Sevn uane aito n f et nie Section cv" A Things to know about the Apple iPhone were completely out- side the realm of ac- cepted thought. What kind of fea- tures? The fact that the iPhone can play music, take and display .pictures, play videos, make phone calls, browse the r Web and store contact and cal- endar informa- tion is almost the least-exciting as- pect of the gad- get. Other devices like. the Blackber- ry and Palm Treo offer most, if not all, of these func- tions in their own "smart phones." What's really im- pressing many observers is how it does all that, and how nice it looks while doing it. By Kevin Purdy CNHI News Service NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. What's so great about a phone that it has every tech reporter wearing out their keyboard writing about it? Part of the answer involves how many rumors, speculations and fake Photo- shopped'prototypes have been circulat- ing among the Apple faithful for years. Something kept a tight secret for two years by one of the most-watched tech- nology companies is bound to make waves when it hits. But the simplest explanation is that Apple did what it has done with most of its other big product launches intro- duced a bunch of features and ideas that connecting to iTunes on both Macs and PCs, ambient light sensor. That's cool, but is the phone function any better than what I have now? One would have to ask a local Cingu- lar customer how pleased they are with service to answer part of that question, although Cingular is noted for having some of the most vocal critics in the tech world. As for actual phone func- tion, there are a few nifty improve- ments. Rather than having to run through voicemails sequentially by pressing a key, the iPhone lets you look at all the voicemails you have waiting and choose to listen by caller. The finger-scrolling and quick-find methods used throughout the interface are touted as offering an easier way to find and call contacts. When using the built-in Google Maps function, a tap or two on a nearby business or home pulled up in a search makes the call, there. How much will it cost? Depends on how much storage space you want for all those songs, pictures, videos and personal data. The 4-giga- The fact that the iPhone can play music, take and display pictures, play videos, make phone calls, browse the Web and store contact and calendar information is almost the least-exciting aspect of the gadget. There is only one real button on the front of the device, and everything is controlled on a roughly 3.5-inch by 2.4- .inch screen that is noticeably sharp. Every function is controlled by an "in- telligent" touch-screen version of .the Mac OS X software. When you hold the device to your ear, it quickly changes to calling mode. When you turn it side- ways to look at landscape photos or widescreen movies, it automatically flips the image for you. The quick hits of the other gee-whiz stuff: full Bluetooth capabilities, wire- less access, docking station included for byte model is $499, while an 8-gigabyte phone is $599. Does ANYBODY have doubts about this thing? Yes they do. Here are a few com- plaints raised on well-read blogs and news sites covering Apple and gadgets: The basic idea of paying $500 (or $600) for a device with a big glass screen that could be more susceptible to scratches and breaking than the abuse standard phones go through. Many first- generation iPod Nano users can collec- tively groan on this topic. The unanimous complaint is tied to Cingular's cellular Internet service, EDGE, which is considerably slower than the increasingly popular 3G stan- dard. While the wirelessInternet func- tion somewhat makes up for it, it could make for slow e-mail and unbearably long downloads outside access points While Apple claims the device gets eight hours of battery life under normal use, reports clock the battery at just two hours while videos are played. Watching a few episodes of "The Office" on a plane, therefore, could leave a user without a powered phone. At the .moment, only Apple software can run on the iPhonie, so users can't make up for anything Apple left out - including support for Microsoft Office documents and RSS readers. When can I trade my phone in for this? The iPhone won't be out until June, assuming the device doesn't run into any manufacturing hold-ups. Unless you're a Cingular Wireless customer, however, switching to an iPhone could require,paying hefty can- cellation fees and signing a mandatory two-year service contract. Cingular is the exclusive service provider for the device, and has what was described as a "multi-year" agreement with Apple. Didn't Apple already help make, a phone that could play MP3s and iTuries purchases? Yes, but they'd probably appreciate it if you didn't remember that. Cingular and Apple released a Motorola phone called the ROKR in 2005, but a basic cell phone that could only hold 100 songs and required being plugged into a. computer to buy or change them caused only a momentary buzz before fizzling out. Aren't there other devices called "iPhones"? Indeed, and one of their makers, Cisco Systems, filed a lawsuit against Apple Inc. on Wednesday in federal court. Cis- co claims that it has held a trademark on the name "iPhone" since 2000 and used it as a brand on 'standard phones that can make calls over Internet lines. Cop)yright ",* 1999-2006 