I have to admit, I was skeptical when first learning of the new version of Microsoft Office (dubbed 2007). It seemed that the biggest changes were  the file formats (ugh) and the interface.

After attending a seminar recently on MS Office 2007 and Windows Vista, my eyes were opened to more details on some of the new features.  I  must admit, I am impressed.  I have Office 2007 installed on a notebook and I am now more likely to start using it.

So do you need it?  The cost is high.  Especially if you buy retail.  Most home users will probably want to wait until they have to replace their  computer.  The price of both Windows Vista and Office are always substantially lower when buying them pre-installed.

If you use Office a lot for business purposes, you may want to upgrade sooner.  As for Windows Vista, while I like the new security of it and the  new interface and features, I think I’ll wait a few months until I am sure compatibility issues with older software are resolved and new drivers for  my gear are available.

Microsoft loves to confuse us.  So, once again, they have changed some of the names of the various versions of Office and made more of them. Here’s an overview:

There are no less than EIGHT versions of Office 2007.  Before you panic, just think about what you need from Office before picking which version  you want.  All of the versions have Word and Excel, so if all you need is word processing and/or  making spreadsheets, the “Basic” edition will  do.  If you need PowerPoint as well, you’ll want any version other than the “Basic” edition.    If you use Outlook, you’ll need the “Basic”, “Standard”, “Professional Plus” or “Enterprise” editions.  Access, the Microsoft Office data base application, only comes in the “Professional”, “Ultimate”, “Professional Plus”, or “Enterprise” editions.

Here is a complete list of all the versions, starting with the cheapest (”Basic”):

Microsoft Office Basic 2007
Microsoft Office Home & Student 2007
Microsoft Office Standard 2007
Microsoft Office Small Business 2007
Microsoft Office Professional 2007
Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007
Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007
Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007

For a comparison chart of which programs are in each version, go to http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/FX101635841033.aspx .

As to whether you need it or not, here are some of the new features to help you decide:

The Ribbon - Menus and toolbars have been replaced by the Ribbon, which contains tabs that you click to get to commands.  It is a different  interface than previous versions and it will take some getting used to.  However, it does something previous versions would not.  It changes on  the fly as you work so that the tabs coincide with what feature you are currently using.  As an example, if you are inserting a photo in a Word  document, the tabs will change to show you all the tools that have to do with that function. Commands you use most are on the Ribbon all the time.

Preview - Now you can preview changes without actually making them by simply resting you mouse cursor on an option.

The Office Button - It takes the place of the File menu in several Office programs. It provides more options, more conveniently located together. In  addition, many options that were only available in the old Options dialog box can now be found when you click the Office Button.

Keyboard Shortcuts - There are many new keyboard shortcuts and just by pressing the ALT key, they appear. Keyboard shortcuts of old that  begin with CTRL are still intact, and you can use them as you always have.

New File Formats - Word 2007, Excel 2007, and PowerPoint 2007 use new file formats. For documents, workbooks, and presentations, the  default file format now has an “x” on the end, representing the XML format. For example, in Word, a document is now saved by default with the  extension .docx, rather than .doc. The new XML format provides greater security, reduced file corruption and a smaller file size. You can open any file created with a previous version of Office.  As you save a file, a Compatibility Checker will let you know of any new features added to the file  that may be disabled.  You also have the option of saving the file in its original format for compatibility purposes. Colleagues who have Word,  Excel, or PowerPoint versions 2000 through 2003 (and the latest patches and service packs) can open 2007 files. When they open your  document, they will be asked if they want to download a converter that will let them open your document.

Security - If you get a document from another computer, it may contain macros.  Macros are very useful, but they can also contain little pieces of  code that could be a security risk.  Office 2007 disables macros automatically and informs you of this.  It also gives you the option of enabling  them if you are sure the source is trusted.  A great thing about the file opening with everything disabled is that you can read through the contents  of the file first.

