Even though I have played them both many times before, I have no doubt that I’ll enjoy playing through Final Fantasy I and II once again now that they’re available on the iPhone. Square Enix ported both titles to Apple’s App Store, now available for $8.99 a piece.

Now whether or not you’re willing to pay $9 for these classic titles may depend on how many times you’ve played through them in the past, and on how many different platforms. Versions of the games have appeared on the NES, GameBoy Advance, PSP, PlayStation, DS and Wii. Some of the newer ports featured extra levels and bonus content, which are included in the new iPhone versions, so if you haven’t played them lately, you might have good reason to take another spin.

The new iPhone versions also offer much-improved avatar designs and better sprites, though the story and gameplay mechanics remain unchanged. As someone who’s never not enjoyed playing through a classic Square title, I’m not too worried about becoming bored or being underwhelmed. By the same token, I know exactly what I’m in for, so there’s not likely to be any surprises coming my way.

I’m mostly just hoping that my purchase in this instance encourages Square Enix to continue releasing its classic titles for the platform. I don’t think it’s too impossible to imagine a time when Final Fantasy VII and VIII are available as fully ported iPad titles. And some more original content would be nice, too. Song Summoner is great, as far as tactics games go, but I’d love an original Square Enix RPG title for the iPhone platform that uses the device’s specific capabilities in a similarly innovative fashion.

A cursory attempt at playing the new games reveals some finicky, context-based controls that take a little getting used to, but eventually don’t really take anything away from the experience, though they certainly don’t add to it. As with most iPhone games, you do get the advantage of having the app auto-save your progress on exit so that you can quickly resume without having to return to a save point or something equally annoying. Like I said above, very few surprises here, but if you’re a fan of the series, there’s probably nothing I can say to either convince or prevent you from buying this.

The dawn of a new year never fails to make me excited about all the potential for new devices we’ll inevitably see released. This year is no different, and for Apple’s iPod and iPhone, there are some storms that have been brewing for quite a while that should break in 2010. Hope you packed a raincoat.

I recently came across my still functional (including decent battery life) 30GB iPod Video while rooting through my drawers looking for a proprietary USB cable. After I charged it and booted it up, the palpable feeling of the HDD platter spinning up, and the faint sound that accompanies said action reminded me of just how far we’ve come, and of how far we’ve yet to go with Apple’s portable devices. Here’s where I think we’re headed next.

The iPod

It’s long been the linchpin in Apple’s lineup of product offerings, and it deserves eternal respect for the role it had in reversing the company’s fortunes, but the iPod no longer enjoys the place of highest favor among Apple products, mobile or otherwise. I predict, as a general trend, a continued downplaying of the iPod’s role at Apple, and significant changes to the products on offer as a result of that trend.

Video Comes to the Touch

Probability: Guaranteed
The evidence all but guarantees that video is meant to come to the iPod touch sooner or later, and I predict it will be sooner, rather than later. Tear-downs of the most recently released iteration of the touch revealed a space perfectly designed for the same camera guts found in the new iPod nano, so unless Apple is just very interested in toying maliciously with Apple rumor hounds, this one is basically in the bag. It doesn’t hurt that it’s the next logical step for the rising star of Apple’s iPod lineup.

iPod Classic Gets Retired

Probability: Possible
It’s served long, and it’s served well, but the HD-based iPod Classic is not long for this world, in my opinion. Apple’s already streamlined the Classic to a single available model, and as the price of flash memory begins to trend downwards again in 2010, I think they’ll do away with the beast altogether and focus on turning Classic customers into iPod touch devotees.

Touch-based Control Returns to Shuffle

Probability: Possible
One of Apple’s most questionable decisions made in the service of sexy design is the loss of any and all buttons on the iPod shuffle. I think it will respond to mixed reviews and consumer skepticism by returning some form of manual (ie. non-voice) control to the device itself. That doesn’t necessarily mean buttons will return, if they can figure out some way to make use of the multi-touch tech it’s so clearly in love with.

Nano Gets Incremental Video Upgrades

Probability: Guaranteed
Look for the iPod nano to get steady improvements in the quality of its video camera, and in what you can do with said video on and off the device. Apple’s made its big changes to the device, and will now move into what amounts to a holding pattern in which it upgrades the upgrades it’s already introduced. And consumers will continue shelling out with each bump up.

The iPhone

Predicting where the iPhone will go is a bit more challenging than making calls about the iPod lineup. The upgrades made with the 3GS were logical enough, since many of them amounted to putting things in that should probably have been there in the first place.

The Usual

Probability: Guaranteed
There are the standard upgrades to be expected with any new model. These things include storage bumps (64GB next time around), improvements to the camera and video recording (bump up to 5 megapixels possible, but by no means a sure thing), and improvements to the processing and graphics rendering capabilities of the iPhone. They’re boring and we know they’re coming, so let’s not waste time on this.

