Today Apple announced iPhone 4, featuring:

• A brand-new design
• FaceTime video calling
• Retina display
• 5-megapixel camera, and
• HD video recording

iPhone 4 comes with iOS 4, the newest version of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, featuring:

• Multitasking
• Folders
• Enhanced Mail
• Additional enterprise support
• iBooks, and
• iAd, Apple’s new mobile advertising platform

iPhone 4 comes in either black or white and will be available in the U.S. for a suggested retail price of $199 (16GB) or $299 (32GB). Qualifying customers can purchase it through Apple and AT&T’s online and retail stores, Best Buy, Walmart, and RadioShack. It will be available on June 24 in the U.S., France, Germany, Japan, and the UK. Customers in these countries can pre-order from the Apple Online Store or reserve an iPhone 4 for pickup at an Apple Retail store starting on June 15.

Apple also introduced a new 8GB model of iPhone 3GS for $99 in the U.S., which will also be available on June 24.

iPhone 4 will be available in 88 countries by the end of September. iOS 4 will be available on June 21 as a free software update through iTunes for iPhone and iPod touch customers.*

iMovie for iPhone 4, a new app available from the App Store for $4.99 when iPhone 4 ships, allows customers to edit and share iPhone 4 videos and apply themes, transitions, and music.

* iOS 4 is compatible with iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and second- and third-generation iPod touch (late 2009 models with 32GB or 64GB). Some features may not be available on all products. For example, multitasking requires iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 or third-generation iPod touch (late 2009 models with 32GB or 64GB).

[More information at Apple.com]

Were the Secure Thumb Drives we mentioned in a previous post just not enough storage? LaCie, makers of those great portable orange rugged drives, has answered the call of many who need to securely store large files. Files such as movies, audio or other multimedia. LaCie’s Rugged Safe offers multiple levels of data protection, from its “unbreakable hardware encryption and the safest biometric authentication technology,” to its shock–proof enclosures.

The Rugged Safe includes hardware-based AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) 128–bit encryption. This is the same standard used by the U.S. government and organizations worldwide to protect critical documents. The drive uses biometric authentication, which enables personalized data control, with access for to up to ten users.

You can connect the drive to your Mac via USB 2.0, FireWire 800 and FireWire 400. Once you have setup the users, they just need swipe a single finger for authentication. The drive requires no software installation and is also bus powered, so you can attach it to any computer and easily access your data.

[Available from LaCie]

Anatomy of Apple Design from Transparent House on Vimeo.

Many of my clients in the entertainment industry are intensely concerned, and rightfully so, about the security of their media.  Whether it is video files or scripts, Corsair may have come up with the perfect solution. Prior to this product, users had to fiddle with secure disk images, that were time consuming to handle on a regular basis. Now a much simpler solution is at hand.

The Padlock 2, from Corsair,  features Mac OS X compatible password protection via the built-in keypad. Hardware 256-bit encryption secures your data and multiple failed entries locks device for 2 minutes to prevent repeated attempts to access data.

What if you forget the passcode? Don’t worry, there’s a procedure for wiping the drive clean and generating a new one. 8GB USB 2.0 versions are  available immediately, with larger versions coming soon.
[Via Corsair available now from Amazon.com]

Updated 4/29/2010: Systematic Development Group has added another player in the secure thumb drive game. With a lot of the same as Corsair’s, it is worth taking a look at.

[LOK-IT available directly from Systematic Development Group LLC]

On January 27, 2010, Apple introduced iPad, a revolutionary device for browsing the web, reading and sending email, enjoying photos, watching videos, listening to music, playing games, reading e-books and much more. iPad’s responsive high-resolution Multi-Touch display lets users physically interact with applications and content. iPad is just 0.5 inches thick and weighs just 1.5 pounds— thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook. iPad includes 12 new innovative apps designed especially for the iPad, and will run almost all of the over 140,000 apps in the App Store. iPad will be available in late March starting at the breakthrough price of just $499.

[via Apple Inc]