software menarik nih, check this out

Hiren's BootCD 9.2
All in one Dos Bootable CD which has all these utilities

Partition Tools
Partition Magic Pro 8.05
Best software to partition hard drive

Acronis Disk Director Suite 9.0.554
Popular disk management functions in a single suite

Paragon Partition Manager 7.0.1274
Universal tool for partitions

Partition Commander 9.01
The safe way to partition your hard drive,with undo feature

Ranish Partition Manager 2.44
a boot manager and hard disk partitioner.

The Partition Resizer 1.3.4
move and resize your partitions in one step and more.

Smart Fdisk 2.05
a simple harddisk partition manager

SPecial Fdisk 2000.03t
SPFDISK a partition tool.

eXtended Fdisk 0.9.3
XFDISK allows easy partition creation and edition

GDisk 1.1.1
Complete replacement for the DOS FDISK utility and more.

Super Fdisk 1.0
Create, delete, format partitions drives without destroying data.

Disk Clone Tools
ImageCenter 5.6 (Drive Image 2002)
Best software to clone hard drive

Norton Ghost 11.0.1
Similar to Drive Image (with usb/scsi support)

Acronis True Image 8.1.945
Create an exact disk image for complete system backup and disk cloning.

Partition Saving 3.40
A tool to backup/restore partitions. (SavePart.exe)

COPYR.DMA Build013
A Tool for making copies of hard disks with bad sectors

Antivirus Tools
F-Prot Antivirus 3.16f (2907)
Very good virus scanner (with ntfs support and easy to use menu)

McAfee Antivirus 4.4.50 (2907)
a virus scanner (with ntfs support and easy to use menu)

Recovery Tools
Active Partition Recovery 3.0
To Recover a Deleted partition.

Active Uneraser 3.0
To recover deleted files and folders on FAT and NTFS systems.

Ontrack Easy Recovery Pro 6.10
To Recover data that has been deleted/virus attack

Winternals Disk Commander 1.1
more than just a standard deleted-file recovery utility

TestDisk 6.8b
Tool to check and undelete partition.

Lost & Found 1.06
a good old data recovery software.

DiyDataRecovery Diskpatch 2.1.100
An excellent data recovery software.

Prosoft Media Tools 5.0 v1.1.2.64
Another excellent data recovery software with many other options.

PhotoRec 6.8b
File and pictures recovery Tool.

Testing Tools
System Speed Test 4.78
it tests CPU, harddrive, ect.

PC-Check 6.0
Easy to use hardware tests

Ontrack Data Advisor 5.0
Powerful diagnostic tool for assessing the condition of your computer

The Troubleshooter 7.02
all kind of hardware testing tool

PC Doctor 3.0
a benchmarking and information tool

Test Cpu/Video/Disk 5.6
a tool to test cpu, video, and disk

Test Hard Disk Drive 1.0
a tool to test Hard Disk Drive

RAM (Memory) Testing Tools
DocMemory 3.1b
RAM Test utility

GoldMemory 5.07
RAM Test utility

Memtest86+ 1.70
PC Memory Test

Hard Disk Tools
Hard Disk Diagnostic Utilities
Seagate Seatools Desktop Edition 3.02
Western Digital Data Lifeguard Tools
Western Digital Diagnostics (DLGDIAG) 5.04f
Maxtor PowerMax 4.23
Maxtor amset utility 4.0
Maxtor(or any Hdd) Low Level Formatter 1.1
Fujitsu HDD Diagnostic Tool 6.61
Fujitsu IDE Low Level Format 1.0
Samsung HDD Utility(HUTIL) 2.04
Samsung Disk Diagnose (SHDIAG) 1.28
IBM/Hitachi Drive Fitness Test 4.08
IBM/Hitachi Feature Tool 2.03
Gateway GwScan 3.15
ExcelStor's ESTest 3.80
MHDD 4.6
WDClear 1.30
Toshiba Hard Disk Diagnostic 2.00b
SeaTools for Dos 1.08

HDD Regenerator 1.51
to recover a bad hard drive

HDAT2 4.5.3
main function is testing and repair (regenerates) bad sectors for detected devices

Ontrack Disk Manager 9.57
Disk Test/Format/Maintenance tool.

Norton Disk Doctor 2002
a tool to repair a damaged disk, or to diagnose your hard drive.

Norton Disk Editor 2002
a powerful disk editing, manual data recovery tool.

