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The day before the release of the iPhone 3G S, Greg Joswiak, Apple Vice President of iPod and iPhone Worldwide Marketing, spoke with CBS News technology analyst and CNET blogger Larry Magid about the new phone and the new OS 3 operating system that is also available free to existing iPhone users.

Joswiak talked about the new features of the phone, the new parental controls (Joswiak said they do not allow parents to block specific websites) and why Apple thinks that a lot of existing iPhone users will want to upgrade.

The interview runs 8 minutes, 11 seconds

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CARLSBAD, Calif.-- Palm is fortunate that the Nokia doesn't yet have any U.S. carrier partners for its N97 smart phone. The phone, which was unveiled on stage at D: All Things Digital conference has some very impressive features. But, because the phone isn't subsidized by a carrier, anyone who wants one will have to pay $699. The soon-to-be-released Palm Pre will cost $199 with a two-year cell phone contract. The 8 GB iPhone also sells for $199.

At the moment, Palm is getting a lot of attention ahead of its June 6 release of the Pre, which impressed me and a lot of other people when it was announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. If the N97 was competitively priced, it might have put a damper on early Palm sales but at three and a half times the price, the new N97 is a nonstarter.

Nokia didn't allow D attendees to try out the phone so all I know is what I saw during the demo. My impression could change once I actually get my hands on one but--based on what I saw--it looked quite good. The GSM phone is likely to work on the AT&T and T-Mobile networks in the U.S. as well as most networks in Europe and other parts of the world.

Like the Palm Pre, there is both a touchscreen and a QWERTY keyboard. The iPhone only has a touchscreen. The N97 comes with a whopping 32 gigabytes of internal memory plus a microSD slot for those who want even more memory. The Palm Pre has only 8 GB while the current iPhone maxes out at 16 GB.

The N97 has a 5 megapixel camera with a Carl Zeis lens. Most important, the lens has a cover to protect it from being scratched or soiled by coins, keys and pocket lint.

Nokia, which acquired Navteq in 2007, incorporates Navteq's mapping technology which includes turn-by-turn directions and a point of interest data base that's dynamically updated with such things as gas prices.

One possibly useful feature is a text to speech engine that can read your e-mail out loud. Like most text-to-speech software, it speaks in a robotic voice that many people find annoying but it does make it possible to listen to your e-mail while driving. Of course, you still have to configure it, which could require you to take your eyes off the road, but once you press the play button it can read all of your recent messages.

It also has a built-in FM transmitter to stream audio to a car radio.

This post was edited to correct the error that originally said that the iPhone maxes out at 16 MB. It is, of course, 16 GB.

It won't grab headlines like the newest version of the iPhone operating system, but a Palo Alto, Calif., nonprofit today announced a suite of open-source applications that aids in communications and collaboration for humanitarian workers dealing with diseases and disasters.

InSTEDD (Innovative Support to Emergencies, Diseases and Disasters) has released three applications to empower aid workers to use inexpensive, off-the-shelf mobile phones to better detect and respond to disasters, diseases, and economic catastrophes.

The organization currently runs projects in Southeast Asia, including the Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance project and the Phnom Penh Innovation Lab.

One of the new programs, GeoChat, allows people with cell phones to post their location, communicate with each other, and see the location of others on a map using standard SMS text messaging. This service, according to InSTEDD CEO Eric Rasmussen, can take advantage of geolocation technology like GPS but most often involves people typing in their location followed by a message. GPS, said Rasmussen, "is valuable but relatively uncommon in places where we work."

Another program, called Mesh4X, integrates data from a variety of sources, including Excel spreadsheets and Google Maps, to create a "data mesh" that allows aid workers to synchronize data. It's ideal in situations where multiple agencies--each with different communications and data analysis tools--need to collaborate. You can enter or view data on a cell phone or a PC and if Internet access isn't available locally, you can plug a cell phone into a laptop to synchronize data.

The third product, InSTEDD Evolve, allows teams of experts to analyze streams of information to better detect and respond to emerging threats.

InSTEDD was conceived by Larry Brilliant, former director of the Google Foundation and winner of the 2006 Ted Prize, who spoke about the concept during his acceptance speech. He later helped launch the organization with support from the Google Foundation.

It's perhaps ironic that these applications were announced on the same day as Apple's unveiling of its iPhone OS 3.0 software. Although most of the features Apple showed off for the new operating system are designed for productivity or fun, Apple did feature a couple of potentially life-saving applications. One such app was LifeScan's product that will integrate the iPhone or iPod Touch with a blood glucose monitoring device, not only making it easier to take readings but to maintain a history and, if necessary, transmit that data to one's care provider. Apple also hinted that there may be iPhone-compatible blood pressure cuffs once the new operating system ships. One big difference between the InSTEDD product and the highly useful new iPhone applications is that people won't have to shell out hundreds of dollars to use InSTEDD's products. Not only are they free and open-source, but they work on the lowest common denominator of phones. Still, both Apple and InSTEDD remind us that mobile technology can do a lot more than just help us communicate, be more productive, and have fun. It can also help save lives.

