Apple
iPad. It’s a Family Affair
7Towards the end of last year my Dad showed an interest in a reasonably priced netbook or a tablet computer. It would have to have been something fairly easy to use right out of the box given my Dad, in his mid-sixties, has had very limited experience with computers. What sounds like it would be perfect for him? That’s right, the iPad.
Because the release of iPad 3/iPad HD … no, the new iPad, was just around the corner I managed to persuade him to hold off and he could have my iPad 2 for a special daughter-father deal. He has Multiple Sclerosis and as a result has dexterity problems, so I was a little concerned that the iPad would be a bit too slippy for him to hold. I ordered a very inexpensive silicone cover to slip it into, making it easier for him to grip.
So, when March 16th came around for my new iPad to be delivered, I handed my Mum and Dad their “new” iPad 2. I showed them the basics and straight away my Dad flew into Google Maps, pinching and zooming his way through streets around the country he hadn’t been to for years. It was an amazing sight to see him so easily get to grips with the gestures he needed to perform to make something bigger, or make something smaller. He had no other experience with the iPad before this – the ‘teaching’ process was almost non-existent.
It’s fair to say my Dad is completely addicted to his iPad now. He uses it for browsing the internet, using Google Maps, watching Netflix and playing a multitude of games, whereas my Mum loves it for access to her music. Some things can have a novelty effect and I thought after the first few days that it would spend its life as a mug coaster on the coffee table, but I rarely see my Dad without it in his hands these days.
The new iPad which I have been using since launch day, is a delight. The Retina Display quite simply is worth the upgrade alone and despite my concerns that it may not be enough of a reason to upgrade, the moment I switched it on and saw the crispness of the text and clarity of photos, I knew I’d made the right decision. If I look at my parents iPad 2, the text immediately looks fuzzy. Of course before the new iPad came along the screen looked fine to me. Amazing how overnight my great piece of tech became the second great piece of tech.
Here are some photos of the new iPad.
Taking photos on the iPad’s 5MP camera is not something I thought I’d do often, but it begs to have photos taken with it and it’s extremely useful now that I don’t have a separate digital camera. This means that if I want to take a photo of an app on my iPhone for article purposes, I can do so without worry that the quality wouldn’t look great. In fact I took this photo using the new iPad camera.
The 1080p video recording on the new iPad is also a delight. I took this today in the blustery wind…
Make sure you select the HD quality – for some reason YouTube (and Vimeo) don’t allow HD video embedding as standard. You can also view nice and big on Vimeo, here!
So, now that my parents are iPad users and my brother and his wife have recently gone iPhone, it’s going to be much quieter when it comes to answering family tech support calls.
SwitchEasy DUO for iPhone
0Two weeks ago I bought the new 32GB iPhone 4S in white and my attention turned to a new and elegant sleeve to carry my new toy around in.
I’m not a fan of skins or permanent cases. While practical, I just hate to see the beauty of the iPhone design hidden away so like with the iPhone 4 I decided to go for a sleeve/pouch that I can easily slide the phone into between uses.
I happened upon the SwitchEasy website where I found the DUO. Made from high quality real leather and sporting a unique design where the phone can be pushed in at either end and still be held in place securely, I decided to order the White straight away through Amazon.co.uk for just over £19.
The material inside is a soft microfibre which cleans your iPhone with every use. It also comes with 2 anti-static Screen Guards, a microfibre cloth and a Squeegee Screen Guard applicator.
I’ve been asked on Twitter a few times over whether I am concerned about whether the iPhone could drop out of one end. My answer is not at all as it is securely held in place by a discreet inner safety strap and the case feels very snug around the phone.
If you’re looking for a stylish sleeve for your new shiny white (or black) iPhone then I’d recommend the SwitchEasy DUO which is also available in black, tan and brown.
The iPad take 2
13It has come as a surprise to many that on Friday I bought iPad 2 16GB Wi-Fi in white. After spending 6 months with the 1st gen iPad last year and selling it in favour of the 11″ MacBook Air last November, I didn’t see myself buying another. However that was then, 7 months ago, this is now. And the improvements in iPad 2 become very clear from the moment you take it from the box.
The very first thing I noticed when unboxing the iPad was it’s weight – significantly lighter than 1st gen – 33% lighter, to be precise. It felt much more comfortable to hold, the back feeling much smoother than it’s older brother. And I just love the white. It makes the iPad look so small, neat and clean. When I attached it to my Mac to sync, I noticed the screen seemed more vibrant and clear. Considering no changes were made to the resolution I am left feeling puzzled as to why it looks so much better – maybe it’s the white surround, I don’t know.
