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Apple will celebrate its “Let’s Rock” media event at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco on September 9th, 2008. A multi-story banner currently displays the iPod’s silhouette ads on the building facade giving an indication on what the event will showcase. Rumors have been circulating that Apple will introduce a tall iPod Nano, a new iPod Touch, as well as iTunes 8. There are also speculations that Apple could introduce the 2.1 iPhone firmware with some previously unannounced features.

While most eagerly await the new toys that Steve Jobs will be flaunting to the public, some do feel that it’s all hype and Apple has very little left to offer that will dazzle consumers. The skeptics seem to have more reason to dismiss the event. Any major improvements or new gadgets that Apple may unveil would have already leaked out months before. Let’s wait and see.

Apple just admitted that it can remotely remove applications from any IPhone 3G device. According to Steve Jobs, the “kill switch” is intended to prevent malicious software from getting through the network. Malicious software, such as one that can steal personal identity, may be distributed to other IPhones through its App store if the kill switch was not created.

Steve Jobs felt that not creating it would be irresponsible. However, some people see it differently. Having the kill switch meant that Apple has virtual control over IPhones through the network and poses a security risk to many users. The issue of the kill switch is that it gives Apple too much control over the units, leaving users at their mercy. What else is Apple not telling?

Blogging started as a hobby for Dr. Arnold Kim. His blog, MacRumors.com, features gossip and facts about Apple. Although it was a time-consuming hobby, he kept at it while earning his medical degree. He completed his medical degree and began to diagnose kidney problems for patients. With his website attracting 4.4 million people and 40 million views per month, he decided to hang up his stethoscope this month and become a problogger full time. According to Quantcast, it has become the one of the most popular technology website to date.

Now that he has decided to focus his attention on his blog, Dr. Kim believes the potential to earn more from his endeavor will grow further. As with all other people who are unaware of a blog’s potential, his colleagues could not comprehend how he could make more money from blogging than pursuing his medical profession. He sums it all up in two words, “build traffic.” In the internet, traffic equals power, which in turn translates to money.

Dr. Kim started blogging about Steve Jobs’ company in 2000 writing about rumors on future Apple products he collects around the web. Being a secretive company, Apple has become the object of speculation and interest over the years. With a computer science degree from the Columbia University, his skills in programming and technology has added value to the blog and made visitors keep coming back for more. He also knew that everyone wants to know in advance what Steve Jobs is up to. If the midnight vigil during the market release of the IPhone 3G is any indication, Dr. Kim has indeed found a niche that was worth more than the degree he is giving up.

MacRumors ranks No. 2 on a list of the “25 most valuable blogs,” just behind Gawker Media and ahead of The Huffington Post, PerezHilton.com, and TechCrunch. Among those on the list, 2 tech-oriented blogs, Ars Technica and PaidContent, were sold earlier this year for alleged sums in excess of $25 million. Ars Technica has over 3 million visitors per month while PaidContent and its associate blogs reach approximately half a million people. Considering that MacRumors attracts a far bigger audience, valuations indicate that he has a gold mine in his hands. That is one piece of real estate that no crisis can topple.

Initially, he hesitated to make it a full-time job since he enjoyed medicine and had invested almost $200,000 for his education. However, when he saw the figures, it had become an easy decision to make.

When asked how he figures out the rumors from the real thing, he claims that its all a gut feel. He is aware that most of the images of future Apple products in the web are fakes. He does enjoy this fun part where he sometimes posts suspicious images with hints on their authenticity.

At the moment, he is planning to go beyond the horizons of MacRumors. He is currently cooperating in a spinoff Web site, Touch Arcade, that tracks the new games for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Though he keeps mum about his other expansion plans, one thing is certain — he plans to go where no blogger has gone before.

I am gadget junkie. I love gadgets that make my eyes go wide with amazement when I see what it can accomplish. I looked through Time Magazine’s Best Inventions for 2007 just to whet my appetite. Everytime I look at inventions like these, I still can’t believe how amazingly intelligent and creative humans can be. Let me show you my favorites among all the amazing stuff humans have concocted in 2007.

I will start off with Time’s Invention of the Year — the IPhone. I know. I was surprised too. How can this cellphone get the top award when it seems to be all hype? Time gave reasons why it was chosen and I will sum it all up as best I could. First reason is — it really looks good. I can’t argue with that. I love the colors of the screen and the design. The animations made by Apple on the interface is also cool. No other cellphone can top that. Next, it’s all touchscreen. It’s not the first time a gadget is equipped with this feature. But have you seen a cellphone with the whole interface controlled via touchscreen? Nope. And of course, it’s not just a cellphone — it’s a genuine hand-held computer inside an elegant glass and stainless steel case. You can actually install Google Maps where you really need it — on the palm of your hand. You can add so many nifty softwares in it with such cute and colorful icons. Finally, if this is just the first edition, can you imagine what the next upgrades will be like. I can’t wait.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not an Apple advertiser. But my next choice also wowed me the first time I saw it. Steve Jobs really seems to know how to make your mouth open with his new gadgets. The first time I saw the IMac, I searched for a full 5 minutes looking for the computer’s CPU. It doesn’t have a separate CPU? Whaaat?! The entire system was squished inside the slim LCD monitor. The DVD writer opens on the right edge of the gorgeous monitor. The monitor/entire system is made of a single sheet of aluminum so you wont see any seams or screws except for a single compartment on the bottom that provides easy access to the memory slots. And the IMac is not all beauty. We all know that the Mac OS has improved in leaps that it claims to be even more stable than Microsoft. I can go on forever. Let me just say this — “I want an IMac!”

My next fave is for earth lovers. It’s Tata Motors’ air car. Tata Motors was contracted by French R&D firm, MDI, to manufacture compressed - air - technology vehicles. The cars will run on air and the only thing it emits is colder and cleaner air. Moreover, a built-in air compressor can be plugged in to refill the tanks within minutes. For those complaining about high fuel cost, you better hold your horses. The cars will be available by 2009 yet.

Then we have the amazing Digital Water Pavilion. MIT’s SENSEable City Laboratory will build the Digital Water Pavilion for 2008’s Expo Zaragoza in Spain. The walls of the structure will be sheets of water flowing from computer - controlled nozzles that shape them into endlessly scrolling words and patterns. Talk about cool advertising! Wouldn’t it be cool to have a room like this at home? Portion of the room that is meant to be a door will sense when you are about to go out and stop water flow in that area. This is what I call innovation.

There are several more in Time’s list like clothes that change color with your moods, the erasable paper that does not require ink and may be used several times over, Sony’s new HD handycams, and so on. For the inventors of those in the list, my hats off to all of you.