Active Kill Disk 4.1
Securely overwrites and destroys all data on physical drive.

SmartUDM 2.00
Hard Disk Drive S.M.A.R.T. Viewer.

Victoria 3.33
a freeware program for low-level HDD diagnostics

HDD Eraser 1.0
Secure erase using a special feature built into most newer hard drives

System Information Tools
Aida16 2.14
a system information tool, extracts details of all components of the PC

PCI and AGP info Tool (2907)
The PCI System information & Exploration tool.

System Analyser 5.3r
View extensive information about your hardware

Navratil Software System Information 0.59.14
High-end professional system information tool

Astra 5.33
Advanced System info Tool and Reporting Assistant

HwInfo 5.0.5
a powerful system information utility

PC-Config 9.33
Complete hardware detection of your computer

SysChk 2.46
Find out exactly what is under the hood of your PC

CPU Identification utility 1.12
Detailed information on CPU (CHKCPU.EXE)

CTIA CPU Information
another CPU information tool

MBR (Master Boot Record) Tools
MBRWork 1.07b
a utility to perform some common and uncommon MBR functions

MBR Tool 2.2.100
backup, verify, restore, edit, refresh, remove, display, re-write...

DiskMan4
all in one tool for cmos, bios, bootrecord and more

BootFix Utility
Run this utility if you get 'Invalid system disk'

MBR SAVE / RESTORE 2.1
BootSave and BootRest tools to save / restore MBR

Boot Partition 2.60
add Partition in the Windows NT/2000/XP Multi-boot loader

Partition Table Doctor 3.5
a tool to repair/modify mbr, bootsector, partition table

Smart Boot Manager 3.7.1
a multi boot manager

Bootmagic 8.0
This tool is for multi boot operating systems

MBRWizard 2.0b
Directly update and modify the MBR (Master Boot Record)

BIOS / CMOS Tools
CMOS 0.93
CMOS Save / Restore Tool

BIOS Cracker 4.8
BIOS password remover (cmospwd)

BIOS Cracker 1.4
BIOS password remover (cmospwc)

BIOS Utility 1.35.0
BIOS Informations, password, beep codes and more.

!BIOS 3.20
a powerfull utility for bios and cmos

DISKMAN4
a powerful all in one utility

UniFlash 1.40
bios flash utility

Kill CMOS
a tiny utility to wipe cmos

Award DMI Configuration Utility 2.43
DMI Configuration utility for modifying/viewing the MIDF contents.

MultiMedia Tools
Picture Viewer 1.94
Picture viewer for dos, supports more then 40 filetypes.

QuickView Pro 2.58
movie viewer for dos, supports many format including divx.

MpxPlay 1.55 final
a small Music Player for dos

Password Tools
Active Password Changer 3.0.420
To Reset User Password on windows NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista (FAT/NTFS)

Offline NT/2K/XP Password Changer
utility to reset windows nt/2000/xp administrator/user password.

Registry Reanimator 1.02
Check and Restore structure of the Damaged Registry files of NT/2K/XP

NTPWD
utility to reset windows nt/2000/xp administrator/user password.

Registry Viewer 4.2
Registry Viewer/Editor for Win9x/Me/NT/2K/XP

ATAPWD 1.2
Hard Disk Password Utility

NTFS (FileSystems) Tools
NTFS Dos Pro 5.0
To access ntfs partitions from Dos

NTFS 4 Dos 1.9
To access ntfs partitions from Dos

Paragon Mount Everything 3.0
To access NTFS, Ext2FS, Ext3FS partitions from dos

NTFS Dos 3.02
To access ntfs partitions from Dos

EditBINI 1.01
to Edit boot.ini on NTFS Partition

Dos File Managers
Volkov Commander 4.99
Dos File Manager with LongFileName/ntfs support
(Similar to Norton Commander)

Dos Command Center 5.1
Classic dos-based file manager.

File Wizard 1.35
a file manager - colored files, drag and drop copy, move, delete etc.

File Maven 3.5
an advanced Dos file manager with high speed PC-to-PC file
transfers via serial or parallel cable

FastLynx 2.0
Dos file manager with Pc to Pc file transfer capability

LapLink 5.0
the smart way to transfer files and directories between PCs.

Dos Navigator 6.4.0
Dos File Manager, Norton Commander clone but has much more features.

