Jonathan Takiff: The latest on iPhones, TV shilling, printers & more

THE GIZMO: Two weeks in the consumer- electronics industry is like a year in some other businesses, in terms of breaking news. Consider the following head spinners that fell out of the sky while your Gizmo Guy was out on vacation (but still paying attention).

CONGRESS ON THE PHONE: Last Friday, AT&T and Apple started selling the new iPhone 3GS models offering faster data processing, video recording, better battery life and voice-activated calling and music controls. And no surprise, folks lined up for hours to buy one. In the first three days, more than one million units were sold. It took 74 days for the first iPhone to reach that pinnacle.

But the latest launch has raised a red flag from Congress, the Rural Telecommunications Alliance and the Federal Communications Commission.

Acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps told a conference last week that the FCC will soon open a proceeding to "closely examine" such exclusive relationships between makers and sellers of wireless handsets, to determine "whether these arrangements have adversely restricted consumer choice, or harmed the development of innovative devices. And we should take appropriate action if it finds harm."

No surprise, AT&T argues the opposite effect.

Said spokesman Mark Siegel, "One of the things that our exclusive arrangement with Apple has created is innovation that has spurred other companies, as you have seen, to come out with their own innovative devices."

He continued, "Consumers have more choice, and that's what competition is supposed to do."

NO MORE SHOUT-OUTS? Some advertisers still take a sledge-hammer approach to getting your attention, cranking up the volume on TV commercials. More desperate-sounding today than ever (maybe it's the economy), this assault to the senses has sparked members of Congress to rally behind a bill (HR-1084) that effectively bans loud commercials.

"If passed, I suspect this bill will become as popular as the 'Do Not Call Act' " [which bans most phone calls from telemarketers], said House Communications Subcommittee chairman Rick Boucher (D-Va.) at a recent hearing on the subject.

Broadcasters addressing the subcommittee acknowledged problems and are now "motivated to act," said NBC Universal engineer Jim Starzynski, with a soon-coming signal monitoring and modulating solution.

COMMERSHILLS, YOUR WAY: Advertising targeted to viewers' specific demographics and interests may soon be popping up on TVs connected to Echo-star and (later) DirecTV satellite boxes.

Using software from Invidi Technologies, the plan is to download these (semi-creepy) customized commercials to the box's built-in digital recorder, then spring 'em on you selectively at commercial breaks.

But ironically, the biggies of the cable industry have just given up on their own, targeted advertising project, saying the scheme has proven unworkable. We'll see.

PRINTING SOLO: HP has sprung a nifty product likely to get users printing more stuff.

It's an all-in-one inkjet printer that links to the Internet all by its lonesome, without a connected computer. The HP Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart Web relies on an oversized LCD touchscreen, built-in Web-connectivity (via Wi-Fi or Ethernet) and on-board HP "apps" (applications).

Tap on the screen and you can get travel directions from Google, order movie tickets from Fandango, or save money with chits from Coupons.com.

Users also will be able to print news from USA Today, connect to a Snapfish account to view, print and upload photos, or print out kids' coloring pages (and watch previews) from DreamWorks Animation and Nickelodeon.

The HP machine also prints with no wires attached from Wi-Fi-enabled PCs, Bluetooth-enabled devices, the Apple iPhone and the Apple iPod Touch (using HP iPrint Photo.)

Price? $399.

Availability? Fall.

BLU-RAY'S KILLER APPS: High-definition Blu-ray discs and players build in an interactive technology called BD-Live.

Connect the player to the Internet and you can download extra content like trivia games, music videos and previews, enjoy the occasional live chat with a movie director or communicate with friends watching the same flick.

None of this has proven all that compelling, frankly. But finally there's a "killer app" coming for the Blu-ray format, proclaimed Sony exec Tracy Garvin. Called MovieIQ, it's like a Pop-Up Video version of IMDB (Internet Movie Data Base).

As a movie plays, a viewer can trigger the service to provide career overviews of actors (so that's where I saw her before!), name that tune playing in the background, or get inside info about the production.

Developed by Sony Corp. subsidiary Gracenote, MovieIQ will start popping up in September in Blu-ray titles like "Angels and Demons," "Sex, Lies & Videotape," "Punch Drunk Love," "The Quick" and "Easy Rider."

Meanwhile, Disney is pushing hard to standardize another killer app: a 3-D version of Blu-ray, that displays its depth-defying movies in all their glory on a 3-D-compatible TV screen. So declares Benn Carr, Disney vice president for new technology.

"Just do the math," he said. "By the end of this year there will be eight or nine 3-D movies sitting on our shelves, not able to go anywhere. By 2010 there will be 15 or more. That's not good, so we are anxious to get 3-D into the home." *

E-mail Jonathan Takiff at takiffj@ phillynews.com.