I read the NY Times when I have the chance, and this article caught my eye.  It claims that fewer than 30% of iPhone users do work with their iPhones. I beg to differ.  Maybe I don’t represent the masses of users, but in the course of my work, I use the following native apps on my iPhone:

Phone
Mail (I use my iPhone mail reader almost exclusively, especially to weed through the first check of the day – SO easy to sort and delete on the iPhone!)
SMS Text
iCal Calendar
Photos
Camera
iPod (for instructional podcasts, entertainment in the office, transferring and previewing online video files, etc)
WeatherBug (if its going to rain all day, I’m not dragging my camera crew around looking for exterior shots at Lewis Ginter)
YouTube (to preview productions online, provide comps to clients, etc)
Maps
Safari (I develop websites, mobile apps, etc)
OmniFocus (CRM software)
App Store (to keep everything up to date)
NY Times (market info and continuing education, research…like this article)
USA Today (see above)
Newser (ditto…)
Pingle (for updating social networks, blogs, etc)
Facebook (I develop social media brands for local businesses, mobile apps)
Twitteriffic
Tweetie
Twittelator
LinkedIn
MySpace (just to test output for social media clients)
WordPress (for updating this blog, duh)
Yelp (to decide where to take clients to lunch, buy supplies, etc)
Google Earth (to figure out terrain, accessibility, directions to meetings, etc)
MProfs (great marketing newsletter!)
Huff Post (news, market research)
Mashable (market research)
TWC
Joost (video streaming site, testing, etc)
Stitcher (for creating panoramas – great for panning in video!)
Air Sharing (for exchanging files to and from remote locations and my home office)
iHandy Level (for leveling tripods and cameras on-site)
Flashlight (for when we drop a bolt in a dark, smokey bar before a music video shoot, right Josh?)
vCardMailer (like beaming a contact for Treo and Blackberry owners)
Remote (for controlling Keynote presentations)
iRecorder (for site notes, ideas in the car, etc)
Tasks
Clock (countdown timers)
Loopt (for finding other crew members in a crowded site)
…and there are more web shortcuts as well…I won’t completely bore you.

But you get the picture.  If my iPhone is in my hand, it’s in use, most likely for work-related activity.  But it’s so much MORE than a phone.  I seldom use the phone functions on the iPhone.  Less than 25% of my time, I would guess (and I use it for SALES!)

I rest my case, but again…I don’t know how “typical” a user I am, but I know plenty of other people who use them for business, and that number will only increase with further app development, further integrating it into business/server-class applications for larger workgroups.  It’s already happening.  The next rev of the iPhone should be a pretty major release as well…and I’m sure I’ll have one.

Another rambling from the exhaust of the Rocket Pop!

Scott

I referenced the following sources:
http://blog.compete.com/2009/04/29/iphone-smartphone-personal-business-usage/

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/apple-iphone-owners-dont-use-it-for-work/

YouTube has become the “Zerox” of online video…nobody says “did you see that new movie about the dog skateboarding on that internet video streaming service” – they just say “check it out on YouTube!” That being said, not all video streaming sites are created equal. In addition to the ubiquitous YouTube.com, there’s Vimeo.com, SmugMug.com, blip.tv, ifilm.com, jumpcut, metacafe, isofa.tv, and countless others who offer video services. Which look best? Which should you use to host your video content? Here’s a quick overview:

Rocket Pop Media studio, with Canon XHA1

Which look the best? Well…with the onslaught of HD content uploading at any given moment it has become clear that video is the medium of choice for most people on the net, in varying degrees of sophistication. The number of cell phone videos posted from frat parties is almost the same as the number of movie trailers, corporate pieces, viral ad campaigns, and video business profiles, and it can be done with almost any type of camera in any location. The quality, however, is just as varying. YouTube and Facebook are the most common social sites to host video, while Facebook is the clear winner for incorporating all your other content seamlessly with your videos. YouTube remains the leader with search engines (maybe Google owning the company has something to do with that?) and for common, easy interface that most people have become familiar with.

In YouTube, to get the most out of your viewing experience, hop on a high-speed internet connection (which most everyone has these days) and make sure you select “HD” or at a minimum “HQ” at the bottom of the video window. This ensures that the video streams at the highest resolution possible. HQ and HD look similar in the small window, but you’ll notice a big difference when viewing HD full-screen. You should see nearly the same quality as Apple’s movie trailer page, one of the benchmarks to be measured against.

HINT: if you have a YouTube account, go to “Playback Setup” in your account settings and select the third choice “I Have a Fast Connection” which basically lets YouTube know to playback videos that you watch while logged in at the highest possible rate! No more hitting the “HQ” button if you’re signed in. You’ll still have to select full screen if you want to view that way, but hey…one less click is one less click.

If you’re using YouTube as your video host and you want to show HD video, then you need to know what kind of file to upload. YouTube says it can handle “tons” of video types, but these settings yield the best quality:

* Video Format: H.264, MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 preferred (H.264 yields consistently good quality for smallest size)
* Aspect Ratio: Native aspect ratio without letterboxing (examples: 4:3, 16:9) – all HD content should be 16×9
* Resolution: 1280×720 (16×9 HD), 640×360 (16:9) or 480×360 (4:3) – stick to 1280×720 if you’re shooting in HD!
* Audio Format: MP3 or AAC preferred – they would also prefer 44.1khz sound, not 48.
* Frames per second: 30
* Maximum length: 10 minutes (we recommend 2-3 minutes)
* Maximum file size: 1 GB

HINT: If you’re sending a link to a friend or posting it on a site, here’s a quick tip to make sure the video displays to your recipient in the highest quality possible. Take your link, something like “http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjxzjGpOZ4Q” and add “&fmt=22″ to the end, yielding a link like this: “http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjxzjGpOZ4Q&fmt=22″ – go ahead, click the different examples and you’ll see that the second one should load in a wide aspect ratio in true 720 HD. The first link shows as either standard or HQ. If you have something that needs to look critically AMAZING on the other end, make sure you add “&fmt=22″. If you use embed codes, note that they’re also using the new 16×9 dimensions.

If you’re uploading to Facebook, they’re a little more cagey about specific information, unless you know where to look on their developer blogs! If you use the exact same specification file as listed above in the YouTube comments, then you are GOLDEN. 1280×720 HD! They have similar limitations: ten minutes, 1 gig file. Once the video is up on Facebook, it becomes EXTREMELY easy to share, pass around, and chat about on Facebook…that’s 200,000,000 (MILLION) users who love to see interesting video.

Now go make a movie! Or I know this company….thanks for riding the rocket!

Cheers,

Scott and the gang at Rocket Pop Media