Mini Windows 98
Can run from Ram Drive, with ntfs support,
Added 7-Zip which supports .7z .zip .cab .rar .arj .gzip,
.bzip2 .z .tar .cpio .rpm and .deb
Disk Defragmenter, Notepad / RichText Editor,
Image Viewer, .avi .mpg .divx .xvid Movie Player, etc...

Other Tools
Ghost Walker 2003.793
utility that changes the security ID (SID) for Windows NT, 2000 and XP

DosCDroast beta 2
Dos CD Burning Tools

Universal TCP/IP Network 6.01
MSDOS Network Client to connect via TCP/IP to a Microsoft based
network. The network can either be a peer-to-peer or a server based
network, it contains 91 different network card drivers

Dos Tools
USB CD-Rom Driver 1
Standard usb_cd.sys driver for cd drive

Universal USB Driver 2
Panasonic v2.20 ASPI Manager for USB mass storage

ASUSTeK USB Driver 3
ASUS USB CD-ROM Device Driver Version 1.00

SCSI Support
SCSI Drivers for Dos

SATA Support
SATA Driver (gcdrom.sys) and JMicron JMB361 (xcdrom.sys) for Dos

1394 Firewire Support
1394 Firewire Drivers for Dos

Interlnk support at COM1
To access another computer from COM port

Interlnk support at LPT1
To access another computer from LPT port

and too many great dos tools
very good collection of dos utilities
extract.exe pkzip.exe pkunzip.exe unrar.exe rar.exe
ace.exe lha.exe gzip.exe uharcd.exe mouse.com
attrib.com deltree.exe xcopy.exe diskcopy.com imgExtrc.exe
undelete.com edit.com fdisk.exe fdisk2.exe fdisk3.exe
lf.exe delpart.exe wipe.com zap.com format.com
move.exe more.com find.exe hex.exe debug.exe
split.exe mem.exe mi.com sys.com smartdrv.exe
xmsdsk.exe killer.exe share.exe scandisk.exe scanreg.exe
guest.exe doskey.exe duse.exe biosdtct.exe setver.exe
intersvr.exe interlnk.exe loadlin.exe lfndos.exe doslfn.com

Windows Tools
SpaceMonger 1.4
keeping track of the free space on your computer

Drive Temperature 1.0
Hard Disk Drive temperature meter

Disk Speed1.0
Hard Disk Drive Speed Testing Tool

MemTest 1.0
a Memory Testing Tool

S&M Stress Test 1.9.0
cpu/hdd/memory benchmarking and information tool, including temperatures/fan speeds/voltages

PageDfrg 2.32
System file Defragmenter For NT/2k/XP

WhitSoft File Splitter 4.5a
a Small File Split-Join Tool

Ghost Image Explorer 11.0.1
to add/remove/extract files from Ghost image file

DriveImage Explorer 5.0
to add/remove/extract files from Drive image file

Drive SnapShot 1.38
creates an exact Disk Image of your system into a file while windows is running.

Active Undelete 5.1.010
a tool to recover deleted files

Restoration 2.5.14
a tool to recover deleted files

GetDataBack for FAT 2.31
Data recovery software for FAT file systems

GetDataBack for NTFS 2.31
Data recovery software for NTFS file systems

Recuva 1.02.095
Restore deleted files from Hard Drive, Digital Camera Memory Card, usb mp3 player...

Unstoppable Copier 3.12
Allows you to copy files from disks with problems such as bad sectors,
scratches or that just give errors when reading data.

Express Burn 2.02
CD/DVD Burner Program to create and record CDs/DVDs, also create/burn .iso and .nrg images

Data Shredder 1.0
A tool to Erase disk and files (also wipe free space) securely

Startup Control Panel 2.8
a tool to edit startup programs

NT Registry Optimizer 1.1j
Registry Optimization for Windows NT/2000/2003/XP/Vista

DefragNT 1.9
This tool presents the user with many options for disk defragmenting

JkDefrag 3.16
Free disk defragment and optimize utility for Windows 2000/2003/XP/Vista

Startup Monitor 1.02
it notifies you when any program registers itself to run at system startup

IB Process Manager 1.04
a little process manager for 9x/2k, shows dll info etc.

Process Explorer 10.06
shows you information about which handles and DLLs processes have opened or loaded

Pocket KillBox 2.0
can be used to get rid of files that stubbornly refuse to allow you to delete them

Unlocker 1.8.5
This tool can delete file/folder when you get this message - Cannot delete file:
Access is denied, The file is in use by another program etc.

