning, he switched rapidly between e-mail and several other programs, according to data from RescueTime, which monitored his computer use with his permission. But when asked later what he was doing in that period, Mr. Campbell said he had been on a long Skype call, and “may have pulled up an e-mail or two.

Mr. Campbell and his colleagues, each working from a home office, are frantically trying to set up a program that will let them share images with executives at their prospective partner.

But at the moment when Mr. Campbell most needs to focus on that urgent task, something else competes for his attention: “Man Found Dead Inside His Business.”

That is the tweet that appears on the left-most of Mr. Campbell’s array of monitors, which he has expanded to three screens, at times adding a laptop and an iPad.”

In the two weeks that I’ve owned my iPad, I’ve seen a sharp decline in the amount of time I spend with my MacBook Pro. Unless I’m working at a TUAW, I’m using my iPad. The only reason I don’t use the iPad for writing TUAW posts is due to an inconsistency with the CMS. If that weren’t the case, I’d use it then, too.

What I’ve realized is that the iPad has become my go-to computer. Perhaps that’s because I represent the best user case. I’m not a graphics professional or designer. I do a lot of writing, reading and web browsing.

Fortunately for Apple, that’s how the majority of users behave.

And yes, I wrote this post on my iPad.

The Apple tablet exists and was released in 1979. Back when the Apple II was the baddest piece of hardware around (and long before Photoshop), Apple released this tablet for sketching with a wired stylus. The cost? $650. Unfortunately, this tablet was discontinued when the FCC found that it caused radio frequency interference problems.

[Via Edible Apple]

I attended undergraduate school from 1989 – 1994. Back then, the campus library at Marywood University was called the “Media Center.” The school insisted that everyone from faculty to students call it the Media Center, and not “library.” I thought it was silly.

Today, I know they were ahead of their time.

I entered college almost 20 years ago (yikes). In the Media Center I first used a computer for something other than mindless poking around. I had a professor who required all communication with this students to be done via email, a novelty in 1991. In fact, the Media Center computers could explore books at other local universities and even place reservations. Remember, this was 18 years ago. I was blown away that experience.

The IS department on the 3rd floor became my home-away-from-home, and by the time I graduated I was prolific with computers and the newborn internet. I had great conversations with interesting people and free access to cool technology. All thanks to the Media Center.

The emphasis was on communication. Both one-way (books, newspapers, etc.) and two-way (people, in person and online). Ideas were exchanged enthusiastically. I loved going to the Media Center, as it was on the forefront of technology.

My experience with public libraries has been different.

The Public Library

When I was young, my mother would walk with me to the library regularly. I loved selecting a book to take home, having my own card and so on. I also understood that the library was a serious place, where children had to be quiet and polite. We were to pick a book and walk home.

In jr. high we learned to use a card catalog and the Dewey Decimal System. Again, use of the library was “…a privilege” and not the place for fooling around. In other words, the sense of excitement I experienced at The Media Center was not there.

A Communication Hub

Today, our public libraries can create that excitement among their patrons (especially young people). My local library is taking (tentative) steps in that direction. They’ve hosted educational programs on Flickr, MySpace and Blogger. They’ve got a teen blog and a nice (if not small) room for teens with two brand-new iMacs.  They host teen movie and game nights.

That’s great, but we can think even bigger. The Media Center was a communication hub for the university. In the same way, a public library can become a communication hub for its community.

Video conferences with professionals in Hong Kong could be as commonplace as checking out a copy of The Old Man And The Sea. Community calendars that anyone can subscribe to with their home computers. Live blogging local literary events, book signings or special happenings at the local museum. When a person wonders, “What’s going on today,” the answer should be “check the library.” Today, people search a newspaper website, tourist magazines, community calendars, etc. The library should be the de-factor answer. Everything from live streaming of town meetings to the inventory of Jean’s weekend garage sale should be available at the library. Just off the top of my head.

I’ve even written an article about how independent web workers like myself can get a day’s work done (for free!) at the library. It’s a great place to work, and I think libraries would benefit from advertising this fact to freelancers and independents.

Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, Inc., calls the Mac a “digital hub” which brings together a person’s photos, music, stories, etc. I see the library as doing the same for the people it serves — a community’s “Communication Hub.”

They look great.

At Bat, one of my favorite iPhone apps, had been updated to include post-season info.

I will very gladly pay for the ’09 version.