Podcast: Larry speaks with Dr. Eric Rasmussen, CEO of InSTEDD

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Updated below, after reading on the iPhone for a few hours.

Anyone with an iPhone or an iPod Touch can now download the Amazon Kindle for iPhone application and use the device to read electronic books.

I tried the application on both an iPhone 3G and an iPod Touch, which worked in exactly the same way. You can download the free application from the iPhone App Store.

The first time you run the application, you're asked to enter your Amazon account information. In my case, because I had previously purchased books for a Kindle I reviewed last year, the books I bought back then were archived and immediately available for me to download to the iPhone. Even with a 3G connection, that process took quite a bit longer than it does with a Kindle, but after a few minutes, one of my books was available to read.

Amazingly, Amazon kept track of the page I was on when I last read it on the Kindle more than a year ago, and took me right there. I was able to go back to the beginning or any other portion of the book. Clicking anywhere on the screen brings up the Kindle icons, including one that takes you to the table of contents, another for adding a bookmark, and one for adjusting the size of the font.

Of course, most people who download the application aren't likely to have used a Kindle and probably won't have any purchased books in their archive.

Can't buy books from app
Unlike a Kindle, you can't purchase a book directly from within the application. For that, you have to go to Amazon's Web site either from a personal computer, or by using the Safari browser on the iPhone or iPod. Browsing for books on the iPhone's browser isn't as pleasant as doing so from a Kindle, but it's certainly doable.

Given a choice, I'd prefer to use a browser on a personal computer, which works as long as you're signed into the same Amazon account you use with your Kindle iPhone app.

Although the experience of buying and downloading books isn't quite as easy or fast as on the Kindle, it's nevertheless OK, but reading a book on an iPhone or iPod Touch isn't as good as it is on a Kindle.

Battery and screen
To begin with, the screen is much smaller, so you're not going to see nearly as much text on the screen as with the Kindle, which means a lot more flicking of your finger to change pages. The good news is that the next page shows up instantaneously.

Another issue is that the iPhone and iPod have a backlit display that makes reading a very different experience than reading on the Kindle's reflective screen. Bright sunlight will wash out the screen, but even indoors, the screen is harder on the eyes than the Kindle or Kindle 2's screen.

Unlike the Kindle 2, which is designed to run for days or weeks between charges, an iPhone battery will die after a short period of time, which could be a deal killer, if you want to read an entire book on an airplane or other location, where you don't have access to an AC outlet.

While the application makes it possible to buy and read books on an iPhone or iPod Touch, it is quickly obvious that the device that's so good for watching video, listening to music, and talking on the phone isn't all for reading a book, especially compared with the Kindle.

But, as imperfect as it is, it's a good thing that iPhone and iPod Touch users now have access to the more than 240,000 e-books previously available only to owners of the $359 Kindle. And like Kindle owners, they can now purchase New York Times best sellers and most other new releases for $10, which is generally a lot less than the cost of a printed book.

I'm quite certain that a lot of people will try out this application, but I'm not convinced that people will like it nearly as much as people who own a Kindle. It could actually wind up boosting Kindle sales because if you do buy books to read on an iPhone, and don't like the experience, you can always download them to a Kindle--once you shell out nearly $360 for a device that truly is optimized for reading books.

A postscript after a few hours of reading on the device
After writing my first impression of Kindle for iPhone, I had the opportunity to spend some quality time with my iPod Touch aboard a flight from Palm Springs, Calif., to Dallas. After reading several chapters of a Lincoln biography, I have to admit that the reading experience was better than I expected.

I still think that the iPhone and iPod Touch aren't as good for reading as a Kindle or a paper book, but once captivated by a compelling story, I quickly forget about the device itself and just enjoyed the book.

The smaller screen indeed means more page turning, and at first, I was annoyed by the backlit screen, compared to the crisper and more paper-like reflective Kindle screen, but when I turned down the brightness, I found it easier on my eyes as well as easier on the battery.

While I totally agree with CNET's Nicole Lee that the Kindle is a much better choice for reading on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I do see a couple of silver linings to reading on an iPhone or an iPod.

First, you're more likely to have the smaller and more ubiquitous phone or music player with you. The Kindle is a bit big to fit into a pocket, and unlike an iPhone or even an iPod, you're not very likely to be carrying it with you at all times. With an iPhone or iPod. you're much more likely to have your books with you when you find a few minutes to read.

And because my iPod Touch also houses some of my favorite music, I was able to listen to music as I read, though the albums I have on my device aren't really that good as background music for reading.

Maybe that's a business opportunity for Amazon. It could hire people to pair music and books, just as culinary experts pair food and wine. And, if you already own an iPhone or iPod Touch, the money you'll save by not buying a Kindle could buy you quite a few books and songs, along with a few meals with some pretty decent wine.

Skout is a location aware dating service that lets you use an iPhone or other GPS enabled mobile device to find potential matches. Now the company is moving into bars with a large jukebox that can "skout out" potential mates in and near the bar. You can dedicate a song to your would-be sweetheart or send an SMS or virtual flowers.

Skout's chief marketing officer, Patrick McGovern, explains the system to Larry Magid who wants his wife Patti to know that his interest in the subject is purely professional.

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