Steve Jobs didn’t just create products, he created consumer identities. Sure, he changed the way we listen to music, chat on the web, talk on the phone and a whole hosts of other things, but what I think is so remarkable is that he changed the way we express who we are through the technology we own. Are you a Mac or a PC? Do you have an iPhone or a Blackberry? These are questions that tell us as much about one’s identity as some of the questions on the national census report.

The first time the name Mac(intosh) took on a meaning that meant more to me than “lackluster computers that geeks like” I was at a summer journalism camp at Ball State University. I decided to take a course in page design and thus had my first in-depth encounter with an Apple computer (and consequently Adobe products). It was love at first crash. Back then, Macs were different beasts. They were big and clunky machines; there were zip disks & drives, lots of crashes met with that error message with the bomb (the equivalent of today’s spinning wheel of death) and many nights spent scouring autosave vaults for files that you’d likely end up spending the next six hours recreating. But somehow, instead of swearing off Macs forever, you felt like you’d just been hazed in to Mac fraternity. Suddenly PC’s didn’t seem like better products at all. You began to enjoy the window-less operating system, you began to feel superior to your friends who’s PC’s told them what to do instead of the opposite.

As Mac products improved, I became a die-hard user. Each time a new product came out, I felt like it was made just for me, like the people at Mac had been in the lab with me that time I lost the whole front page of the paper an hour before it needed to go to print, they had heard my expletives and they had fixed it for me. That’s the magic of Steve Jobs Apple Fraternity, he kept innovation and the forefront of the company and was never afraid to pick a starting point and then continue to improve. And improve they absolutely did.

I was the proud owner of a first generation iPod. I think back on it, with those four buttons at the top and that circle-dial thingy, its Game-Boy like screen that only listed songs. In comparison to the iPod’s of today it seems laughable, but in 2002 when I pulled it out of my bag on an airplane, the grown man next to me gasped and said “can I see that?” That was (and still is) the incredible thing about Steve Job’s innovation; it compelled you to just reach out touch it. Likewise, I remember sitting in a Starbucks in 2005 and pulling out my Powerbook G4 and the gentlemen sitting across from me stuttering in to his cell-phone. He caught his breath and then apologized to whomever he was speaking and said, “Sorry, someone just took out the computer of my dreams.” That’s how I felt just last year when I first held the iPad.

Steve Job’s legacy is vast. He will be remembered as an innovator, visionary and tremendous business leader. But what I will take from Steve Jobs is a story of transparent growth. His willingness to introduce a product and then improve upon it in front of our very eyes is a tremendous testament to his strength and courage. I can only hope that I can mirror that behavior in my life. Just imagine, if we all said, “here’s my starting point, now help me grow to the next level”, and did this continuously throughout our lives. Sure the criticism would be tough, and the journey difficult, but eventually you’d grow from being a 1998 iMac into a 2011 iPad, and I think that’s pretty cool. I’m proud to say, I’m some version of a Mac, we’ll see where I end up.

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Remember the masterminds behind the Sony Playstation and CIA hacking? Well Lulz Security is now taking credit for hacking into computer files of an Arizona law enforcement agency.

LuzSec Website stated that it was releasing:

“hundreds of private intelligence bulletins, training manuals, personal email correspondence, names, phone numbers, addresses and passwords belonging to Arizona law enforcement.”

LuzSec claims they are specifically targeting Arizona Department of Public Safety because of the state’s tough immigration enforcement law known as SB1070 “and the racial profiling anti-immigrant police state that is Arizona.” Read the whole story

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Need instant Spanish/English translation of a sign? There’s an app for that:

Word Lens is a new app from Quest Visual that can translate text from Spanish to English and vice versa when you simply point your iPhone’s camera at a sign or other set of words. The video above demos the simplicity a lot faster than we can write it, but suffice it to say it’s going to be a big hit with immigrants and travelers alike.

According to Cult of Mac, though Word Lens isn’t perfect yet, it’s an exciting use of augmented reality that opens the door to all sorts of possibilities. The app itself is free, but you must pay for the individual language packs. Currently, only English to Spanish translation and vice versa are available because World Lens knows you need to get ready for the Latino New World Order. The language packs are $4.99 and you can download them here.

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Don’t have any friends? Or don’t like the way they look? Well with the B-Bot app for the iPhone, you can create your own homies or tailor the ones you have to be more form fitting for when they call.

Developed by Thunderdog Studios, the app allows you to create an avatar and then, using the iPhone’s touch mechanic, scroll through a bevy of options – including clothes, sneakers, facial features and more – to customize you newly created character all to sound of music produced by Dante Ross.

Check out the video above for a step-by-step demonstration of how the app works and then head over to Apple’s iTunes store for where B-Bot can be purchased for $1.99.

With the American auto industry in shambles, Ford Motor Company is looking to the future of its brand and the environment. According to CNN, Ford will be spending $550 million on a converting its former Wayne, Michigan SUV plant into a green facility that will produce fuel efficient vehicles and electric cars. Production will start in 2010 and according to the Ford, the converted factory will create 3,200 new jobs. 

“We’re changing from a company focused mainly on trucks and SUVs to a company with a balanced product lineup that includes even more high-quality, fuel-efficient small cars, hybrids and all-electric vehicles,” said Mark Fields, Ford’s president of The Americas, in a statement.

For some people, those little white earbuds are the beginning and the ending of their music listening experience. For others, who need more color both in and out of their ears, we suggest a pair of Aerial 7 headphones. Founded on the principle that “great sound can be combined with with awesome, eye-catching design,” the headphone brand boasts several offerings that do exactly that, with the Tank model leading the auditory pack. 

Designed for DJs and bass-heads, the Tank accentuates hip-hop undertones and with its soft ear cup and swivel design, is a worthy and less expensive alternative to the often trebly mixmaster weapon of choice, the Sony MDR-700. Available in three colorways, Aerial 7′s Tank retails for $79.99 and comes with two cables, including one with a built in microphone for iPhone use. To learn more, visit Aerial 7′s site here.

Want to know what your cell phone says about you? Check this video to see if you’re more StarTac, handsfree headset or everyone’s new favorite, the ego-centric iPhone.

Don’t you hate it when you’re immersed in session of Resistance 2 and get a message from an online buddy and, although you’d like to type back, you won’t simply because it takes too much time to write using your PS3 controller? (This is what happens when Kevin Clark hits me.)

Well, then this latest peripheral from Sony PlayStation, The Wireless Keypad, is for you.

Snapping on to any official PS3 controller, the QWERTY keyed, Bluetooth enabled device allows users to enter text and chat with friends online. It also features a touchpad mouse and short keys for quick connectivity to the PlayStation Network. And just like the PS3 controller, the keypad is charged by pairing it to a PS3 unit with a USB cable.  It’s also especially useful for those who will be frequenting PlayStation’s new social gaming community for the PS3, PlayStation@Home.

(Sure you could use a full sized keyboard, but what are you, some kind of PC gamer?)

Available now at Sony Style and wherever else video games are sold , the PlayStation 3 Wireless Keypad retails for $50.

The worst part is that it isn’t a joke…

What the hell is going on here? Pics courtesy of Gizmodo.