The Apple iPhone, Social Security Numbers and Identity Theft

I visited the Washington Square Mall Apple Store on 4th of July and had an opportunity to join a small crowd of people playing with the iPhone. Two things struck me about the iPhone - how bright and beautiful the screen is compared to so many Windows Mobile based phones, and how dependent the iPhone is on third party services such as You Tube and Google Maps to give it additional value. I did not find the interface to Google Maps as helpful or usable as I would have liked, given how slow the input method is. But Im sure a third party will come up with a small, full keyboard to supplement inputting addresses that wouldn’t otherwise be available by whatever synchronization method is used. I almost never buy first generation hardware but the iPhone gives every indication of not being just another first generation product. (more…)