SharedThought

David Pogue’s review of the new iPhone due to be released on Friday is out. This is probably the best overview of the phone’s new features I’ve seen in a review. Pogue’s favorite new features are the iPhone 2.0 firmware/software/OS upgrade and the AppStore. Both of these features are available to existing iPhone users.

Disappointingly, Pogue says the iPhone’s GPS is too weak to support a turn by turn application. Bloggers have noted that the terms of service of the iPhone SDK prohibit development of such an application, so perhaps the underpowered nature of the GPS device itself explains this prohibition. I hope that the GPS device is powerful enough to support an application like Nike+. I am hoping for an upgrade to the Nike+ service that would allow the iPhone to use the built in GPS in place of the existing shoe chip and iPod nano system it currently uses.

The LA Times is reporting that Vice-President Cheney’s office pressured EPA officials to alter their testimony related to the impacts of global warming. The upshot appears to be that states will use Cheney’s interference as proof that EPA’s relaxed emissions standards should be set aside, and that states should be allowed to impose more stringent emissions limits for themselves.

Here is a very cool implementation of Google’s street view. Look for the yellow line in the picture below. You might have to use the controls to pan the image a little, but once you see the yellow line you can click on it to follow the individual stages of the race. You can find and follow the other stages of the 2008 Tour de France course using Google’s street view site devoted to the race.

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Consortium News reports that the Reagan administration carried out a domestic propaganda campaign supported by the NSC and the CIA. It was uncovered by a congressional committee investigating the Reagan era covert operation, but not revealed as part of a compromise to get Republican votes for the committee’s final report.