After three years of desperately clinging to the 4GB first generation iPhone like some old curmudgeon, I finally upgraded to the 32GB iPhone 4 this weekend. I used it to records some of my initial thoughts on video (above). The things that impressed me about the device were practical stuff: much better battery life and processing power.

Have you snagged an iPhone 4 yet? What do you think? Here’s what a few people said about antennagate in Norah’s last post.

The Lava Row FlipCam came out from the depths of our office to make an appearance at last week’s Des Moines Tweetup at el Bait Shop. Apple held an iPhone 4 press conference earlier that day, offering up an apology for the functional issues many users had encountered in getting (and keeping) reception. Naturally, we wondered if our Des Moines tweeps would consider buying an iPhone again. Here’s what they said.

Would you consider buying an iPhone? Did Apple do enough to solve the problems with the iPhone 4? How should they win back the loyalty of their customers? Share your thoughts below.

As part of my emcee duties for the 2010 Prometheus Awards, I got the amazing opportunity to travel Google’s new data center in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and chat with Operations Manager Chris Russell about the facility and his company’s recent investment in our state.

Great things are happening for the tech industry in Iowa, and I think Chris perfectly sums up the benefits of Iowa’s workforce and achievements.

Big thanks to Chris for his time, patience and sense of humor. Thank you to Google for the unprecedented access – this was the first time cameras were allowed inside the facility gates! Thanks also to the Technology Association of Iowa for this cool opportunity and Applied Art and Technology for filming, sound and post-production.

Last January we decided to create 52 videos in 52 weeks, and somehow managed to pull it off. The reason for doing it? We preach to our clients all the time about creating lots of valuable video content as a means to increase digital footprint, so we wanted to feel what it was like to walk in their shoes and adhere to a strict schedule for one year. (It’s tough, but doable.)

When I put the Flip Cam in Hillary’s hands and leave the office, entertaining videos happen. And traffic to our blog increases 1000%. Lesson learned: Put her in charge of all videos in 2010.

For our 52nd video we turned over directing duties to John Pemble. Over the past year he interviewed us a few times for an Iowa Public Radio story, and along the way he grabbed a bunch of footage and graciously compiled it together (above). John asked us about how our business has shifted, competition, and trends in the industry.

So there you have it. Thanks everyone for a great 2009 – it was a blast!

What will you be creating in 2010?

This morning we said thanks for a great 2009 by buying coffee for anyone who showed up at Mars Cafe between 8:00 and 9:00. What a great way to close out the year — a cozy café, hot coffee and good friends. Thanks to everyone who dropped by! Below are some video highlights.

Here’s something different for this week’s video. We’re 50 episodes into our Area 52 video series, so it’s time to get creative, right? We shot various components of our day and attempted to stitch them together into some narrative form, which you can view above. Inspired by our friend John Pemble’s work on 12seconds.tv, each clip is only three seconds long. (John is a master at short-form storytelling.)

Today’s video and self-publishing tools are easy and affordable, so there’s no reason you can’t get into it. What sorts of creative things have you done with video lately?

On November 19th, Foursquare (a location-based social network) announced it was adding 50 more cities to the service. Unfortunately, Des Moines wasn’t on the list. Thus, it’s time to make some noise.

Here’s what we’d like you to do. Create a video response to my YouTube video above, telling the Foursquare team exactly why you want the service to come to DeMo. Be sure to shoot it inside or outside your favorite coffee shop, restaurant, bar, office, etc. (whatever venue you know you’ll be the Mayor of).

If our community creates enough videos, we might just get noticed. Don’t forget to include the words Foursquare and Des Moines in the YouTube tags and title. Visit YouTube’s help section if you need assistance posting your video response. A direct link to my video can be found here.

For those readers asking “Huh? What’s this Foursquare thing you speak of?” — it is a location-based social network that you use to “check in” at your favorite haunts (with your GPS-enabled mobile device) and compete with your friends over who visits more often. If that’s you, you become the “Mayor” of that location. Foursquare’s creators refer to the service as 50% friend-finder, 30% social cityguide and 20% nightlife game.

Currently I’m the Mayor of a martini bar in Indianapolis, but I’d much rather be battling my Des Moines friends over Mayorship of venues here in town. So let’s get started on those videos, folks. If you’re too shy to create one, you can demand Des Moines as a Foursquare city using this form.

Lights, camera — action!