wow, i never realized that coverflow (that cool 3d transition effect) was developed by someone outside of apple. their intellectual property was bought from Andrew Coulter Enright and Jonathan del Stother. I wonder how much they made from that deal.
check out their website.
http://steelskies.com/coverflow/
this interface is what everyone (in the web 2.0 space) is copying right now, in terms of design, aesthetics, visual coolness. just imagine apple coming to you and buying your interface style, and using it as a huge part of their brand experience.
here’s a wikipedia about it…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cover_Flow