New Look

Probability: Possible
The iPhone is incredibly recognizable, and that probably had something to do with the reason the 3GS still has the same distinctive look as the 3G. Other probable reasons include a rushed roll-out, and more emphasis on internal changes. I think next time around, we’ll be treated to a new look, and I wouldn’t exclude the possibility that we may have already seen some early prototypes of this design change.

Better Peer-to-Peer

Probability: Guaranteed
The future of mobile tech is in peer-to-peer interaction between devices. Apple knows this, and that’s why it opened up Bluetooth interaction between devices when it released iPhone 3.0. I think Apple will make further efforts to make P2P experiences technically better and more seamless in the next update. That might come via improved Bluetooth, or using the recently revealed Wi-Fi Direct tech that Apple’s thrown its support behind.

Physical Keyboard

Probability: Absurd
No. Just kidding.

The Big Picture

Flash-bang upgrades will all go to the iPhone, while the iPod line will get natural but relatively small and less showy enhancements. The reason being, Apple is using the iPod touch and its brethren to herd consumers towards the iPhone, which is the real cash cow and the better bet for long-term investment.

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Now, thanks to Grackle68k, Mac users who are still running Macintosh System 6, 7, 8 and 9 can have a dedicated Twitter client of their very own. Personally, I think the release of this app was just timed to steal the spotlight away from Seesmic for Windows. Obviously this is much bigger news!

Twitter is available to pretty much any platform, and that’s no accident. The technology behind it is relatively lightweight, with clients only really needing the ability to make API calls to be completely functional. The memory footprint of clients differs depending on what developers choose to add on the client side of things, but little is needed to make one actually functional.

That’s the idea behind Grackle68k, a labor of love for a small group of programmers who realize that there’s still quite the classic Mac enthusiast crowd out there who actually use their well-aged machines for some basic tasks in addition to just keeping them running (myself included). The program lets you tweet, but if you want it to remember who you are on each startup, you’ll have to break out the ResEdit and make a change to a resource by adding your login information. It’s an added step, true, but a fun one that should bring back memories, so hey, I’m not gonna complain.

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What’s that, you say? You’re looking for iPhone app recommendations alongside a smattering of the week’s Apple news? Read, on my friend, I have just the article for you…

Before I present you with my four recommendations, hand-picked from the freshest apps to launch for the iPhone, it’s time to take stock and review this week’s Apple news.

As if Monday couldn’t get any grimmer, the big news to start the week was all about Microsoft. Specs and other info about its new Zune, apparently code-named “xYz,” have been doing the rounds. Perhaps presenting a genuine challenge to the iPhone and iPod touch handheld gaming throne, the device may even play XBox Live Arcade content. Very exciting indeed, considering the breadth and quality of games on offer via Microsoft’s online service.

Speaking of which, the big surprise of the week was news that Braid, the top-rated, critically acclaimed Xbox Live Arcade title, has been released on Mac. The game is a side-scrolling platformer, incorporating a host of headache-inducing time-twisting puzzles. Good fun indeed, and a worthy workout for cerebral gamers on the hunt for a challenge.

Coming to the U.S. in the very near future is Spotify, the legal music service that’s essentially like having access to the entire iTunes Store for free. The service has already been on offer in Europe since late 2008. Spotify’s founder, Daniel Ek, believes it’ll be officially available stateside by the start of 2010 at the latest.

While the Spotify iPhone app is still under wraps, Digg.com founder Kevin Rose has been impressed by the desktop version, “… playing w/Spotify, hot damn it’s responsive – plays pretty much any song on earth in <1 second.” Being stationed in Helsinki, Finland, I’ve had the pleasure of using Spotify for several months now — it really is as fast as Rose describes.

My favorite news of the week concerns the latest update to the iPhone. More rumors abound, as a fresh list of specs has been released. Notable possible enhancements to the iPhone include 32GB of storage in the high-end model, built-in FM transmitter, OLED screen, rubber tread backing and discontinuation of the metal band surrounding the edge of the device.

Moving on to the picks, this week I’ve been looking at Mover, Burger King Now, Lexulous and Flashback.

Mover (free)
With Air Sharing (among others) firmly covering file-sending over the Net using the iPhone, there’s still no convincing solution for sharing with other users in your immediate vicinity. Those that are available are severely lacking in ease-of-use and appealing looks. Mover addresses both of these issues directly and, as such, is quite different from the solutions I’ve seen previously. Allowing you to share either contacts or images with other users on the same Wi-Fi network, you simply select the name or photo you’d like to send, then literally drag it across to your friend’s device. As developer Infinite Labs state, seeing is believing, so, before you pick up the app for free, check out the demo video of the app in action.

