apple – Page 2 – atmaspheric

1/29/2010

Configure Safari for Apps

An interesting development within the .Mac Gallery App for iPhone is the ability to configure the iPhone to redirect activity to the app over the browser.

I could easily see this evolving quickly to include all kinds of apps that can deliver a richer experience over the browser. If you are a publisher, this seems like a no-brainer. The New York Times showed off their swanky new iPad app this week and I would certainly want to direct traffic to that once installed. The mobile web is great, but the richer experience of the application is much more compelling.

The potential for a brand to earn greater traction within their app just by tweaking an existing consumer behavior – clicking a shared link in email – is quite high in this case and something I definitely want to consider for client engagements we develop in the near term.

BTW – The Gallery app also includes a friend feature which while totally manual in nature (adding people) is I believe Apple’s first real nod to social connections.

1/28/20101/29/2010

When unlocked really means locked

I’m psyched for the iPad probably getting a 3G model and already an ATT customer so I don’t really care about what I am about to suggest …

It occured to me in one of the many conversations about the iPad today that while the device is being sold and marketed as unlocked, it really doesn’t even matter. With the new microSIM format you need to find a carrier that also offers this new sim card or you can’t use it. The illusion of choice, end of story.

AT&T can afford to offer a very competitive rate on the data because there’s no other option. It’s actually pretty brilliant marketing for both Apple and their pending carrier partners.

1/28/2010

iPad offers a clean slate

What is the iPad?

On the surface, the iPad is a larger iPod Touch. What it represents however, is an opportunity for considerably more. While tablets have been tried many times and failed, Apple is leading the curve of thinking with a very new approach that solves against emerging consumer technology needs. Instead of taking the failed routes of the past and forcing a desktop computing metaphor into a touch-based interface, Apple has instead evolved the mobile phone experience developed for the iPhone into a broader experience.

It’s easy to see the form factor and initial core apps as just larger format iPod apps, but the extra speed, enhanced multi-touch controls, 10-hour battery and larger size reveal the potential for Apple to extend into a few possible areas. All day connected access in an ultralight and slim form factor is very strong base on which to build. As much as we tend to use our iPhones now the experience will only evolve substantially through a more immersive and engaging platform like the iPad. Size matters.

Apple has clearly covered their core mobile applications, but provided all the cues on how to enhance applications from the iPhone into the iPad format. Using the new enhanced gesture controls and UI components a standard for handheld computing can quickly and consistently evolve. The core suite of multimedia functions combined with an enhanced (larger & faster) browsing experience and the iTunes Store ecosystem for content delivery and management make for a robust out of the box experience. In typical fashion, Apple has thought through the entire user experience.

With iBooks, the iPad handily defeats the Kindle DX even with fewer launch titles. The recently announced Kindle API will have to combat the inertia from what Apple has already earned with 140,000 (compatible) applications. Apple’s battery life (claim) removes the perceived limitation of color screen ebook readers. The lower than expected screen resolution and pixel density may have some eye-strain impact, but we will have to wait and see if there are any true complaints or issues.

On first glance the lack of both a 16×9 format screen and an HD output may seem like critical oversights, but seeing how Apple is crafting a new category, it’s easy to see why they are actually very smart choices. The iPad’s Pixel-doubling screen technology enables the vast library of existing iPhone apps to work automatically and why would we want to play HD video from the iPad to an HDTV, when it’s most likely going to remain in our hands for multi-screen consumption.

Pricing is very competitive and considering this is likely to be a 3^rd mobile device following a phone and laptop, it needs to be. Apple announced that all iPads will be sold unlocked unlike the iPhone, so regardless of whether there’s a carrier deal in place, there’s little risk for an international purchase.

What’s particularly interesting for the iPad is what lies ahead. A new category means the opportunity for new use cases. Many companies have envisioned how the digital home or office will evolve and Apple has provided a clean slate on which to ponder new opportunities.

1/11/20101/11/2010

Nokia shares the “fun” with Apple

Seeing this tonight brought me back to the days I tried to do all my multimedia from a Nokia. As anyone can tell you updating the library is an all to common occurance with Nokia previously concealed by Apple.

Looks like those days are toast.

Posted via email from atmaspheric endeavors

12/31/200912/31/2009

Apple’s cooking their own Social Location

Not too surprising to see, and frankly not real yet … 9to5Mac reports on a patent that covers a pending piece of Apple tech to match and enhance the capabilities currently found in Latitude – at least on the surface. The goodies within the patent seem to indicate that geo-data will be able to extend to both sms and instant messages making it more of a system wide feature.

I’m hoping this leads to a more standard way to handle location data. Apple seems “good enough” to start as a source for handling this … I just hope it’s not restricted to Apple only things. That would be a very Nokia-like approach (Friendview anyone?) and one that while successful within it’s own world, would severely limit the opportunity. On second thought it does actually sound a lot like what’s baked into Nokia Chat Ovi Contacts.