HijackThis 2.0b
a general homepage hijackers detector and remover and more

RootkitRevealer 1.7
Rootkit Revealer is an advanced patent-pending root kit detection utility.

Silent Runners Revision 51
A free script that helps detect spyware, malware and adware in the startup process

Autoruns 8.71
Displays All the entries from startup folder, Run, RunOnce, and other Registry keys,
Explorer shell extensions,toolbars, browser helper objects, Winlogon notifications,
auto-start services, Scheduled Tasks, Winsock, LSA Providers, Remove Drivers
and much more which helps to remove nasty spyware/adware and viruses.

Dial a Fix 0.60.0.24
Fix errors and problems with COM/ActiveX object errors and missing registry entries,
Automatic Updates, SSL, HTTPS, and Cryptography service (signing/verification)
issues, Reinstall internet explorer etc. comes with the policy scanner

CurrPort 1.20
displays the list of all currently opened TCP and UDP ports on your computer

Unknown Devices 1.2 (2907)
helps you find what those unknown devices in Device Manager really are

PCI 32 Sniffer 1.4 (2907)
device information tool (similar to unknown devices)

NewSID 4.10
utility that changes the security ID (SID) for Windows NT, 2000 and XP

Double Driver 1.0
Driver Backup and Restore tool

DriverBackup! 1.0.2
Another handy tool to backup drivers

CPU-Z 1.40.5
It gathers information on some of the main devices of your system

CWShredder 2.19
Popular CoolWebSearch Trojan Remover tool

Winsock 2 Fix for 9x
to fix corrupted Winsock2 information by poorly written Internet programs

XP TCP/IP Repair 1.0
Repair your Windows XP Winsock and TCP/IP registry errors

CCleaner 1.41.544
Crap Cleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool

EzPcFix 1.0.0.16
Helpful tool when trying to remove viruses, spyware, and malware

Content Advisor Password Remover 1.0
It Removes Content Advisor Password from Internet Explorer

WinKeyFinder 1.72
Allows you to View and Change Windows XP/2003 Product Keys, backup and restore
activation related files, backup Microsoft Office 97, 2000 SP2, XP/2003 keys etc.

Wireless Key View 1.10
Recovers all wireless network keys (WEP/WPA) stored in your computer by WZC

Monitor Tester 1.0
Allows you to test CRT/LCD/TFT screens for dead pixels and diffective screens

Shell Extensions Manager (ShellExView) 1.16
An excellent tool to View and Manage all installed Context-menu/Shell extensions

TweakUI 2.10
This PowerToy gives you access to system settings that are not exposed in the Windows Xp

Xp-AntiSpy 3.96.5
it tweaks some Windows XP functions, and disables some unneeded Windows services quickly

PC Wizard 2007 1.73
Powerful system information/benchmark utility designed especially for detection of hardware.

Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.4 (2907)
Application to scan for spyware, adware, hijackers and other malicious software.

SpywareBlaster 3.5.1 (2907)
Prevent the installation of spyware and other potentially unwanted software.

Ad-Aware SE Personal 1.06 (2907)
find and remove spyware, adware, dialers etc. (a must have tool)

kalo mau download disini

Celah Yahoo Messenger Ditemukan

Kerentanan baru ini berpotensi menyebabkan kode tidak penting yang berjalan pada PC. Detail kerentanan tersebut pertama kali diinformasikan pada blog perusahaan itu.
Karthik Raman, dari McAfee menyatakan, sejauh ini tidak ada kode eksploitasi yang dipublikasikan. Kerentanan tersebut mempengaruhi Yahoo Messenger versi 8.1.0.413. Hal ini terpicu jika user menerima undangan penggunaan Webcam. Tipe kerentanan disebut sebagai timbunan overflow, di mana sepenggal kode dapat dieksekusikan dengan izin tidak layak dan memungkinkan kebiasaan malicious selanjutnya seperti aksi download kode lainnya

Sementara menurut Greg Day, analis keamanan untuk McAfee di Inggris, McAfee menyarankan pengguna YM untuk menolak undangan Webcam hingga Yahoo mengeluarkan tambalannya
Selain itu, user juga dapat memblokir trafik keluar pada TCP port 5100 yang berafiliasi dengan operasi program tersebut. Yahoo sampai saat ini belum memberikan komentar mengenai masalah ini.(sda asia)