SmartArt - Highlight text and then choose a layout that will change your text into a visual illustration.  You can create these illustrations far easier  than in older versions of Office.   In addition, you can add animation to your SmartArt graphic in Office PowerPoint 2007 presentations.

These are just some highlights of the new Office.  When upgrading to any new version of software, I will always ask myself, “Will it make me more  productive?”.  I think the answer for Office 2007 is “yes”.  However, everybody has different needs.  It’s also a matter of cost. 

So the best way to decide is to download a free 60-day trial version and see for yourself.  It’s available here :

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/HA101741481033.aspx .

There is a learning curve here.  The new Office is different. So don’t be afraid to try new things.  Experiment. For Word 2007, Excel 2007, and  PowerPoint 2007, there’s a visual, interactive reference guide to help you quickly learn where things are.

From PC World:

AT CES, Warner Home Video made a splash with its announcement of the company’s Total High-Def disc, a disc that will put an HD DVD-formatted movie on one side and a Blu-ray version on the other.

In true Hollywood fashion, this announcement was an orchestrated and visual event, right down to the coordinated flashes of red and blue–Warner’s way of representing the competing factions. HD DVD was red (an outgrowth of the deep-burgundy border that surrounds HD DVD cases), while Blu-ray was assigned blue. Warner said its fellow Time Warner companies, New Line Entertainment and HBO, would also support Total HD. The company expects the disc to become available in the “back half of 2007.”

Both formats use blue-laser diode technology to deliver greater capacity than standard-definition DVD, enabling the discs to store high-definition content. The two formats are locked in a battle to become the next-generation, high-definition replacement for DVD. Intel, Microsoft, Toshiba, and Universal Pictures are among the staunch backers of HD DVD; a consortium of major consumer electronics companies, including Panasonic, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp, and Sony, plus seven out of eight of the major film studios support Blu-ray.

The intention with Total HD is to remove the liability and confusion in the marketplace, and to drive consumers to adopt the high-def formats more quickly.

Ronald J. Sanders, president of Warner Home Video, noted that between the two formats, sales of more than 9 million high-def-capable devices were being projected by the end of 2007. That figure is well ahead of the adoption rate of DVD, widely regarded as the most successful consumer electronics format ever. With DVD, 1.3 million players were in the market by the second year of their availability.

The new Total HD disc was created by Warner Bros., but the company says that creating the disc wouldn’t cost other studios anything. If a disc manufacturer and replicator has both HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc production lines, it can produce a Total HD disc.

Warner declined to discuss the production costs of the disc, though it acknowledged that they were incrementally higher. “We’re still working out the pricing,” said Sanders. “We aren’t announcing that here. It won’t be materially more. We know what the manufacturing cost components are, and they won’t be much more than regular HD discs.” Sanders also noted that Warner’s own research indicated that consumers were willing to pay a little more for the peace of mind of knowing the disc will play on whichever type of player they buy.

Over 140,000 people attended this years Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas,   where Microsoft Corp. co-founder and Chairman Bill Gates kicked it off  with his keynote speech.

Thousands of products debuted and thousands of companies set up booths at CES during the second week in January.

CES is the consumer electronics industry’s biggest event.  It usually sucks up all of the tech news during that week.  Not this year.  Macworld had most of the attention due to Steve Jobs and his latest gadget, the iPhone.  As I mentioned in my posting about the iPhone announcement, I doubt I will be getting one anytime soon.  So I turned my attention to CES and the hundreds of news releases that spilled forth from it.  I started with CNET, who had excellent coverage and who also gives out awards for Best of Show in various categories.  Here’s my first few that I looked into, which are all Best in Category winners except the LG Dual-Format DVD Player, which won Best in Show.

 

Cameras & Camcorders:  

HD is more than just high resolution and huge TV screens–it’s also better color. In this case, XvYCC color, a spec that’s able to encode a larger variety of colors that predecessors such as sRGB or YCC. Sony is first out of the gate to support XvYCC with its 2007 prosumer models, the HDR-HC5/7 and HDR-UX5/7, hard drive and DVD-based AVCHD models, respectively.

