Michael Castellon

iLounge is reporting the following:

Apple has announced a “One More Thing” event on October 12, 2005, at the same California Theatre venue in San Jose where the iPod photo and U2 Special Edition iPod were announced last year. The event, promoted to select media, will begin at 10:00am, and is named after the famed oratory trick of Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who uses the phrase as a prelude to a bombshell announcement at the close of a keynote speech. As contrasted with the blue jeans image used to tease the announcement of the iPod nano, the One More Thing event is promoted with a red theater-like curtain.

I’m betting on video iPods, although I’m not particularly interested in using an iPod for video. I’d bet they’ll look something like this.

Usability guru Jakob Nielsen outlines the top 10 web design mistakes of 2005, and offers some helpful tips:

… users don’t care about technology and don’t especially want new features. They just want quality improvements in the basics:

• text they can read;
• content that answers their questions;
• navigation and search that help them find what they want;
• short and simple forms (streamlined registration, checkout, and other workflow); and
• no bugs, typos, or corrupted data; no linkrot; no outdated content.

Read on.

While all iPods are susceptible to scratches, I can attest that the iPod Nano is unusually sensitive to cosmetic damage, especially the black model. Within 24 hours, my 4 gigabyte black model had an unusual number of scratches, especially across the screen, which compromised the picture and album art viewing quality that Apple boasts. This did not happen through unusually rough handling. I’m pretty careful with my iPods, and my Nano acquired most of its scratches while being toted in the breast pocket of a dress shirt after only one day.

I used Novus scratch remover with mild success, but Todd Daily reports quite a bit of success in restoring his Nano with a $4 can of Brasso.

This became so frustrating I returned my Nano, and invested an additional $50 for the fourth generation 20 gigabyte color model. It immediately went into a white iSkin case, and now I can sync my entire 7 gigabyte iTunes library without having to worry about trimming the fat, like I did with the Nano. It’s nice not to have to worry about space limitations.

Apple’s response to the scratch-prone Nano has been a little disappointing. While I’m pleased that they have offered to allow users with cracked screens (another flaw, purportedly limited to only a relatively few Nanos as the result of a vendor problem), Apple’s response to scratches is “buy one of our fine cases.” The problem with this, however, is that the Apple Store has a 5-6 week-long delay in shipping its Nano Tubes.

Next time, Apple, re-consider using a stronger polycarbonate material on the iPods surface, and make cases and skins available alongside the release date of new products.

I ordered an Apple iPod Nano hours after its release last week. It arrived today, and I love it. I went with a 4 gigabyte black model. I wish it used Firewire as opposed to usb 2.0 (or in my case, usb 1.1), but otherwise, I’m very impressed. Read more here and here.

It seems like it. This little piece of code is found on Apple’s Business Agent site:

More news and details on the technology and language front:

Most Internet users know the difference between Internet spam and the popular canned ham. But the vast majority don’t know the terms “phishing,” “podcasting” and “RSS feeds,” according to a recently released study.

The Pew Internet & American Life Project survey quizzed online users about their familiarity with Internet buzzwords such as spam, firewall and Internet cookies. The results reflect how many of those terms have worked their way into mainstream consciousness.

Microsoft reportedly has deleted images of Apple’s Cupertino-based headquarters from its mapping software. Interesting:

Google shows the Apple Cupertino HQ – a lovely, shiny building probably full of iPods. MSN on the other hand shows an apparently empty field. Not as much as a black turtle-necked jumper remains of Apple’s headquarters. This could be no more than an old picture taken before Cupertino was built or a glimpse of an imagined future.

more.