cnhi, inc. Florida shines at American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting in Salt Lake City Florida Farm Bureau Federation P.O. Box 14 -11UCrt Fc.Ir-!e, 3lr2i6,1 426-"V3 j",c *P~one i 52,. Y'XlisJ Florida Farm Bureau Federation (FFBF) President John Hoblick of Volusia County has been elected to the board of directors for the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). He was elected during the AFBF annual meeting last week in Salt Lake City. AFBF is the nation's largest agricul- tural membership organization, with over six million family members. Delegates adopted several polices in line with Florida Farm Bureau's recommnenda- tions. The 366 delegates from across the United States voted overwhelmingly in support of comprehensive immigration re- form that improves farmers' timely access to legal farm workers. Another Florida Farm Bureau priority that was included was the addition of specialty crops in the 2007 farm bill. Delegates were in favor FFBF's resolution for the exclusion of pests and disease through the implementa- tion of better inspection of imports and cooperation between the Department of Homeland Security and USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. AFBF also adopted the citrus canker policy rec- ommended by Farm Bureau members. This policy supports the development and implementation of a formal plan such as the Florida Citrus Health Response Plan that helps growers manage and control the spread of citrus pests and diseases. Florida Farm Bureau had more than 100 members attending this year's national conference. Those attending witnessed several accomplishments by individuals, counties and the state organization. Ginny Paarlberg of Lee was elected to the Women's Leadership Committee of the American Farm Bureau Federation. Paarl- berg is chair of Florida Farm Bureau's Women's Leadership Committee. Steve and Andrea Johnson of Bowling Green were named runners-up in the American Farm Bureau Achievement Award Competition, placing them among the top five young farmers in the nation. The Achievement Award recognizes young farmers and ranchers who have excelled in their farming or ranching operations and exhibited superior leadership abilities. Participants are evaluated on a combina- tion of their agricultural operation's growth and financial progress, Farm Bu- reau leadership and leadership outside Farm Bureau. Florida Farm Bureau was also recog- nized with four Awards for Excellence, which are presented to state Farm Bureaus that have demonstrated outstanding achievements in meeting their members' needs. Florida was recognized in the areas of Education and Agricultural Promotion, Leadership Development, Member Ser- vices and Public Relations and Informa- tion. During the convention, Carl B. Loop, Jr., who for 23 years was president of the Florida Farm Bureau, was honored for his service to national agriculture issues and to the American Farm Bureau Federation. Loop was honored during the general ses- sion on Jan. 7. He had served on the AFBF board for two decades and was vice president for six years. Two County Farm Bureaus from Florida were among 15 recognized by the Ameri- can Farm Bureau Federation through the County Activities of Excellence (CAE) program for outstanding county Farm Bu- reau programs and initiatives. Programs developed by the Escambia and Hillsbor- ough county Farm Bureaus were on dis- County, equine play at the 2007 AFBF Annual The selec- son County, hi tions were based on content, benefit to of Hardee Cou Farm Bureau members, innovation and re- Palm Beach C sults. Peterson of Vc Thirteen Florida Farm Bureau members Davis of Santa .were named to AFBF Commodity Adviso- Mark Sodders ry Committees during the convention. ar. Those named were Ralph Garrison of The Florida Manatee County, nursery and greenhouse; the state's large Daniel Leonard of Desoto County, Aqua- sociation with culture; Brad Etheridge of Levy County, ber-families st beef cattle; Brant Schirard Jr. of St. Lucie Gainesville, th County and Mason Smoak of Highlands dent, non-prof County, citrus; Jeffrey Pittman of Jackson and is, not assc County, cotton; Bill Benham of Lake government. GIVE A LASTING VALENTINE'S DAY GIFT!I Want your gift to look great a couple of weeks after Valentine's Day? Then don't ,I just give the flowers, give the flowers and the whole plant! You'll love choosing from our exotic orchids, bromeliads, roses, hydrangea and so much more! FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE WE DELIVER! If it's too tall or too wide, too many or you just don't have time to stop by, we'll be glad to deliver your purchases right to your door! 9248 129th Road Live Oak (386) 362-2333 Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Saturday 9 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Closed Sunday "For over 30 Years" WWW.NOBLESGREENHOUSE.COM 333751-F e; Stephen Basford 'of Jack- ay and forage; Steve Cantu anty, honey; Roland Yee of. county, horticulture; J. Daniel blusia County, labor; Jerry a Rosa County, peanut; and of Palm Beach County, sug- Farm Bureau Federation is gest general agricultural as- imore than 144,000 mem- tatewide. Headquartered in ie Federation is an indepen- it agricultural organization ociated with any arm of the HWY 90 11TH STREET S TREE ST - North Florida February 7-8, 2007 Live Oak Publications, Inc.