So, why did I go back to the iPad? It’s funny because I don’t actually feel like I’ve gone back. I’ve gone forward. iPad 2 feels very very different to the 1st gen. I haven’t sat here with any feelings of déjà vu because it feels like a very different product, if that makes sense. The design changes and the improved hardware ones really set this apart. It’s like this is how the iPad was meant to be – definitely take two!
I have chatted with my good friend Nicky for a number of weeks and asked him a lot of questions about his opinion on the difference between iPad and iPad 2, considering he has experience of both. I knew he would be upfront and honest with me and in the end these chats lead to me taking the decision to buy. However, the decision proved the easiest part – locating one was the difficult bit. There are two Apple Stores in my area: Metrocentre in Gateshead and Eldon Square in Newcastle. I phoned both of these stores daily for the past 2 weeks and there were no stock of the model I wanted: 16GB Wi-fi in white.
On Thursday 23rd June I called the Metrocentre Apple Store at 8.45pm, just 15 minutes before closing time, to ask if they had stock. They did, but wouldn’t give me an indication as to how many, other than “a few” which is fair enough as they aren’t allowed to disclose actual numbers, nor can you reserve an iPad even if you’ll be there in half an hour. I wasn’t about to drive at breakneck speeds to get there for one, but knew if I got there in the morning shortly after their 10am opening time then I was pretty much guaranteed to snag one. And on Friday at 10.30am I did.
Aside from the physical changes I mentioned earlier, the speed bump in this is very noticeable. Switching between pages in Safari is snappy, opening apps is so quick and Wi-Fi signal seems far stronger in iPad 2 – no more 1-bar. Having two cameras on board is great for Photo Booth and the yet untested FaceTime. The quality of the camera isn’t great, we all know that, but this hasn’t stopped family and friends having a great laugh in front of Photo Booth. I also shot a teeny bit of video on Friday and the picture and audio quality certainly wasn’t terrible. The speaker location and quality seems far more improved also.
The one question people have asked me (many many times) is have I bought iPad 2 to replace my MacBook Air? The answer is a firm and resounding NO! My MacBook Air has become my workhorse now, with iMac relegated to being the digital hub, providing streaming to my Air, Apple TV’s, iPhone and now iPad. My 4 year old iMac is starting to very much feel it’s age, so using it as the home’s hub makes far more sense in it’s twilight years, therefore my needs have changed. Because of the small but perfectly formed 64GB SSD in my MacBook Air I cannot put my entire digital life on here. For me the iPad isn’t a laptop replacement, I learned this last year when that was exactly what I was expecting from it, hence my frustrations. I don’t see any similarities between the Air and the iPad – they both serve very different purposes.
I think one of the things that tipped me over the edge and persuaded me to buy the iPad 2 now is anticipation of iOS 5 in the Autumn. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am for iMessage and how typing on the larger screen of the iPad will be an absolute godsend when keeping in touch with my friends, considering this will pretty much replace email contact between myself and my iOS 5 friends around the globe. I will obviously report back when iOS 5 and iMessage drop, to let you know my experiences with that.
I’ve been using the iPad 2 for two days now and I am thoroughly enjoying it. The apps available for the iPad now has risen significantly in the last 7 months, with many of the apps I have on my iPhone now being universal, so no need to buy twice to have on my two devices. There are some HD versions I have recently purchased, such as Megaplex Madness HD which as luck would have it was in a 50% off sale on Friday. It has been played to_death this weekend. Games such as this really benefit from the larger screen – no more eyestrain when keeping my cinema customers happy! And that’s not to mention Sonic and SEGA All-Star Racing – incredible graphics and wonderful to play on the iPad.
I haven’t yet bought any accessories for the iPad, but I will probably pick up a Smart Cover sometime soon. I’m usually a fan of actual sleeves to carry my device around in, but the fact that it doubles as a stand could be useful.
Icons in iOS Folders
3When I post photos of my iPhone homescreen on Flickr, there’s one question that crops up more often than not and that is “How did you get that Apple icon on your folder?”. Well, I am about to tell you.
You’ll see in the photo above that the folder above the phone icon in the dock has the Apple logo. Here’s a closer look…
You can set the Apple logo as your folder name by visiting Glyphboard via Safari on your iPhone. Once you’ve added the bookmark to your homepage you have a selection of 48 icons to choose from. Simply copy the icon you want to use then in the folder of your choice paste it into the name box.
When you have a folder full of Apple apps, it’s nice to use just the familiar white logo to show what lies beyond.
My thoughts on iPad 2
6Wednesday saw the Apple event in which iPad 2 was unveiled. I wasn’t particularly excited about it as you’ll all remember that I sold my iPad last November and bought the 11″ MacBook Air after we just didn’t get along. But, there I was, Engadget liveblog at the ready to follow events.