These models use 2- and 4-megapixel versions of Sony’s ClearVid CMOS–it’ll be interesting to see if it’s up to the task of a broader color range–and now have an automatic slow-shutter mode for when the light starts dimming. The specs claim a minimum illumination of 2 lux.

The HDR-HC7 and HDR-HC5 will ship in February for about $1,400 and $1,200, respectively. The HDR-UX7 and HDR-UX5 follow in March for about $1,300 and $1,100, respectively.

Sony HDR-HC7 spec sheet here

 

Home video:

LG introduced the first player capable of playing both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs. The LG player has been dubbed “Super Multi Blue Player,” but the model number is simply BH100. The player will be available as early as the first week of February at Best Buy and Circuit City among other outlets, according to the company, and will cost $1,199.

The player can deliver up to 1080p output resolution at 24 and 30 frames per second via HDMI, but future-conscious buyers might lament that the HDMI version is just 1.2, not 1.3. The LG also has Blu-ray Java compatibility. All of the standard A/V outputs are present, including 5.1-channel analog audio outputs. The spec sheet also mentions all of the requisite audio formats, including the lossless Dolby Digital True HD and DTS-HD formats, implying that the player decodes those formats internally and can send them out via HDMI in PCM format and via the analog 5.1-channel outputs. The unit can also play DVDs but not CDs. 

LG has confirmed that the BH100 also lacks the ability to access the HDi interactive layer found on some HD DVD discs, meaning that their advanced interactive features, like picture-in-picture commentaries and bookmark sharing, won’t be available. LG also said that it could not add HDi via a firmware upgrade.

So do you really want to plunk down $1200 to be able to view both formats of hi-def DVD’s?  Not me.  Not yet.  It is a step in the right direction, however.  When they make the interactive features on HD-DVD discs work, when it plays CD’s AND there are far more titles available in BOTH formats, then I might be interested.

The company also introduced a $1,199 computer drive, model GGW-H10N and available around the same time, capable of playing HD DVDs and playing and recording Blu-ray discs at up to 4x speed. It can also read and write DVDs and CDs.

Press release here 

 

Cell phones:

Verizon Wireless is bringing programming from the small screen to an even smaller screen with its announcement of V Cast Mobile TV.  Verizon unveiled the service at CES and the two phones that will support it.

V Cast Mobile TV will bring live full-length television programming to selected handsets via Qualcomm’s MediaFlo technology. The service is set to launch by the end of March and will offer eight channels of programming available including CBS, NBC, MTV, Fox, and ESPN. Verizon did not announce pricing at the event but it’s known that V Cast Mobile TV will be an additional monthly fee beyond the base $15 per month for V Cast streaming video.

V Cast Mobile TV will not transmit via Verizon’s standard EV-DO network, but will broadcast directly and independently to the supported handsets instead. Verizon promises that the video quality will match that of a standard television with 30 frames per second (V Cast streaming video is 15fps) and without any connection hiccups or rebuffering. Also, Verizon promises near perfect audio/video syncing.

Depending on the channel, V Cast Mobile TV shows will broadcast at the same time that they run on standard TV channels. Local programming won’t be offered at launch, but could be offered later. And for the time being at least, you’ll have to watch shows when they broadcast instead of being able to save them for later.

As of launch time, supported handsets will include the LG VX9400 and the Samsung SCH-u620. Both phones offer landscape displays for better TV viewing, dedicated TV buttons, and high-end features. Verizon said it will introduce additional models in the near feature.

Verizon V Cast press release here

LG VX9400 info here

Samsung SCH-u620 info here  

 

Emerging tech:  

A Pennsylvania start-up says it has the answer to one of the biggest problems in mobile phones: battery life.

After three years of keeping its technology under close guard, Powercast has come to CES 2007 to get consumer and manufacturer attention.

Powercast is a radio frequency that is transmitted over a small area, and its energy is “harvested”–wirelessly–to give power to small devices like cell phones.