MSWORD jadi BMP

Makin banyak vendor – vendor anti virus yang menawarkan proteksi yang lebih canggih namun ternyata para pembuat virus terutama virus local, kelihatannya semakin mahir pula dalam mengutak - atik source code virus yang lebih seru setiap kemunculannya. Setelah Kespo yang sukses menyebar dan merepotkan semua orang karena menginjeksi dan merubah file DOC / .XLS menjadi .EXE, kini muncul variannya Delf.ZFA atau lebih dikenal dengan nama ZulAnick. Kalau virus Kespo merubah file data korbannya menjadi .EXE, maka ZulAnick ini merubah file-file MSWord, Excel, MP3 dipermak menjadi .BMP (bitmap). Celakanya, vendor antivirus hanya mampu mendeteksi dan membersihkan virus yang menginfeksi file dan file (data) yang telah dibersihkan dari virus tetap tidak mau kembali ke jalan yang benar (tidak dapat diakses) karena sudah dipermak menjadi .BMP. Tentunya korbannya akan nangis Bombay (mungkin maksudnya nangis karena matanya kena bawang Bombay :P). Tetapi jangan khawatir, anda tidak perlu ke India untuk mengatasi masalah ini. Ada programmer Visual Basic lokal dari Yogyakarta yang baik hati dan membuatkan tools untuk mengembalikan data yang dipermak oleh ZulAnick. Dan kabar baiknya, tools ini ampuh dan gratis.

Rasanya baru kemarin kita dilanda kesengsaraan akibat ulah kespo, dimana semua data baik MS.Word maupun MS.Excel akan di injeksi/infeksi sehingga terkadang antivirus vendor akan menghapus file tersebut dan tidak berdaya untuk repair file yang sudah terinfeksi virus Kespo tersebut. Bak perlombaan, para programer lokal juga berlomba untuk membuat tools untuk menghajar sang Kespo, seiring dengan berjalannya waktu kini sudah banyak bermunculan removal tools untuk mengembalikan file yang diinjeksi Kespo tersebut, antara lain :

· Husni dengan DOC/XLS Remover nya (Gratis) http://adilmakmur.wordpress.com/2007/05/25/doc-xls-recover/

· Ahlul dengan EXE 2 DOC nya (Gratis) http://www.ahlul.web.id/download/kespo/

· PCMAV dikeluarkan oleh majalah PC Media dan diberikan di dalam DVD jika anda membeli majalah PC Media.

· Yayat dengan YAV (Yayat Anti Virus) Gratis. Yayat adalah seorang programmer VB yang bekerja di internet café Chanal – Yogyakarta www.chanal.biz. Untuk mendownload tools YAV terbaru, Vaksincom sudah mengupload file tersebut di http://vaksin.com/removal.htm.

Penting !!!...

Use this removal with your own risk!!.....

Dampak Razia Software Bajakan, Pindah Linux, Dikeluhkan Pelanggan

Thursday, 19 July 2007

sumber : Arfi Bambani Amri - dtc Surabaya-Surya Rajinnya polisi merazia software bajakan membuat para pemilik warung internet (warnet) kalang kabut. Ada yang banting setir ke sistem open source yang gratis atau sebaliknya membeli software orisinal agar pelanggan tak lari. Gery, 20, pengelola warnet di kawasan Surabaya ini mengungkapkan salah satu cabang warnetnya pernah terkena razia. “ Memang saat itu ada beberapa yang belum asli tapi sekarang saya jamin semua software kami asli,” kata Gery, Selasa (17/7). Nasib sama dialami Desi, 23. Pengelola Progress Net ini menuturkan dua bulan lalu separo dari belasan komputer di warnet itu disita polisi karena menggunakan software palsu. “Polisi meminta kami menggunakan software asli,” katanya. Desi mengaku harus mengeluarkan biaya minimal Rp 800.000 kalau menggunakan software asli. Ini terlalu berat bagi para pengelola warnet. Cara lainnya yang jauh lebih murah adalah menggunakan sistem operasi Linux. Tapi ini bukan tanpa risiko. “Pelanggan kami banyak yang mengeluh karena belum familiar dengan sistem operasi ini. Akhirnya kami kembali ke Windows, biar mahal tapi aman dan pelanggan tak lari,” tutur Desi. Berbeda lagi warnet Annisa yang nekat menggunakan Linux untuk berhemat. Habibie,25, operator sekaligus teknisi warnet mengaku sejak adanya razia dua bulan lalu, pihaknya menggunakan Linux. Namun semua komputer di warnet tersebut menggunakan software asli. “ Windows kami orisinal, hanya office-nya yang palsu. Kami memutuskan memakai Linux tapi begitu tersambung dengan software lain menjadi berat,” katanya. Semula para pelanggan mengeluh karena menemui kesulitan. Tetapi ini tidak berlangsung lama, karena kemudian pelanggannya semakin biasa dengan Linux. Seperti yang dikemukakan Andi, 19, pelanggan warnet Annisa yang awalnya mengalami kesulitan, “Tapi karena saya sudah paham jadi saya mulai terbiasa,” katanya. Pelanggan warnet ternyata banyak yang tidak tahu soal razia software ini. Seperti yang dikatakan Rusdi, 20, warga Semolowaru. “Saya biasa berpindah warnet, tapi selama ini saya belum menemukan warnet yang menggunakan Linux. Hampir semua warnet yang biasa saya datangi menggunakan software Windows biasa,” katanya saat ditemui Surya Selasa (17/7) di salah satu warnet di Surabaya Selatan.mg1

