Elbowruminations Graphic Design Trends, Tips and Reviews

The most anticipated electronic gizmo of this decade was launched today, and having the gadget in hand hasn’t canned the chatter. There are 12.3 million blog posts on the iPhone at this point, with thousands of avid fans ranting and raving about pros and cons. Here is a round-up from the blogosphere on what you might be able to expect once the long arm of Apple reaches into Canada with an iPhone for you:

• There is breaking news from Gizmodo, who is reporting that AT&T is forcing people to buy accessories with their iPhones. Everyone is apparently up in arms about this outrage, as the Gizmodo post has been dugg 1999 times.

• The Cell Freak has a handy top ten list of the iPhone’s worst attributes.

• Paul Thurrott has generously provided pictures illustrating what it’s like to take an iPhone about of a box. How nice of him.

• Here is a Flickr gallery of miniscobleizer’s photos all taken on his new iPhone while he was out for a walk today.

• The New York Times has jumped on the hype wagon as well. Here is an informative article from David Pogue.

• Finally, here is a post from Metafluence, with apparently the most objective rundown on the iPhone to date.

Overall, the feedback seems positive with no major issues to complain about…yet.

We’ve posted before on how new technology and the internet is changing the way we work and live. In a connected society, there is no need to wait for dispatches from the blogosphere to see the effects of these advancements, because they are encountered on a daily basis while you Twitter your every thought, Facebook photos for your friends, and feed your Blackberry addiction.

This is not another post about how a website will change your life. It’s a post about how a website will change someone else’s life.

Introducing Kiva.org: Loans that change lives. This website, developed by Kiva Microfunds, a San Francisco based non-profit organization, follows the current trends of the user-driven internet experience by linking impoverished entrepreneurs with first-world wallets. Becoming a registered user on Kiva.org, enables you to loan small amounts of money to deserving individuals around the world, receive journal updates on your money at work, and see loan re-payment in 6 to 12 months.

Micro-financing or microcredit is a powerful concept that is gaining momentum, as many people see it as the answer to re-distributing the world’s abundant resources one small step at a time. Kiva.org is finally a web venture that promises more than entertainment, by using your spare change destined for the spin-cycle to break the poverty cycle instead.

On Wednesday, the Sun Media Corporation ran a full page ad for it’s parent company Quebecor, who used the space to ask why Canadians pay so much for cellular phone services. What interest would a print media giant like Quebecor have in your cell phone bill? Plenty it seems. Not only does the company own newspaper and print outlets nationally and internationally, it also owns the largest cable provider in Quebec called Videotron which provides cable TV, internet and phone services to its customers.

Today, Sun Media ran an article by Steve Tilley. The article titled “Call of the Caveman” features an overview of the Canadian cellular phone industry which bemoans the state of our communications industry by relating great personal stories about an on-the-go OC businessman who enjoys great rates all over the United Sates and Tokyo teenager with terrific video-conferencing abilties. Tilley blames the Canadian government, and the “Big Three” service providers Telus, Bell, and Rogers for causing our chatty citizens such grief.

While this may be a fair assessment, it’s certainly not a fair story to write. Quebecor is on a mission to serve itself a slice of the cell phone provider pie and has been calling on the federal government over the last few weeks to make it easier for them to do just that. Admittedly, using your own writers to further your cause is nothing new but it’s not unbiased, objective journalism, it’s advertising. Bad advertising.