12/17/200912/17/2009

A small wishlist for the iPhone in 2010

The more I use a a variety of mobile devices I keep coming back to a few seemingly arbitrary limits of the iPhone. I’m hoping the following issues are resolved in a future release:

If I can’t have all apps multitask I would prioritize media playing apps. There is no reason why listening to audio needs to monopolize a device – ever. This is not a radio, it’s a pocket computer come on!

While on the topic of media, it also seems quite abitrary that Apple’s core app functions are not available to things like Pandora or Last.fm. Why can’t I see the album art like from the ipod when waking the screen? Why can’t the remote button on our headphones also control these 3rd party apps.

These are details but severly limit how the iphone works.

One final nit I have is regarding voice control. I’d like to know what genius thought it should just be on all the time with headphones?! As a result my music is constantly interrupted by the iphone’s expectation of a voice command. This only seems to happen with the standard headphones but happens both indoors as well as out.

11/2/200911/2/2009

Switching iphones

This weekend I made a trip to the Apple store to finally deal with the terrible (worse than yours) battery life I have been experiencing with the 3GS. It did not take long for the Genius to confirm the battery was defective and I was soon on my way with a replacement device.

When I got home it was time to go through the restore process to hopefully be back where I was data-wise and hopefully things would be as they were. My experience was largely positive though a few notes.

1. The single connection through iTunes remains an amazingly strong point for Apple. The way a device backs up and restores is unparalled. Not perfect, but solid.

2. If you dont use iPhoto or Aperture for imaging you need to manually back up your pictures but the restore process does bring them back a well as all that data is stored together.

3. iTunes installed every app I had ever downloaded which was not what I wanted at all but it has been easier to remove things again than trying to hunt down apps again.

4. The application restration process sets up apps in alphabetical order which is seriosly annoying. I have more apps than can be displayed now and even using iTunes to slide things around, it will take a while and some patience to rebuild my prior setup.

5. I have 3 email accounts and both my work exchange account as well as my .me account needed to have their passwords entered to connect. My voicemail password also needed to be entered though that happened before I had a chance to sync and seemed more related to visual voicemail wanting to connect.

The process of restoring the iPhone, updating the software to the latest version and then resyncing all my media took a few hours. I only had to click ok a few times and spent most of the time cycling so I hardly noticed.

Replacing a device because you need to too is consderably less fun than when you choose to buy a new one. Even with the few hitches Ive menioned Apple is leading the customer experience in an area that is always frustrating.

10/27/200910/27/2009

Hoping Nokia Listens and Takes Action

Thanks to IntoMobile, I’ve discovered this video which captures so many excellent critical points about the N97 …

The N97 represents so many things that are just plain wrong with how Nokia typically brings a product to market. Â Instead of waiting until the all pieces are in place they ship and expect that customers will be fine with a firmware update (or three) until the dust settles and you finally have the product you thought you bought in the first place.

What Nokia seems to have failed to recognize is that the market has shifted and consumer expectations are considerably greater thanks to the competitive spirit driven by the iPhone and quickly followed by Android, Blackberry and Palm. Â You can’t keep pretending to get it right and then fix it later. Â There are simply too many other products available that suit the needs of quite a few customer segments. Â As you might notice from this helpful chart Apple is quickly working it’s way into the business set as well …

Things have to change at Nokia and in a substantial way or sadly we’ll just continue to see the market share numbers drop … complacency is not the answer. As a long time loyal user and fan, I find it frustrating that so little has changed since the arrival of the iPhone – which is clearly the marker by which the shift in consumer understanding and usage changed considerably. It seems so clear to everyone, yet Nokia continues to do it all over and over again.

Don’t even get me started on services …

6/25/2009

When are iTunes and the iPhone going to grow up?

I believe Palm and Windows Mobile devices have had the ability to install applications over bluetooth for at least 10 years, probably longer. My history with S60 is shorter, but there has never been a time when I was unable to install something over basic bluetooth or USB. Apple has severly limited (as in removed) this functionality and as anyone who’s used the iPhone can attest, you can’t use bluetooth access to send and receive files or any data for that matter. Rememeber beaming? Palm invented (in 1992 I believe) that nice feature to make it simple to send your business card to another user … As an interesting footnote in gadget history, the Palm also cost $299 when it was released.

iTunes has a lot going for it. It’s the dominant media management software thanks to the market dominance of the ipod. With the iPhone Apple delivered what is probably the strongest sync solution of any mobile phone. Other’s have similar desktop solutions, but the simplicity with which iTunes is able to handle all your data is stellar.

So what could possibly be changed?