Apple iPhone

Reviewed by: Kent German and Jasmine France
Reviewed on 1/9/07 Release date: 6/29/07 -----> link

Heads exploded around the tech world today after Apple CEO Steve Jobs finally announced the long-awaited Apple iPhone during his Macworld 2007 keynote in San Francisco.

The iPhone, as Jobs proudly dubbed the device to thunderous applause (take that Linksys), will be three devices in one: a cell phone, a wide-screen iPod with touch controls, and an Internet communications device. AT&T (formerly Cingular Wireless) is the lucky carrier (apparently the companies have patched up their relationship following the Motorola Rokr bust).

We haven't gotten to hold an iPhone yet, but we're just as excited as the next person to finally write down our first thoughts, and we won't sleep until we get our hands on one. Check back near the product's June 29 release date for our full review.

Availability
Both Apple and AT&T stores will sell the phone starting on the release date, and the handset will also be available on Apple's Web site. It will not be sold on AT&T's site for the initial release.. Europe will get it in the fourth quarter, and Asia will have to wait until next year. Finally, the U.S. gets something first!

The 4GB model will cost $499 with a two-year contract ,and the 8GB version will cost $599. That's a steep price to begin with, particularly since you're locked into a two-year contract with one carrier. And keep in mind that the iPhone will not be sold with the rebates or discounts that normally are offered by carriers for signing a contract.

New AT&T customers will have to choose a special iPhone service plan as well. For $60 a month, you'll get 450 minutes of anytime minutes and 5,000 night-and-weekend minutes. For $80 a month, you'll get 900 anytime minutes and unlimited nights and weekends. And for $100 a month, you'll get 1,350 anytime minutes and unlimited nights and weekends. All plans will include visual voice mail access, unlimited e-mail and mobile Web surfing, free mobile-to-mobile minutes, and 200 text messages a month. And don't forget the $36 activation fee.

Current AT&T customers can add an iPhone data plan to their existing contract for $20 per month, which will give them unlimited data and 200 text messages. More expensive plans are available as well, and families will have their own options to choose from.

Design
To be successful, an Apple phone has to sport an iconic Apple design--the Rokr's dull design did it no favors. Fortunately, Apple fulfilled our expectations this time with a smooth design and an innovative interface. Say goodbye to traditional cell phone buttons--this phone is all touch screen, all the time.

With only one hardware control (a "home" key), iPhone's real estate is dominated by a huge, 3.5-inch display. From what we call tell, the device looks beautiful with a resolution of 320x480x160 pixels per inch (the highest iPod resolution yet, according to Jobs). The videos and photos look great, and we love that the "smart" screen shifts automatically to a landscape orientation when you start to play a video. One giant touch screen controls the phone, and no stylus is needed ("Yuck," Jobs said). Use your fingers to type messages and e-mails on an onscreen keyboard--Jobs promises onscreen typing will be faster than on a standard smart-phone keypad, but we'll believe that theory when we actually get a device in our hands. (And speaking of yuck, what about all that finger grease?) But we admit the scrolling feature looks especially promising as Jobs had only to slide his finger across the display.