I’m going to cut to the chase early on and say that the most exciting part of the iPad 2 event for me was Steve Jobs taking to the stage and bringing us the lowdown. After all the recent and rather upsetting speculation on his health, I really didn’t expect that Steve would be fronting this. Judging by the standing ovation he received I don’t think many others did either. It was great to see him looking happy, healthy and in strong voice. I wish him all the very best. He really is a great showman and brilliant person.
iPad 2 itself, like it’s older brother, hasn’t stirred anything within me to even make me even remotely want one. They’ve made it thinner, they’ve made it faster, they’ve added cameras, they’ve added new apps, still has the same resolution display. I’ve got FaceTime on my Macs and iPhone: don’t use them. I’ve got iMovie on my Macs and iPhone: don’t use them. I’ve got GarageBand on my Macs: definitely don’t use them. I’ve got PhotoBooth on my Macs…yeah, you get the idea. [iPad 2 specs @ Macgasm]
I’m going to tie in my 4 months with the MacBook Air into this post otherwise we’ll be stopping right about now. The MacBook Air replaced my need for a tablet computer the moment we met. I briefly mentioned this in my November entry but it’s worth repeating: I can buy things, flawlessly, using my MacBook Air. The iPad was frustrating for the most part in completing transactions due to keyboard popping up over vital bits of information or not popping up where it was needed.
And although Apple would like us to ditch flash altogether (the world WOULD be better without it, no doubt) the fact is some sites still rely upon it currently which made the browsing experience extremely difficult on the iPad. With the Air I don’t need to worry about what sites I can and can’t access. Although flash does affect battery life quite acutely, I still prefer that I have it on a machine than not for those occasions when it calls for it. The iPad felt very redundant to me because of that.
4 months into my Air ownership I still have not heard the fans in this. It’s just absolutely cool and silent. However, the Air most definitely does have fans as Tom over at tomacintosh.com recently discovered. My next iMac must be SSD. No more spinning hard drives for me after experiencing this.
I’m now just looking forward to iPhone 5, hopefully in the summer. That’s where my excitement is lying for Apple this year. It’s hard to imagine how they can improve upon this, hardware wise, as it’s pretty much spot-on, but I would like to see some overhauls to iOS in particular notifications.
So, now that I’ve told you that I won’t be buying iPad 2, how about you?
iDrops for your Mac
5I’m a creature of habit when it comes to the wallpaper I use on my iMac, MacBook Air and iPhone. If I can have them all matching up, the better and once I find a clean wallpaper I very infrequently switch away from it.
Several months ago I found a very clean wallpaper which was inspired by the iOS 4 default wallpaper, called iDrops. This is the wallpaper I keep coming back to on my iPhone in particular. The package includes:
- For 16:9 ( 1280×720, 1920×1080 )
- For 16:10 ( 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200 )
- For iPhone 2g,3g,3gs and iPod Touch 1g,2g,3g ( in two variations )
- For iPhone 4 and iPod Touch 4
- For iPad
Here it is in all it’s glory on my MacBook Air and iPhone 4:
You can download the iDrops package from deviantART.
The New Apple TV
13I’ve kicked off 2011 as I fully intend to carry on, with a new gadget. Over Christmas I’d been giving great thought to purchasing the new Apple TV. I already have the 1st gen which is located in my bedroom, but I wanted something for the living room which can be enjoyed by the whole family and friends.
After a little bit of hesitation between Christmas and New Year, yesterday I decided to head to Apple Store MetroCentre and finally give in to the temptation. It wasn’t until I arrived that I realised I was lacking an HDMI to HDMI cable. Rather than heading off in a different direction to hunt for a cheaper cable, I just gave my extra £15 to Apple for one when picking up Apple TV.
First thought on Apple TV – wow, isn’t it small? This thing is just tiny. Inside the box is simply the Apple TV, Remote, power lead, two Apple stickers and instruction booklet. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the set-up process as I’d heard some people running into various difficulties when they purchased theirs on release day. It didn’t sound like the “works right out of the box” that we’ve become so accustomed to with Apple, but there were no problems at this end. Choose your language, choose your network, input your network password, pop in your Apple ID, turn on Home Sharing and you’re done.
The pleasing thing about the new Apple TV is it’s speed. When it goes into screensaver mode you just hit the menu button and boom, you’re back at the menu, no messing. On the 1st gen you press the menu button and sit back as it clicks and clunks a bit, has a think about it and then it asks “oh, you mean now?”. Not only is it quick in that respect but when previewing trailers I have been impressed by no lag, no jitter. Similarly when streaming a movie from my iMac it just does things extremely smoothly. That was one of my concerns, but it needn’t have been.
It’s so nice to be able to access my entire iTunes library from the living room now. I have my own collection of movies and TV shows building in there, plus a few movies purchased via iTunes that I’ll finally be able to watch on a 42″ screen, on demand. I look forward to the future for Apple TV, which I am sure will be a brighter one than the forgotten 1st gen. Hoping that apps will be arriving soon to open this up even more and make it a very attractive home entertainment device for all.
