Brand: MacNews

HereUare Communications’ second annual Hot Spots Report reveals that San Francisco and Seattle are among the nation’s top cities with public 802.11b (Wi-Fi) wireless access points. C|net reports that many of the public access points are positioned in restaurants, hotels, cafes, and airports.

Steve Jobs, after accepting a technical Grammy on behalf of the company for its contributions to the music and recording industries, took the opportunity to criticize the major record labels for their music subscription services that don’t allow consumers to deploy legally owned music on all of the devices they own, according to IT News, as noted by MacSurfer.

The New York Times (free registration required) reports on a U.S. patent recently issued to Harry Connick Jr. — a composer, piano player, actor, and comedian — for his system that allows orchestra players to read their sheet music electronically on systems powered by blue-and-white Power Mac G3s.

In its review of Apple’s flat-panel iMac, The Chicago Tribune praises the system’s innovative design, excellent “digital hub” software titles, and its ability to burn DVD discs with relative ease. “After spending a good part of the last month reviewing top-of-the-line DVD-capable computers in the Windows world, I am forced to conclude that Apple flat-out owns this new paradigm of personal computing.”

Apple’s US$1,499 mid-range iMac, which features a 700MHz G4 and DVD/CD-RW drive, has begun shipping, according to a MacNN reader who reports receiving a notice from the Apple store. The system was originally scheduled to ship in February.