Of course, such a large display makes for a large phone: the iPhone measures 4.5x2.4x0.46 inches. No, it won't slide into smaller pockets, but it joins the similarly sized Palm Treo 750, and its weight (4.8 ounces) is mostly standard for a handset of this size. Of course, the slim profile is noteworthy as well. We're a tad surprised Apple has jumped on the thin phone bandwagon, but trim design, after all, is the cell phone trend of the day. As Jobs made clear, iPhone is thinner than both the Motorola Q and the Samsung BlackJack.

Features
Though we're pleased Apple made it a quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) world phone, we're disappointed the iPhone's data support tops out at 2.5G EDGE networks. Considering the multimedia-friendly feature set, the omission of any 3G compatibility is a bit bizarre, particularly since Cingular now offers UMTS and HSDPA.

We wouldn't normally spend much time on voice mail, but Apple pulled a new trick out of its hat with Visual Voicemail. Rather than forcing you to call your voice mail and waiting to browse through multiple messages to hear the one you want, Visual Voicemail displays all the messages you have in a list, similar to an e-mail in-box. All you have to do is select the message you want and listen away.

It's tough to truly evaluate the iPhone's capability as a music and video player without some hands-on experience, but a cursory look at the product shots and details gives us some idea; that, and the fact it's closely related to the highly rated iPod music player iPod. In short, the iPhone is sure to offer an easy-to-use media playback interface, and the breadth of content offered by iTunes (its compatible service) ensures you'll never be wanting for music or video files. Of course, the touch screen interface will take some getting used to for users who are accustomed to the iPod's Click Wheel.

The iPhone, which will be offered in 4GB and 8GB capacities (flash memory), doesn't have any restrictions on how much of that memory you choose to fill up with media content--no 100-track limit, as is the case with the Motorola Rokr. The convergence device also takes a step away from its iPod brethren by offering a built-in mic for audio recordings. And unlike most cell phones, the iPhone offers a standard 3.5mm audio jack, which will work with all mainstream stereo headphones. There's no FM radio but that's nothing new from Apple.

One thing is for certain: the 3.5-inch wide-screen display is much better for full-length movie viewing than the 5G iPod's comparatively paltry 2.5-inch screen. And Apple's new partnership with Paramount really helps to fill out the movie category in iTunes. If there's anything we have to complain about, it's that the video player isn't offered as a standalone device, sans the phone capability, (which is sure to mark up the premium on the price). Of course, if that happens, we'd like to see something above the max 8GB of memory. iTunes content and video load on the phone via a USB computer connection--unfortunately, as far as we know there are no wireless downloads--and the iPhone comes with an iPod connector.

Beyond the music player, the iPhone runs on Mac OS X and promises a 2-megapixel camera, a photo-management tool that rotates the display for landscape photos (like with videos), support for Google Maps, conference calling, a speakerphone, and text messaging. We imagine there will be personal organizer applications as well, but Jobs kept mum on such fine details. Connectivity options also look promising with Bluetooth (though no stereo profile), Wi-Fi (a huge plus), POP3 and IMAP4 e-mail, and a Safari Web browser. The free push Yahoo e-mail app looks especially cool since we won't have to wait for syncing with a PC.

The iPhone also comes with some unique sensors that detect how you're using the phone and change the display accordingly. A proximity sensor knows when you bring the phone to your ear and then dims the screen and shuts off the touch screen. The ambient light sensor adjusts brightness and saves power, and the accelerometer knows when to switch between landscape and portrait orientation.

Outlook
After months of iPhone speculation, we were sick of the device even before it came out. But now, well, we have to admit it's quite lovely. The vivid display is especially attractive, and we like the sleek, minimalist design. The touch screen may involve a learning curve, but we're excited to try it out. The iPod functionality will no doubt draw many, and in particular, we're glad to see world phone support, the Yahoo e-mail app, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.

On the downside, we were hoping for wireless iTunes music downloads. And it's too bad Apple stopped short of 3G support. Also, we're hoping that Apple introduces a standalone touch screen iPod without the phone element as not everyone will want a convergence device. And here's the biggest caveat: Phones are only as good as the calls they make, so we'll have to wait for our final assessment once we get a review product. As for battery life, Apple is promising five hours for calling or video and 16 hours in music mode.

Overall, however, and despite the high price, we predict an iPhone success. The iPhone will garner interest simply because it exists and, as such, has great potential to move music phones into the mainstream. Nokia's Xpress music phones and Sony Ericsson's Walkman handsets present a strong challenge on some level, but Samsung's new Ultra Music probably stands to take the biggest hit if the two devices go head to head.