Two stunners coming in the space of a month

Apple has started running ads in the US which end with this date...June 29th. That's when all hell will break loose and the world will clamour to get this sleek and beautiful piece of art, called the iPhone, in their hands. That's not to say that it is a crazy reaction. I myself am waiting for the beauty to arrive so that I can get it.

So high is the interest in the iPhone that my friend in the US was telling me of a rumour that got floated that the Valley Fair Mall in San Jose had an early shipment of the iPhones. People camped outside the mall from 5 in the morning until 10:30 when the mall opens, only to find out that it was a hoax.

So June 29th it is. Hope there are enough of them in the market so that I can pick one up.

If you haven't already heard of this wonder device or don't know what it is that is driving mobile manufacturers like Nokia and Motorola to assure their shareholders that their market position will not get affected "much" by the introduction of this fabulous device, you can check out the Apple Macworld keynote by Steve Jobs on YouTube (where else?) and see for yourself what a wonderful device it is.

So that's one stunner. The other?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the last book in the famous (and best selling) Harry Potter series will be released on the 21st of July this year. Sure it's been a couple of years since the last installment (Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince) came out and I think anyone who has read the Harry Potter series is just waiting to find out what happens in the end.

Now that Sirius (Harry's godfather) and Dumbledore (Hogwart's headmaster extraordinaire) are dead, we are also waiting to know if the next character to die in the final installment is Voldemort himself or not. In any case, I personally think the entire series is very well written and is really fun to read. Sure, it's gotten progressively darker, but that's to be expected given that the series started on a dark note...with the murder of Harry's parents leaving him as the Boy Who Lived. From then on, except for the Chamber of Secrets and Prizoner of Azkaban, one character has died in every installment (read Cedric Diggory, Sirius and then Dumbledore). I wonder who's next.

I think there is something special about the voices behind the veil in the Ministry of Magic. Something that will be highlighted in the book to be released. I am not sure what it will be, but I am sure it will play a fairly important part in Harry's education.