Steve Jobs and Bill Gates sat down with Walt Mossberg at the All Things Digital conference [D5] for a joint interview last week. This interview is now available as a free video or audio podcast on iTunes [iTunes link].

Apple started airing three TV commercials (click on images below to see three ads) on Sunday in the U.S. stating the launch of the iPhone on June 29. This is the most anticipated product from Cupertino ever. From a company that has had more than their share of big launches, like the original Mac, OS X, the iPod, iTunes for Windows, Apple TV, etc.

Two models will be available. One with 4GB of memory will cost $499 and a version with double the memory will cost $599, both will have a 3.5-inch display, 2-megapixel camera, headset and audio jacks, and an iPod dock. This first generation of the iPhone will be quad-band GSM (global system for mobile communications), meaning it should work in almost every major country in the world. Exceptions to this will be Japan and South Korea, where GSM is not used. Data transmission will be supported by Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and EDGE.

Continue reading It’s Official: Apple’s iPhone launches on June 29…

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has criticized Apple for embedding unencrypted names and e-mail addresses belonging to customers in DRM free music files in their new iTunes Plus service.

Apple has for a long time included a customer’s name and e-mail address within song files purchased from iTunes. But the personal information was encrypted. But with the new iTunes Plus service that features music free of “copy protection” the songs, leave customer names and e-mail addresses unencrypted, according to Fred von Lohmann, an EFF attorney. He pointed out that data could easily be compromised if an iPod is lost or stolen. “It’s not as bad as losing a credit card number,” von Lohmann said, “but it’s still information that people wouldn’t want floating around out there–especially without them knowing about it.”

So far, no comment from Apple on this matter.