A Very Techy 2010
5Compared to 2009, 2010 has been jam packed with gadget buying for me. I think one of the only gadgets I purchased last year was the Magic Mouse, so this year has been a real treat. Here’s a little look back over the past 12 months and my thoughts on the gadgets that found a home at Fruit Bytes HQ.
Apple TV 1st Gen, 140GB
For quite a while I’d to’d and fro’d on the idea of getting an Apple TV, then in February I finally gave in and bought one. I must be perfectly honest and say that it wasn’t a blow-away purchase in the beginning as my plans to copy my DVD’s to the hard drive didn’t materialise mostly due to the tedious process involved. I’d also planned on purchasing movies and TV shows digitally rather than physically, but the difference in price between the two formats is still a huge factor for me. iTunes still tends to be three times and more costly for TV shows compared to DVD. I am only now warming to my Apple TV and have purchased a couple of movies recently. One contributing factor for that has been the lack of delivery in the UK due to the snowfall we’ve had since the end of November, so it’s been very convenient to just sit back and hit BUY in iTunes. So easy…too easy 
[rating:3.5/5]
Apple iPad WiFi 32GB
As I wrote here, myself and the iPad just didn’t get on. I look back now, several weeks after selling it and feel no warmth or affection for this device at all. I’d even go so far as to say it’s the most disappointing Apple purchase I have ever made in the 5 years I have been ‘A Mac’. I’m sure iPad v2, reportedly coming very soon, will be more appealing to others but I cannot see myself ever wanting to purchase an iPad again.
[rating:2/5]
Apple iPhone 4, 32GB
From day one this has been one of the best purchases of 2010. iPhone truly is the gift that keeps on giving. I love the improved camera on this which has totally wiped out any need I have for a separate digital camera. I love the speed of it and that beautiful Retina Display which just knocks me out everytime I pick it up. It’s hard to see how Apple can improve on this next year, other than a better quality front camera and more storage for those who need it.
[rating:5/5]
Apple Magic Trackpad
This was very much an impulse buy and I didn’t expect to enjoy using it quite as much as I do. When using the trackpad of my PowerBook G4, I always used to get wrist pain and generally found it uncomfortable to use. So before the Trackpad arrived I was asking myself “Why did you buy this, then?”. I was most surprised to find that it felt completely natural and the gestures make it much more comfortable and easier to use than a standard mouse. Infact I don’t think I could go back to a mouse again after using this.
[rating:5/5]
Apple MacBook Air 11.6″, 64GB
After selling my iPad, I quickly ran out and bought one of these in early November. And I’m so glad I did. This along with my iPhone 4 are joint ‘best purchases of 2010′. It is the perfect machine for me and I find myself using it far more than my iMac thesedays. The battery life is pretty good, it’s a super fast and cool machine and I *still* have not heard the fans in this. I’m pretty sure mine was shipped without them! When the Mac App Store launches in January then the Air will probably become my primary machine even more. I love typing on it, it makes me more productive when writing and it’s just an all round pleasure in every way.
[rating:5/5]
Nintendo Wii (black) with Mario Kart Bundle
Just over a week ago I bought the Nintendo Wii with Mario Kart, steering wheel, Motion Plus controller and Wii Sports after months of “will I, won’t I?”. I’m so glad I did. For fun it’s amazing, for exercise it’s even more amazing-er! I loved playing Mario Kart on Nintendo DS, but playing on the Wii is even more enjoyable and can play online against my friends which is the most fun of all. Amazon had a great bundle price of just £149 recently so I took the opportunity to purchase then. Wii Sports is also a very fun packed game, especially Tennis and Bowling – and some laughs have been had when competing with friends and family – and that’s even before Christmas arrives.
[rating:4.5/5]
HP Photosmart Plus All-in-One Printer
I bought this from PC World for £79.99 around a month ago, just before iOS 4.2.1 with AirPrint was released, safe in the knowledge that this printer was going to be compatible with this new iOS feature. I did have a couple of teething troubles setting this up. After installing the cartridges it kept returning a print head error which was only resolved after several attempts at cleaning them. Wasn’t the ‘works straight outta the box’ that I’m so used to in gadgets I buy, so this will be reflected in my rating. However, aside from that I’m extremely pleased in the quality of the prints and the features this has, especially ePrint and AirPrint. I’ve had my iPhone photos on my phone for just too long, so it’s nice to be able to bring them to life by printing them out and sharing with people.
[rating: 3/5]
I think that concludes my Very Techy 2010 list. I hope 2011 is just as exciting and gadget-filled as this year has been!
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