While it’s presented as wireless power, Powercast isn’t just a replacement for a universal charger. Instead, it’s meant to either continuously charge a battery or replace the need for them altogether.

It works like this: a transmitter can be placed anywhere–in a lamp, for example, that is plugged into the wall and sits on a table. The transmitter in the lamp sends out a continuous, low RF signal. Anything with either AA or AAA batteries set within its range–and equipped with a Powercast receiver, which is the size of your fingernail–will be continuously charged.

Major CE and IT manufacturers will have to agree to build Powercast capability into their products, and thus far Powercast is revealing only Philips as a future partner. The first Powercast product will come to market by the end of 2007, the company says.

This is technology to watch.  I can’t help but wonder when someone will start asking, “What are the health risks?”.  I hope there is none.

 

Home Audio: 

Philips’ 1.1 virtual surround system, the HTS8100 SoundBar, comes out around the middle of this year, for $999. What differentiates from the single-speaker competition (a subwoofer is also bundled in) is the inclusion of a built-in DVD player, which will catch the eye of minimalists who want to pair it with a flat-panel TV and call it a home-theater day.

The HTS8100 is only five inches thick and features Philips’ proprietary Ambisound technology, with five amplifiers integrated into the single horizontal “sound bar” to create what the company deems a “full 5.1-surround sound experience through a one-piece, fully integrated, home theater system.”

Playing up the system’s high-end credentials, Philips says the built-in DVD player offers 1080p upconversion via HDMI and Faroudja DCDi circuitry.

If you are hurting for space, this might be worth looking into.

Press release here

 

TV’s: 

If you have ever hung a flat-panel TV on the wall and had to drill holes and fish wires through the wall to hide them, this might interest you. Samsung’s FP-T5894W, the first mainstream large-screen “wireless” TV, aims to make those wireless-looking installations a lot cheaper and easier. Like most “wireless” A/V gear, it does require one cord–to supply AC power–but that’s it. The rack full of A/V equipment that accompanies any self-respecting plasma installation connects to the FP-T5894W’s “wireless A/V center,” which the company claims can sit up to 300 feet away from the panel itself.

The panel and the included wireless center communicate using the 802.11n wireless standard at bit rates up to 150Mbps–plenty for 1080p video, for example.

The FP-T5894W is a 58-inch plasma display with 1080p (1,920×1,080) native resolution.  The screen deploys Samsung’s FilterBright2 Plus technology, which the company is pushing again this year as a solution for reducing glare and improving the picture quality in bright light (a historical weakness of those big panes of glass). Samsung also touts a ludicrous 10,000:1 contrast ratio. These last two claims deserve a healthy helping of salt. The A/V center sports 3 HDMI 1.3 inputs among its many connections, although there’s no mention of a PC input on its preliminary spec sheet.

Available in September, the wireless FP-T5894W will list for $5,799, a couple grand more than a wired Panasonic TH-58PX600U, for example. The company also announced two other high-end plasmas at the show, both also available in September: the 50-inch HP-T5084 ($4,199 MSRP) and the

58-inch HP-T5884 ($5,199 MSRP). Aside from wireless connectivity, they have essentially the same specs as the FP-T5894W (yes, the 50-inch model is also 1080p, and both models have HDMI 1.3). If you compare just the two Samsung 58-inchers, the cost of going wireless is about $600.

There are a couple of other wireless solutions available, such as Gefen’s $500 Wireless HDMI Extender, but this Samsung is the first big-screen integrated wireless TV.

Press release here

Master magician Steve Jobs has turned bland press announcements into an art form.  These days, you cannot escpae the press about any Apple announcement.  And so it goes with the iPhone announcement.  I’m all for new technology. Like most people, I was taken in by the hype and at first glance thought, “Wow. Jobs has done it again”.

Not so fast.  Take a longer, harder, critical look at the iPhone and you start to lose the excitment.  As I searched around the Net looking for responses, I found more questions than answers. It would seem a lot of people are beginning to question just how successful this product will be.  Count me among them.  Here are some of the responses I found….