The strength of iTunes desktop sync is actually its biggest weakness. While you can have up to 5 computers authorized to play your media content from the iTunes store, you can only sync your device with a single machine. What’s the point of this silly limit. It’s hardly difficult to move files around via the broader internet if you like and maintaining basic playcounts and similarities within a library are not that hard. Though with iTunes you essentially have to hack the system in order to even manually copy files to a mobile device – forget sync. Media is an easy target as that effects more people and the limit is probably driven out of a paranoid legal department wanting to appease the ignorant MPAA and RIAA.

What I don’t understand though is why other parts of the iTunes sync system are simply blocked because your iPhone is already associated with another computer. I have 5 systems in my iTunes world. There are actually more if you count the additional OS installs I’ve done on the netbook, but regardless I have 5 computers authorized to play content. I’d actually like to sync some data on 3 of the 5 and this is impossible if you play by the rules.

With the current restriction, I am unable to install or backup anything outside of my main desktop, period. In my considerable experience with other mobile platforms (years of Palm and S60 devices) this rule has never applied. Going back to my early palm days I used to use the device as the actual conduit between machines to maintain the same data in multiple (work and personal) systems. With S60 my plan evolved a bit thanks to the evolution of server sync. Today the bulk of my PIM data comes through exchange but with the iPhone I am also syncing personal data through my home config which includes multiple iCal calendars.

You get the point, there’s a mix … There is however no mix of where my device data can reside. Apple has decided that for me based on where I first did my sync. I purchased the iPhone 3G S on my way to work last week and because I wanted to have some media on it for the commute home, I did a sync (and backup) with my work pc. When I later connected the iPhone to my home computer, I received the following warning:

As you can see, you will actually LOSE the data that’s on your device in exchange for the right to sync with another one of YOUR authorized systems. WTF? It’s my data yet I have no control over how I use it? Right … I’m currently beta testing Pocket Universe (as noted in my previous post). The only way to install a beta app is via iTunes … and as you can probably guess at this point ONLY the main iTunes. If you want to install from a different machine, iTunes will actuall ERASE the apps you have on your device in exchange for what’s on the desktop. Um, NO! How about this … since iTunes is the sole conduit for applications do a damn backup and since you know there won’t be any surprises with where things have come from – applications and downloads are even all connected to your apple ID which of course drives the iTunes ecosystem.

I’m used to being in control of my data – how I access it, where I back it up and when and where I want to change it. When is Steve going to allow the iProduct to actually be myProduct?

6/25/20096/25/2009

Pocket Universe Brings Augmented Reality to the iPhone

I’ve always been interested in astronomy but would hardly call myself an expert. Now though with the help of Pocket Universe, I will be able to learn quite a lot.

The coolest feature is hands down the virtual sky which offers an augmented reality type of experience. As you are not looking through the camera the data is not viewed as a layer, but at night that would be pretty hard to see anyway. As you’ll see in the short video below, the full feature set of the iPhone 3G S is called into action. On launch, my location is queried, and then the compass guides your view of the sky to reveal exactly what can be found at a given time and place. It’s awesome! In this video I do a quick search for the big dipper and you’ll see Pocket Universe guides me to find it …

I’ll apologize for the blurrycam … the Flip Mino HD apparently does not like close up night time photography. I should also note this AR feature is part of an unreleased beta but coming soon …

I’m looking forward to exploring the night skies with the kids on our upcoming vacation and now that summer is here, we can get the telescope out as well for a closer look. Pocket Universe is amazingly rich source of astronomy info and to be honest I’ve just started to scratch the surface, but I really like what I see. It’s well worth $2.99.

6/23/20096/23/2009

The iphone’s closed but no one seems to mind

I don’t know that the average mobile consumer knows or cares but the iPhone is a surprisingly closed platform. You’d think with the massive volume of applications and sales that it would naturally be open, but like all Apple products there are rules and the best oportunities are left for the house.

As I mentioned on my previous post, there is no way to get native multitasking going with a 3rd party application. For most people this is a non issue, but the more advanced consumer will definitely find limits with push notices. There is no way to stream last.fm or pandora while web browsing or emailing … No way to upload a picture through ShoZu or pixelpipe while snapping another. These are things I have been accustomed to for years yet are completely blocked on the iPhone. Apple’s solution is to email a reduced size picture from the camera roll instead of allowing 3rd party apps to help out. On the music side of course you have your iPod which plays anywhere.

Application amd network limits are another point of interest. Sling and Qik have yet to make an appearance yet MLB was able to offer 3G as well as wifi access to the games of your choice. The iTunes application will not let you download over wifi yet tap tap revenge is quite happy to let you download new tracks over 3G as I experienced last night. These network blocks seem to be the result of a carrier deal by AT&T here in the US and it’s definitely a cop out on a less than ideal network rollout. The fact that the new iPhone happily seemlessly switches to AT&T wifi at starbucks and other locations is no miracle … It is providing relief to the network strain the iPhone has brought.

