What can you do with the iPhone camera?

In my last post I asking what was coming next to the iPhone, I mentioned that Apple are sure to improve the quality of the current 5MP camera. Well, routing through some old draws in the house I came across my first digital camera. A Canon IXUS300, now some 12 years old. Can’t find the charger for the propriety battery so there is nothing going on there.

But casting my mind back to when the camera was new I can remember getting some pretty good results from the 2.1MP sensor. Now, I know it’s not all about the the number of megapixels (I was working as a semipro photographer for a number of years so I do have some clue), so I won’t be boring you all about pixel size and density and signal to noise ratios etc. But the camera on the current iphone is actually pretty good.

I have to admit though that some of the great shots I have managed to snap have been purely down to the fact that I ALWAYS have my iPhone on me and I have been in the right place at the right time.

jtinseoul has posted on his blog about some of the best snaps he has taken using Apple iPhones and a couple of readily available apps for post processing.

So, I ask you, send me your best stuff that you have managed to snap over the years to be posted here for a critique and I will draw up a post of the best. Only rules are that they must have been tacken with the iPhone (3 or 4) and any post processing must have been completed on the iPhone itself.

Happy Snapping.

What do you want on the next iPhone?

The iPhone 4 is not all things to all people, obviously. But, given the option what is it that you would change/add?
Most of the responses to this are the same looking at the recent threads out there.

1) More storage
Is Apple really likely to ever increase the storage capacity of the iPhone range? My guess is you may see a 64gb model but it’s not likely to go any higher than this. With MobileMe about to get a revamp and iCloud Streaming on it’s way what is the point of increasing the capacity, it would simply be redundant.

2) Better camera
This will happen for sure. As consumer electronics move on specs get better all the time, the iPhone 4 already lags behind the competition when it comes to the camera. While the camera is sufficient for most and it does produce excellent results (in the right conditions) it can always be improved. This one however would not be a deal breaker for most.

3) iOS
The next release of the iPhone will almost certainly coincide with an iOS update or increment. So, this topic may be placed on the wrong post here as it is not really hardware specific. You could write a whole book on possible improvements for iOS 4. However, I think it really needs enhancements to the core functionality of the software rather then more features. Not that I wouldn’t say no to more features though. For me I want better corrective typing (as you can probably tell if up you have read much on this site) and quicker connection times to networks, oh and MUCH better notification handling

4) Faster processor
Of course! But this for me is also not a deal breaker, the current iPhone is a very capable device for me and is quick enough. However, as devs have quickly made use of the processing power in the iPad 2 the iPhone is sure to get a speed bump.

5) Screen
Apple would struggle to go any further With resolution on this one, already at ‘retina’ stage there is simply no point in upping the resolution any further. However, a few fingers are pointing to an increase in screen size. With a bump to 4.3 inches would the current resolution still be classed as retina? Anyone done the maths on this one.

So what are the things you are looking for on the next release….comments please

Google OCR

9 to 5 google recently reported on an Android app that I would love to see over on the iOS platform. Google OCR looks pretty impressive and I could really see it taking out some of long and laborious steps on document reproduction on the move. As previously mentioned I am a mobile worker publishing this blog (mostly bored from hotel rooms) while away from home doing my real job. This could really be the productivity tool of the year for some, check it out.

Apple Preventing User Upgrades

A number of sources including all the usual suspects have reported a number of difficulties in completing user part upgrades on the latest range of iMacs. This in reality is hardly surprising. Apple has many options in the Apple Store for specifying your machine to your desired specification but as any one has tried these come at a pretty price indeed.

So it didn’t take long for iFixit to get their delicate hands on the new range of iMacs. For those not in the know these guys are brilliant at posting very precise and well written articles on how you can get into the guts of most of the tech on the market. They in return seem to want to sell you a SPUDGER for every job you do but in truth are not usually required.

They rated the upgrade of a replacement HDD on the new iMac as very difficult indeed and not for the feint hearted.

This is where a number of people have moaned and groaned about the lack of accessibility and just how hard these upgrades are. Now, Apple do allow you to perform user hardware upgrades – the the RAM by the simple removal of a couple of screws and hey presto you are in, beyond this things get tricky and for a reason.

First you have to remove the front glass, a ton of screws pull a few wires, stand on your head, chant abuse and then you might get lucky.

The reasons, user experience and revenue.

Apple always provide excellent products, FACT. If you want to open up any PC on the market most of them have thumb screws or simple latches almost inviting you in, Apple don’t do this because they don’t want you in possibly installing inferior hardware that at some point could impede the running of your machine. But the biggest reason though is revenue.