From Karen Haslam at  MacWorld: 

The iPhone does what it does well, but it doesn’t do enough, according to Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart.

“The iPhone is an innovative, addictive, expensive closed system that does what it does extraordinarily well, but that’s it,” he told Macworld, predicting: “I actually expect a backlash of sorts as people figure out how much this thing doesn’t do.”

According to Greengart, there are issues with the iPhone that even this market of early-adopter consumers will find hard to swallow. “There are no hard buttons and people are going to find that hard to deal with. People like physical keys that provide tactile feedback when you press them. Just look at the home theatre remote control world: they’ve been replacing their touchscreen remotes with hard buttons because people like tactile feedback.”

Another issue is the fact that it is not possible to add applications to it. Apple has already stated that it will not allow third parties to make software for the device – other than in conjunction with Apple itself. “That means no PDR (Physician’s Desk Reference) for doctors, no Weight Watchers for people tracking their ‘points’, etc., etc..

Pointing to the applications already available on the iPhone, Greengart added: “Even the apps that are available are not exclusive: Google Maps is also available on the Treo and BlackBerry and Yahoo! Mail is available on pretty much every smartphone.” Another failing of the iPhone in its current state is the fact that “there are no games”.

Greengart went on to criticise Apple’s solution for powering the phone. “The battery isn’t removable, and it doesn’t look like Apple has done anything to ease power management in terms of helping the user know when to stop watching video or listening to music. The first thing Palm learned with the Treo 600 was that a removable battery is mandatory on a voice device.”

Regarding the video player capabilities, Greengart added: “If you’re thinking of it as a widescreen iPod video for movies and TV, even the 8GB model fills up too quickly. The first TiVo and ReplayTV PVRs had 20GB of storage, and even then that was seen as paltry. Apple’s iPod video models come in 30GB and 80GB sizes.”

In addition, Greengart pointed out that the iPhone will not be able to take advantage of those mobile phone networks that are beaming TV to mobile phones. “The carrier entertainment services (like TV or streaming video/music) will not work on iPhone,” he explained.

Another criticism is that the iPhone doesn’t include GPS or a navigation option.

Finally Greengart noted that the iPhone is “enormously expensive, even by smartphones standards”. Plus the phone is locked into Cingular on a two year contract. This high price is exacerbated further not just by the lack of applications, but by the inclusion of the 2-megapixel camera. “People buying $500 smartphones in mid-07 will have a lot of 3 and 5-megapixel cameraphones to choose from that are good enough that you won’t need to carry around a separate camera.” Added to that: “It doesn’t do video recording at all.”

Added to this cost is the likely high cost of sending and receiving data on the device. “Nobody will say how much the data plans will cost on top of the $500/$600 prince for the phone.” Greengart indicated that current Cingular data rates are an additional $45 a month.

From Martin MC Brown at ComputerWorld:

8GB is pitiful. Sorry, but if Apple expects me to sync photos, video, and music, 8GB is not enough. I’m still using my 1st generation 20GB iPod (well, two of them, in fact), but 20GB is not enough when I go on holiday, and that iPod just holds music. If I wanted to take the iPhone on holiday and provide with some alternative choices to fit my moods, plus email, plus calendars, plus photos, plus TV, movies, and other media, 8GB is going to seem like using a pocketbook to hold my entire luggage.

From Matthew Lynn at Bloomberg: 

It will be released in the U.S. in June, with a rollout to the rest of the world later, and will cost $499 to $599, depending on how much storage space you want. How many might they sell? Ten million in 2008, according to Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs.

Not everyone is sold on the idea.

“The iPhone will not substantially alter the fundamental structure and challenges of the mobile industry,'’ Charles Golvin, an analyst at Forrester Research Inc., said in a report this month.

There are three reasons that Apple is unlikely to make much of an impact on this market — and why it is too early to start dumping your Nokia shares.

