Last time, I gave you some iPhone app recommendations. Now it is time for a look at the possible next-gen iPhone and its sworn enemies from Palm, BlackBerry, Microsoft, and Google. First, let’s get the next iPhone out of the way. WWDC is less than 2 weeks away, and Apple is expected to drop some kind of bomb there as usual. Considering the huge success of the iPhone as-is, there won’t likely be any drastic changes. But here is what you can see for sure: iPhone OS 3.0 released with copy/paste, MMS, and push notifications. And here is what you might see if you’re lucky: light-up-Apple-logo that doubles as a flash, rubberized shell so you don’t drop it all the time, OLED display for better battery life.There are also rumors that Apple will launch a new tablet Mac based on the iPhone OS to have an 8-inch touch screen. You know, for those of us who need yet another Apple product in our lives. Buying advice, iPhone: If you are on AT&T, get the next iPhone. In other news, we have the Palm Pre. Almost forgotten by the bleeding-edge geeksters, Palm Inc. has had more to do with the genesis of the smart phone than any other company. They were the first to sell a phone that was an effective internet device – the Handspring Treo. Problem was, it hardly evolved in 7 years. But it’s a fresh start for Palm on June 6 when they release a new device with a new operating system – the Palm Pre. It’s as small as a BlackBerry Curve, but it has both a touch screen and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. WebOS, as they call the new system, is focused on being entirely wireless. No desktop cable...

. a blogumn by Justin Time No doubt you have seen the Apple commercials for the iPhone and its apps: “Say you’re a coal miner. Your canary dies and the entrance to your mining shaft collapses. There’s an app for that.” My wife joked last week that it should become the new catchphrase to replace “That’s what she said.” It has not caught on yet. So to promote it, and because this is an easy topic for me, I am giving you some App Store recommendations. I make software for iPhones and other less successful mobile devices (ever heard of BlackBerry, Palm, Windows Mobile?), so I routinely download apps to research for my job. I am constantly adding and removing apps but here are some that I like having in my pocket right now. I won’t shamelessly promote any of my company’s stuff, as much as my boss would like that. Productivity — iTranslate – Free – Easy to use pocket translator with 42 languages — Memory Info – 99 Cents – Frees up 40mb of RAM when your device gets slow or crashy — ConvertBot – Free – Beautifully designed unit and currency converter Lifestyle — Guitar Toolkit – $9.99 – Worth it. Tuner, Chord Charts, Metronome, Fret Board — Seafood Watch – Free – Monterrey Bay Aquarium lets you know which fish are OK to eat — Kindle – Free – Why buy another device for hundreds of dollars when this is free? — Drinks – $1.99 – Because researching through 35,000 apps is more fun with a buzz on Games — Lux Touch – Free – Classic Risk game. Great way to kill 10 minutes — Field Runners– $2.99 – The best tower-defense game for iPhone. — Flight Control – 99...