Yeah, I never thought I’d compare the two, to be honest. Google has established itself firmly as a standard search engine for some very good reasons. That’s why I was kind of surprised that when I went to look for some royalty-free stock photography today, I started to throw it in my Google toolbar, but then opted for jumping on to StumbleUpon. Why? Google’s system is much more gameable right now, as in, people who know SEO will probably get their site higher than many people who might actually have a really good resource but no SEO experience. With SU, however, I’ll find the sites that people who really know photography are going to for royalty-free photos. They’re voted on by people and not an algorithm.

Now, I’m not arguing that StumbleUpon is invincible to people gaming their system in the least. But I do think that right now, I have to look through less data for certain topics than I would through Google. I used to scoff at a quote I had read regarding StumbleUpon’s future as the web’s prime landing page and while I don’t know that that’s the truth, I’m definitely not laughing at it anymore.

Well, it turns out the Internet can be used to transmit information quickly. Just a month or so ago, it was big news that someone finally unlocked the iPhone (made it compatible to work on other carriers besides AT&T). The guys over at iphoneSimFree.com now have a relatively simple (maybe not for everybody, but definitely now widely accessible) program and step-by-step details to make your iPhone compliant with another carrier.

What will this do to Apple/AT&T? Probably not a ton, since it’s still not widely accessible (I’d bet 75+% of iPhone consumers will never even find out about it because it’s pretty technical). Regardless, it’s still pretty neat for those out there that prefer T-Mobile or other SIM-card-based carriers (GSA/GSM) and don’t like Cingular/AT&T’s dropped calls.

So Apple just reported their newest line of gadgets for Fall ‘07, including a (sort of) surprise release of the iPod touch. Basically, it’s the same as the iPhone, but you don’t have to switch to Cingular AT&T in order to use it. It’s a little slimmer, but is pretty much physically the same with an almost identical user interface to the ever-popular iPhone.

Another big deal is the inclusion of WiFi compatibility, meaning you can browse the web with the built-in Safari browser anywhere you can access an 802.11g wireless network. They’re also rolling out a deal with Starbucks (read St4rbuxx0rz) to offer a service where you can instantly buy whatever you’re hearing over SB’s speakers. They made a pretty big deal about this, but it seems like an inflated hype, though I’m sure it’ll get used.

The lowdown? Yeah, it’s shiny, but still a little overpriced at $299 for the 8 GB and $399 for the 16 GB model. Maybe I just think so because I don’t have time for entertainment any more.

Full review over at Engadget.