First, Apple is late to this party. The company didn’t invent the personal computer or MP3 player, but it was among the pioneers of both products. Yet there is no shortage of phones out there. There are already big companies that dominate the space, all of whom will defend their turf. That means Apple will have to fight hard for every sale.

Next, the mobile-phone industry depends on cooperation with the big networks. Phones — the high-end ones in particular –are usually sold with a network contract. The provider subsidizes the handset in the U.K. and hopes to recoup its money with ridiculously expensive charges for calls and data. Yet Apple has never been good at working with other companies. If it knew how to do that, it would be Microsoft Corp.

On top of that, its rivals will be pulling out all the stops to prevent the networks offering iPhones. Sure, a big operator such as Vodafone Group Plc would like an exclusive deal to sell the iPhone in, say, the U.K. market. Against that, how much does it want to annoy Nokia — and what kind of incentives will Nokia be offering not to go with the Apple product? There will be lots of tough conversations between companies that know each other well. Apple will find it hard to win those negotiations.

Lastly, the iPhone is a defensive product. It is mainly designed to protect the iPod, which is coming under attack from mobile manufacturers adding music players to their handsets. Yet defensive products don’t usually work — consumers are interested in new things, not reheated versions of old things. Likewise, who is it pitched at? The price and the e-mail features make it look like a business product. But Apple is a consumer company. Will your accounts department stump up for a fancy new handset just so you can listen to Eminem on your way to a business meeting?

From crave at cnet: 

Thirteen reasons to doubt the iPhone hype

1. Why no 3G compatibility? The answer might be as simple as the fact that Cingular’s 3G coverage still has gaping holes outside of major U.S. cities.

2. Does the lack of 3G matter if the iPhone has Wi-Fi? If the user wants to only occasionally stream media or download files, the iPhone’s Wi-Fi capabilities should scratch that itch…but only if you’re at a Wi-Fi hot spot and not using it in the backseat of a car, on the train, or sitting on a park bench. And Wi-Fi will have just as much–probably more–of a draining effect on the iPhone’s battery.

3. What’s under the hood? Nobody knows for sure. According to this Information Week article, the iPhone is likely have a Samsung CPU and video processor.      

If it’s true, this may help explain the similarity in specs between the Samsung BlackJack and the Apple iPhone. For what it’s worth, the BlackJack performed very well in our Web browsing and video tests.

4. Can you download directly from iTunes? This looks to be a big disappointment with the iPhone. Early reports, such as this iTWire interview with Apple’s VP of iPod Products Greg Joswiak, say no.

From the iTWire article:

The Apple VP also quashed any speculation that the iPhone itself may house a self-contained version of iTunes. “iTunes was designed to exist on the Mac and PCs. That’s where the music should live.”

Don’t tell me where my music should and should not live, homeboy! I want it to live on my iPhone!

Regardless of where my music wants to live, if Apple is touting the iPhone as a device that runs Mac OS X, doesn’t that make the iPhone a Mac? Which brings us to the next question…

5. Just what does Apple mean by “it runs OS X”? And what do they mean by “multitasking”? During his keynote address, Steve Jobs mentioned the ability to multitask as one of Mac OS X’s strong suits, as well as a reason why the operating system was chosen for the iPhone.

Given the lack of 3G compatibility, that “multitasking” must be limited to applications within Mac OS X, not “multitasking” in the sense of being able to download a file while talking on the phone. That’s the kind of “multitask” that 3G networks are built to do.

Which begs the question: Who will really multitask between OS X applications on a mobile, touch screen device? At what point will anyone be simultaneously typing a document, formulating a spreadsheet, and composing a song on GarageBand on the iPhone?

6. Will it actually be called the iPhone?
Not if Cisco has anything to say about it.   

Will it be the iPhod? The iCell? The iThing? The iCaramba?

7. Who’s this phone for, anyway? Who can afford this thing?
This answer is simple: Paris Hilton.

At $599 for the 8GB model and $499 for the 4GB model, it’s definitely priced for business users.