Apple Store upgrades are expensive and provide more revenue, small bumps in HDD size often result on over £100 increases to the bottom line that in real terms are only £10-£20 in the cost of product – more money made. Hell, go all out and you can quickly get into the £1000’s before you get to the bottom line. However the biggest reason is that user upgrade may just result in the end user getting a year of maybe even 2 years use out of the same machine. Now Apple users never really go back to the dark side and choose a PC by choice, they will replace their Mac with a new(er) one. This may in real terms will reduce the sales cycle for Apple and reduce revenue costs over the lifetime of a users purchases considerably. Add all the Mac users together and you quickly get into big numbers.

So it’s not that they don’t agree with you upgrading you Mac yourself, they as per always just want their cut.

Why the iPad will win the tablet war

Many a weighty tome has been written over the current tablet war, enough to keep up you going for hours should you wish. Being something of a (massive) Apple fan there was only going to be a single choice for me. Apart from the fact that there was practically no other tablet avaialbe when I bought my iPad.

Even if the iPad was number two in the market it would have still been Apple for me because well, I’m biased.

However, after reading all the tablet news at length I am sure there are a number of passable alternatives to the iPad. Note the term ‘passable alternatives’, I am using this phrase after witnessing first hand the main reason the iPad will win. While watching TV last night with my wife, she was learning what Lady Gaga was all about on Radio 1’s one big weekend ( She swears she has never send her before), my wife decided that it might be a good idea to go to an impending fancy dress party as said Lady Gaga. I hate fancy dress parties but that is another story. So, she decided to research some outfit ideas. Rather than walking to the other room away from the TV, I suggested she use my iPad. It quickly dawned on me however that she had never used and iOS device before, surenshenis pretty fluent as a user on the family iMac but iOS.

I started her off in mobile Safari and that was it, it was actually quite eye opening to witness. Sure, when a new piece of iOS software is released or you try out the latest app released you quickly find your away round it. That’s because you are used to the iOS system. Or so I thought. My wife actually found using the iPad so easy she was adding bookmarks, opening new windows, scrolling and pinching like she had been doing it for years. No wonder there are so many reports of children using the iPad, it really is child’s play.

Contrast this with my first time on an Android device. Now I consider my self pretty well versed in finding myself around a new system. Heavy Mac and iOS usage along with an a MCSE sees me having been well exposed over the years. But Android, I dismay. I first tried out Samsung Galaxy Tab shortly after it was launched, the damn thing is just so user unfriendly. The things are just not ordered in a logical way, trying to find some of the basic settings saw me several menus deep and completely in the wrong place. Ok, coming from an iOS device I was expecting something impressive, it needs to be to tempt the Apple followers, after 5 minutes I had to put it down for fear of smashing the thing up and incurring the wrath of the spotty sales people. Steve Jobs it would seem is rarely wrong – “it just works”.

iMac Refresh is Here

Apple have at last refreshed the iMac line as pictured below.

Don’t look very different do they.

That because from the outside you would be hard pushed to notice the difference, until you looked around the back anyway and saw the not one but two Thunderbolt ports.
As usual the line up increases the specs and essentially keeps the same price point.

Will you be upgrading from your current model and is it worth it?

Sent from my iPad

The New MobileMe?

So have you signed up to MobileMe and wondered if it was worth it? I did, some months ago and I can’t say that I have really had my money’s worth from it.

The best feature for me has been the syncing of the calendar services between my iphone, ipad and imac (oh and old Thinkpad which is still amazing, apart from the OS). But of course all this available with Google Calendar.

Then we have email, again all in sync using IMAP. Again, all available with Google
Then we have iDisk…..dropbox, box.net (plus loads more)
Then we have find my iPhone – oh that’s now free anyway
Then we have Gallery – a load of options
Then we have, then we have

I did but it though because even though I had all the free alternatives I really just wanted to open up up the settings and insert a username and password and I’m off. When you decide to reload your mac, iPad or iPhone from scratch this really does take the pain away.

With rumours of a new and improved service on its way Apple is really going to have to step up its game here as they are not exactly in top gear with a £59 subscription when all the above is available for free.

What are your thoughts, let me know

Apple poking fun at themselves – NEVER!

Apple have chaged their homepage to include a picture of the (in)famous white iPhone 4. Mst amusing is the very simple strap line

FINALLY.

MacBook Air Parody

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Foxconn Employees Collared

We all love it when something is leaked on the internet. Thanks to a a few crafty Foxconn employees we were all blessed with a early lead regarding the shape and size of the iPad 2. Some say it wasn’t worth it. The employees may not think so either

As reported from DigiTmes

Several online shopping retailers in China were able to sell iPad 2′s protective case products before the iPad 2 was even launched, leading Foxconn to suspect that there might have been some employees leaking the design of iPad 2 which it reported to the local police. The local police on December 26, 2010, arrested three employees that were suspected of leaking the design, and officially charged the three employees for violating the company’s trade secrets on March 23, 2011, the reported added.