iPhone
Stamped for iPhone
02 months ago
I’ve been using Stamped app for a couple of days which is a beautiful and free app for rating and recommending apps/books/movies/restaurants on the iPhone. There are similar apps I have tried but nothing comes close to the beauty and simplicity of Stamped.
What I love best about Stamped is the non-clutter. You only see what your friends are giving their stamp of approval – no comments from strangers. The typography is beautiful as you can see from the photo above.
Read an in-depth review of Stamped on Beautiful Pixels and remember, if you’re on Stamped then feel free to add me: purplelime
Stamped: free [iTunes App Store link]
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.
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.
Sinjimoru SyncStand for iPhone
0When it comes to buying overpriced official Apple accessories, I’m usually at the head of the queue. But even I couldn’t justify paying £25 for what is essentially a lump of plastic, for the iPhone 4 dock. I’ve frequently sought alternatives but many of the good looking docks simply charge the iPhone, not sync it. For a desktop dock that is my number one requirement as I mostly charge my iPhone during the night via the wall charger anyway.
Over the long weekend I found the Sinjimoru SyncStand for just £9.99 at Amazon. Its design struck me as very Apple like and stylish. And it did the most important thing – sync! You simply feed your own USB sync cable through the SyncStand, as shown in the diagram at the bottom of this page and you’re set. You can even use this with your Bumper on the phone, aswell as place your iPhone on in landscape mode when not charging/syncing.
I’ve been asked about it’s stability when in portrait mode. It’s not held into the dock by anything except the dock connector, but lies against the plastic backrest. This means that if you are touching the iPhone while it’s in this position then it does have a tendency to be a little wobbly. But it certainly won’t fall out of the dock.
The SyncStand comes in a variety of colour options including white, black, pink and blue. Prices vary on these options.
Sinjimoru SyncStand for iPhone – Amazon.co.uk
[rating: 4/5]
Seamless for Mac and iPhone
9 months ago
Staying up late has its benefits as I discovered last night when I came across Seamless, a magical app that quite seamlessly lets you transition from playing music on your Mac (free app) to playing music on your iPhone or iPod touch (59p app) with a single tap – without missing a beat. Seamless, simply put, is your music to go.
My good friend Chris over at techese has written a nice little review explaining exactly what Seamless does. Head over and take a look and be sure to watch the video.
Seamless for Mac [direct link to Mac App Store]
Seamless for iPhone [direct link to iTunes App Store]
Tweetbot for iPhone
49 months ago
Looking at the Social folder on my iPhone, it’s safe to say I’ve tried just about every twitter app going from Echofon, to Twitterrific, to Weet. Even though I was perfectly happy with Tweetie back in the day, I couldn’t resist downloading the newest additions to see how they compared and whether they could lure me. Nothing ever could.
When Tweetie was bought by Twitter, things changed and not just the icon. More recently the addition of the #dickbar showing the latest trending topics at the top of the timeline outraged users and Twitter eventually accepted defeat and removed it. I tried moving to other apps during the #dickbar debacle, but still couldn’t switch away from Twitter for iPhone. Twitterrific was the second nicest app and I’d have probably switched fully to it, but lack of ability to post mine/see others location and save drafts was a huge miss that I couldn’t live without in the end.
Shortly after midnight on Thursday 14th April, Tweetbot for iPhone appeared in the App Store, created by tapbots. I’d heard rumblings about them working on a twitter app for months and being an owner of the gorgeous Convertbot I was very excited knowing the attention to detail they pay to their creations. Tweetbot also, in this case, didn’t fail in that department.
This app is polished to the hilt, it’s gorgeous. The sounds, the gestures, everything. Within minutes, Twitter.app was banished to a folder that resides on my second screen, named ‘Social’. That’s where all the other Twitter apps sit, having been tried and tested but not quite making Home Screen grade. Tweebot then proudly taking up home screen status next to my other most loved and used apps.
You can see the full list of features at the Tweetbot site, aswell as view the demo video which is much encouraged as it helped me understand what gestures do what. For an even more indepth look at the app, head over to macstories, who have written a mammoth review.
All I will say in ending is that this app costs just £1.19 for a limited time – you can’t go wrong. If it lured me away from being a loyal Tweetie/Twitter for iPhone users after all these years then that’s testament to a really great app. And I even gifted the app to my friend who is celebrating his birthday today, confident that he would use the app after a longtime Osfoora user. I think it’s safe to say he will be 
Tweetbot for iPhone [iTunes App Store link]
[rating: 5/5]
iPhone is all good in the Hood
6I like unusual things that make people smile. One of those was the Apple Logo Lamp I bought last week. Today it’s a Hoodie…for my iPhone.
Flicking through a magazine article recently, I spotted an iPhone wearing a hoodie. It was just too cute to ignore. The website advertised as carrying the hoodies in the article didn’t actually have any available, so after a quick Google search I found Amazon had them for £8.95. It fits iPod Classic, iPod touch and iPhone. Not knowing the specific dimensions of the Classic and iPod touch I wasn’t sure how fitting this would be for iPhone 4 – but it’s absolutely perfect. The back of the box it came in also says it will fit many other kinds of MP3 players and phones.
This might not be the kind of cover I’d feel too comfortable about carrying my iPhone around in outside, but it sure does stop the smooth back of the iPhone sliding around on my bed. But hey, more importantly than that it just looks so cool, to heck with it being practical!
[rating: 5/5]
FELTU sleeve for iPhone 4
0A couple of weeks ago I ordered a ‘Jeans Lovers’ iPhone 4 sleeve ($18.90) from FELTU.com after a friend mentioned it on Twitter. I’d already bought the Noir Luxe case some months ago, but have been looking for something a little more stylish and FELTU seemed to fit that bill.
The sleeve arrived yesterday and my first impressions were a little disappointing. It didn’t feel as well made as I anticipated and the ‘jeans’ material isn’t really denim at all – just a material that looks like it. I could get past this little cosmetic issue if it felt more protective than it does and had adequate velcro fastening. But really, that part is pretty much useless and barely fastens at all. I’m not confident that if I pulled it out of my pocket upside down that the velcro fastener would keep the phone from sliding out of the sleeve and crashing to the floor.
While it looks quite nice as you can see above, I just feel let down by the quality of it. The sleeve does appear quite a bit wider than the iPhone 4, so it’s definitely not snug and could easily slip out if that velcro isn’t secure. At the moment I am using it in the house only and feel that I will be popping it back into my Noir Luxe sleeve when I go out, for that added protection and the magnetic fastening which holds it in place.
So, my search for a both stylish and secure sleeve for iPhone 4 continues.
[rating:2/5]
The Allure of Instagram
1 year ago
Just finished reading a very interesting article named The Addictive Allure of Instagram by Faruk Ate in which I found myself agreeing with many of his points.
One of the things Instagram does very well is making the process of sharing a cool photo you just took to multiple sites really easy. After you’ve authenticated to them once initially, it is but a single tap (for each) to share your photo to Flickr, Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook.
And my feelings on Flickr and it’s community today are very much echoed by the author.
…more than anything else, for me personally Flickr has lost its sense of being a community site.
That is one of the saddest realisations I’ve had this year – the dying Flickr community. I am a member of quite a number of groups but have noticed photo views and comments dropping off in the last 12 months alone. This meant my interest in taking photos and in particular sharing them suffered until Instagram and it’s friendly community came along. It’s unlikely that I will now renew my Flickr Pro account next month.
Read The Addictive Allure of Instagram by Faruk Ate in full.
Thanks to Glyn from iPhoneography for tweeting the article.
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