Burger King Now: Phone Ordering (free)
Back in my student days, I lived off a hearty combination of Domino’s Pizza and McDonald’s. In fact, I accrued a sizable debt due to my adoration for fast food and apparent inability to cook. These days, I love to cook and, what’s more, meat isn’t really a part of my usual diet, saved instead for special occasions — like the meatballs at Ikea. Deep down, my junk food lust hasn’t left me: Upon discovering Burger King’s new app, my mouth watered and my heart sank to think of all the glorious grease I’d be missing out on. This may not be as oddly compelling as BK’s Subservient Chicken, but it’s a time-saving app that uses your iPhone to order a tasty trans-fat treat.

Lexulous ($3.99)
Up until yesterday, I was under the impression that Scrabble-clone Scrabulous had dissolved under the threat of legal action from Hasbro. It seems, however, that the popular Facebook app has been reborn under the apparently less-libelous moniker of Lexulous. What’s more, the crossword gaming ante has been upped by the release of the Lexulous iPhone app. One of the joys of playing Lexulous via Facebook is challenging friends across the globe, something that both the official Scrabble iPhone and Facebook app don’t allow. With a solid iPhone app, Facebook integration and global challenges, Lexulous is a must-have for crossword game fans.

Flashback ($4.99)
Originally released for Amiga back in 1992, Flashback will bring memories flooding back for retro-gamers. The game featured Prince of Persia-esque rotoscoped animation, a sprawling alien jungle and a plot reminiscent of Philip K. Dick’s writings. The iPhone version is pretty tough, especially given that the controls have been ported to the touchscreen. But I’m not entirely sure of the legitimacy of the iPhone iteration; the app may get pulled from the store. If you’re interested in trying out this classic platform adventure, download now.

That’s all the picks for this week. I’ll be back in seven days with more news from the week and picks from the App Store.

In the meantime, what apps have you been using this week?

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Cult of Mac’s Giles Turnbull notes that way back in 2004 he posted a column entitled “OS9 – Blimey Some People Still Use It” for Mac DevCenter, but never imagined he’d be posting a similar piece four years later.

“But – blimey,” Turnbull wrote last week, “there are STILL some people out there using OS 9 and very happy with it too, thank you very much.”

Actually, I’m still using OS 9 daily for production. I can’t recall the last time I booted directly into Mac OS Classic (I still have three Macs in service that can do that), but OS X Classic Mode is another story. What keeps me using Nine is an old shareware add-on called Scrollability which automates scrolling in an intuitive, effortless, and elegant manner that has never been duplicated for OS 10 as far as I know, and which is a balm to my neuritis-plagued arms and hands when editing and doing HTML markup.

If it weren’t for that, I would have bid fond farewell to OS 9 for routine work long since, but because I do use it, I’m constantly reminded how much more lively, responsive, and solid-feeling the Mac OS Classic Finder is compared with OS X’s. I’ve been using OS X as my production platform since the release of OS 10.3 Panther in 2003, but I still find OS 9 superior in some respects. No Dock; virtually instantaneous menu response; no Trash dodging the cursor; and that delicious “right now” responsiveness.

Nevertheless, on the balance I wouldn’t go back, and I had to wean myself off Classic Mode when I upgraded to Leopard on my main workhorse Mac over a yearago. It’s been less traumatic than I had anticipated, and I love Spaces and Quick Look, but I still miss Scrollability, and that keeps my number two and three machines, both hotrodded Pismo PowerBooks running OS 10.4.11 Tiger, in pretty intensive service.

How about you? Anyone else out there still using OS 9, either by booting into it directly or with Classic Mode in pre-Leopard OS X?

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In six years’ time, as our Windows brethren have moved from Windows 98 to ME to XP and now Vista, we’ve seen Mac OS X grow and develop through each of its cat-themed releases. Yet the foundation of Mac OS 9 (Classic) remains an option. Should I need to, I can boot the Classic Environment and open ancient apps. I can open the Control Panels and amuse myself with Platinum Sounds effects, launch Key Caps, or tinker with the Chooser.

But rather than being useful, it’s like walking through a museum. Take a look, for instance, at the bundled Search engines in Sherlock. You won’t find Google or Yahoo! here. Instead, you have second-tier sites like Alta Vista, Excite and Lycos, along with others you probably haven’t heard of in a while: GoTo.com, HotBot, and DirectHit.

Sherlock’s Search Engine Offerings

By now, in the second half of 2007, every technology laggard has either finally released an OS X capable application, abandoned the Mac, or given way to a new, faster-moving competitor. Is there any reason for Classic any more? What’s the likelihood of finding a need to boot into OS 9 for more than misguided nostalgia? Or was Steve Jobs right when he told developers in 2002 it was time to bury the OS, once and for all? (CNET | YouTube Video)

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