But as Tom Krazit and Declan McCullagh kindly point out:  

Yahoo e-mail isn’t going to cut it in the business world.
It’s unknown which business applications will be available for the iPhone.
Will there be file-compatibility issues between the iPhone and Windows-centric businesses? Remember, the Vista age is almost upon us, and even next-generation Windows programs may have issues with files created in older versions.

If you add everything up, the iPhone looks like a starter smart phone for twentysomethings who just got a fat raise. It could even be compared to a touch screen Sidekick 3 Pro. At least the Sidekick has a mini-SD card slot so that you can expand its storage capacity, which brings us to…

8. Will Apple give the user any freedom? Want to know why there’s no memory card slots on the iPhone, nor will there likely be a user-replaceable battery?

Because Apple doesn’t want you to lay a finger on its phone without paying the piper.

Anyone who owns an iPod knows how hard it is to replace the battery, replace a dead hard drive, or fix the thing without going through Apple. Anyone who owns a Mac computer also knows how hard it is to upgrade any internal components without going through Apple. If you can figure out how to do these things yourself, you’ll break the warranty. If you go through Apple, you’ll probably have to give them more money in the process.

The iPhone is likely to be no different. To fix it, you’ll probably have to bring it to an Apple Store. To expand it, you’ll probably have to buy a new iPhone.

9. How much more than the unit price will the iPhone cost? As expensive as the iPhone is, it may get insanely unaffordable once you add in the monthly charges. To get the most out of the iPhone, you’ll likely need a voice plan, a data plan, and possibly Cingular’s own Wi-Fi plan.

Cingular has special data plans for its BlackBerry phones, and it’s possible, if not likely, that the iPhone will have its own special plan prices.

But if that’s not the case, be prepared to pay through the nose. If you look at the costs of Cingular’s low-end voice plan (450 minutes/month for $39.99), unlimited data plan ($44.99/month), and unlimited Wi-Fi plan ($99.99/month), you may need to tack on an extra $100 to $200 per month to use your iPhone to the fullest.

Also of note: Cingular charges a $175 fee for early contract termination.

10. Is this another iLock-in strategy? The iPhone is the only phone that runs Mac OS X, and probably will be for the foreseeable future. Judging from the iPod’s seamless, user-friendly integration with iTunes, Apple is sure to unveil iPhone-management programs that make managing contact info and other data as painless as possible. And that might actually be the problem.

Imagine this: You buy an iPhone, you manage all your iPhone’s data on your computer–contacts, music, files–and your iPhone kicks the bucket…dead battery, iPhone icon with x-ed-out eyes, whatever.

What now? Unless there are third-party programs to send your data to another phone, the easiest way–and possibly the only way–to get all that data onto another phone will be to buy another iPhone.

11. Just how useful is the touch screen? The iPhone user interface looks elegant, innovative, and easy-to-use, but is it the best interface for a device like this?

Whenever you do anything, the iPhone will command your full visual attention. “No buttons” may be sexy, but it also means you can’t do anything without looking at the phone.

The iPhone’s iPod usability may suffer even worse from the touch screen. Have you ever tried to operate an iPod while it’s in your pocket? You can do it, but it’s hard. The iPhone will make blind iPod-surfing downright impossible.

That said, it looks like the iPhone will eliminate accidental pocket-dialing once and for all.

12. Will early adopters be the only adopters? If the iPhone takes the world by storm, other manufacturers and carriers will borrow the iPhone’s most popular features. And they’ll probably offer them at a lower price.

13. What goes into a cell-phone purchase? Cell phones aren’t MP3 players. Even if Apple has the sexiest phone out there, many important factors come into play when anyone buys a cell phone.

How pleased is the user with the carrier?
What other phones are out there?
What will the phone primarily be used for?
How important is it to have the “it” phone of the moment? And is price no object?

Apple seems to be banking on the last factor being the most important. But is having “it” it?