By Paul on August 15th, 2010
I don’t apologise for being the blatant Apple fanboy that I’ve obviously become and it no secret that a basically spend all my time of my iPhone and my iPad due simply to their pure simplicity. In my time I’ve found some truly amazing apps and some outright appalling ones. Here’s a round up of a few of the better ones.
The Best
Twitter (iPhone): I’m really into Twitter and I’ve tried sooo many mobile apps to stay in touch with my online nearest and dearest and finally I’ve found it. The official Twitter app is actually the simplest and most streamlined incarnation out there. It’s easy to see who is trying to contact you, keep up with you favourite streams and even see what’s happened since the last time you logged in. With some nifty features lime drag to refresh this is the only way to go.
Flipboard (iPad): if there has to be an app of the year this is probably it. Flipboard allows you to pull in all your favourite social streams like Facebook and Twitter as well as your top web sites and pulls them into a beautiful ebook format that you can flick through at your leisure. If you’re looking to flick through your daily updates in style then I can’t recommend it more.
Super 7 (iPhone & iPad): The premise of this game is simple. You’re presented with a number of gems flying around the screen each with a number of then. Using the power of touch your goal is merge said gems until you make 7. Easy or so you’d think. Merge two or more numbers that add up to more than 7 and it’s game over.
Talking Tom (iPhone & iPad): This apps is adored by me and my daughter. It’s simply a cat who repeats everything you say. It’s so clever and I haven’t found one person who we’ve shown who disagrees.
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By Paul on August 2nd, 2010
The one bill I never mind paying is my broadband. Cut off my water but never take away my ability to watch videos of people falling off things. But I do want value for money and a good service and now I can find out if that’s what I’m getting. If you pop over to SamKnows.com they will test your ISP and send you a monthly report so you can monitor if you’re getting close to what you’re paying for. Simply fill in a short form with your ISP’s details and your advertised speed and that’s it. You have the power!
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By Paul on July 16th, 2010
So it’s official. Apple we have a problem. Steve Jobs has openly admitted that there is a problem with signal strength caused by the infamous iPhone 4 ‘grip of death’ although he’ll have us believe that the issue isn’t as big as has been reported in the press.
So what’s the solution? Apparently it’s a free case for everyone who has the afflicted handset (if you’ve already bought one then a refund is yours). Shame that the bumper that supposedly solves the problem makes the elegant 4th gen phone look like it’s predecessor the 3GS, something that pleases me as I can now go round pretending that I’m as up to dates as everyone else.
Not happy wrapping up your phone in rubber. Then shoot over to your local Apple store for a full refund.
Swings and roundabouts.
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By Paul on June 12th, 2010
OK so one week with my iPad and all is going well although one problem with Apple loveliness is the fact that the scratch sooo damn easily and the iPad is no exception. So to address this I’ve been investigating what’s available and the result is that I’ve now parted with cold hard cash.
I now have the SwitchEasy Nude case which is a revelation. It consists of a really snug plastic back which protects the iPad no end, a screen protector and best of all 2 stands that allow you prop up your device so you can use it as a digital photo frame or watch that video in comfort.
It comes in a range of colours (I went for the clear) and it looks beautiful. If you own an iPad and you haven’t got a case, part with 22 quid and get this baby!
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By Paul on June 6th, 2010
OK I have to say that I’m gobsmacked, I’ve seen the future, and it Is the iPad. I’m now coming to the end of my third day with the device and already it has changed the way that will interact with technology and the web forever.
It’s no gimmick, Apple have finally brought out the device I’ve always desired, a pure consumption device. Fair enough my lust for instant data gratification thus far has been satisfied by my iPhone but the iPad takes it that one step further. Fair enough this is only day three but compared to the way that the consume and create content online is dramatically different this weekend than it was last week when I was juggling between desktop and laptop.
The most vital element of the iPad is the fact that it’s always on. Boasting it’s ten hour battery you can literally pick it up and be online in seconds. As far as OS’s are concerned I’m still a Windows boy but if you pick up a laptop, wait for it to boot or resume and get online you’ve probably lost fifty percent of the motivation you had for going online in the first place. Now I think of it if I’m using my laptop or netbook once I do what I went online for in the first place I end up checking my Facebook and email etc because I know that I won’t want to be waiting to boot up again to check them in an hours time. iPad let’s you get on with it and go.
As far as sharing is concerned it’s head and shoulders above the competition. On Friday night we had friends round for dinner and the iPad sat in the middle of the dining table and everyone could share in what we were looking at instantly. No turning it round, no passing it round. This was actually one of the first times I realised how far this baby could go.
Next up, usability. I’ll sum this up simply. I handed it to my seven year old daughter and she was using it in seconds without instruction. We all already know how to use it. The port of the iPhone OS to iPad is pure genius! The keyboard is so responsive and the touch interface works like a dream.
Surfing the web on this thing is a sexy experience. It’s just so nice to scroll around with you fingers and zoom in on the stuff you want. Obviously there is no flash but thetas not such a problem. YouTube which is where I get the large majority of my video content integrates perfectly in web pages as well as having it’s own app.
Without harping on about it too much the iPad is a beautiful thing. If you’re all about just consuming the web (and you don’t mind the lack of flash) then this is the device for you and that’s after only using it for a few days without even scratching the surface.
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