The iPhone truly does offer a remarkable experience for a handheld device yet it also seems to be blocked of things other devices have either long been capable – even those offered by the very same AT&T. I know similar blocks exist in other markets as well …

While we all accept the “Apple Tax” on pricing of hardware the limits on the software and services side are unique to the iPhone. The basic BS limits you find on carrier delivered devices have simply been switched around for a new set offered by Apple instead. It’s curious how most tend not to be bothered by these restrictions … Presumably based on the superior level of finish and user experience no one wants to give back.

I’d really just like to have it all.

(btw I tapped this out in the wordpress iPhone app)

6/22/20096/23/2009

The iPhone returns … iPhone 3G S

>edfa been a really long time since I used an iphone for anything. My original iPhone essentially became a paperweight after about 3 months and the SIM card has rotated through a dozen or more devices since. Even so I felt compelled to check it out once again and once I realized that the (subsized) price for the 32GB model was $100 less than the equivalent iPod Touch, I was sold.

It’s hard to not be impressed with what’s changed since the original. The hardware is sleek, lighter and includes some serious power boosts making what was a previously slow unit intensely fast! The iPhone 3G S might be the fastest device I’ve used. The basic navigation is effortless and switching between open apps and the finder and back to re-open an app is very smooth. I’m still in the process of re-familiarizing myself with the flow and while there are some new additions with 3.0, but it’s not exactly hard to figure anything out here. First take, the iPhone has truly advanced in 2.5 generations.

My main issue currently is one that will probably improve with time though never quite be what I’ve grown accustomed to via S60 which is multitasking. The same core apps get that treatment while 3rd party developers have try to work through the (barely live) push notices. I’ve got a few apps installed that allegedly use this (AP News, Umbrella, Tapulous) and have gotten a few from AP… The process is simple enough but the limits of the implementation mean that the information yo get carries no context. You still have to find and launch the AP App, wait for it to refresh and then find the headline if you want to read the full piece. That’s less than ideal … Why we can’t simply get some sort of link that deep links to the app is beyond me. Oh right without multitasking, your app can’t update until it’s open. Similar currently running app limits apply across the board. You can’t stream music from last.fm or pandora and do anything else – background notices have nothing to offer streaming media.

The first generation battery was quite weak by my standards. Today I found I had burned over 50% of the battery in a few hours of use. Looks like moderate usage will yield a full day, but I’d be nervous having a really heavy day of usage without access to some extra juice. Standard smartphone …

I’ll have some more thoughts soon enough … for now though I am very pleased with this upgrade regardless of the background process limits. The iPhone is clearly a well polished, easy to use and very powerful device. Strong subsidized pricing make it an easy choice …

6/14/20096/14/2009

Is the 13″ MacBookPro a Shot at Netbooks?

Apple’s COO Tim Cook had stated the following regarding netbooks in a recent earnings call:

â€œWhen I look at netbooks, I see cramped keyboards, terrible software, junky hardware, very small screens. Itâ€™s just not a good consumer experience and not something we would put the Mac brand on. Itâ€™s a segment we would not choose to play in.â€

For the past month or so, I’ve been thinking what my next netbook might be …

With the prices as they are it’s easy to consider netbooks almost temporary machines. My good friend Andy Abramson almost considers them disposable leaving his MacBook Air in the hotel safe and dragging around the netbook which he can afford to have smashed or even stolen.

In my case, I have been trying to do as much as possible on the netbook and while that’s been both largely successful and pleasurable, there are certainly some limits. The newer crop of netbooks is supposed to alleviate the video processing power and heavy flash web page processing the Atom really does at admirable job trying to handle, but lags. Battery life is of course a major plus on netbooks and I’ve gotten as much as 7.5 hours of active use during a day of business. I love that the battery is solid enough to go a few days of intermittent use without even having to plug in – something my other laptops (work lenovo X61 and personal 15″ macbookpro) can only dream of managing.

The new 13″ MacBookPro is completely changing my perspective on mobility … It’s only slightly larger and about 1lb heavier than I’m used to carrying around but offers an quantum difference in capabilities. The price is rather different as well. Instead of topping out at around $500 for a netbook, the 13″ MacBook is closer to $1800 configured the way I’d want. The price difference, while considerable is small compared to the newly found power I’m likely to find once again. Â And let’s not overlook the new battery power to die for according to Anandtech … making the MacBookPro even more attractive!

While netbooks are really about compromises … MacBookPro’s are not.

6/13/20096/13/2009

The server is not responding

Thought I might check what pricing options were available to me as an original iPhone customer …

It’s hard to make up better errors. 16 hours and 40 minutes??

4/4/20094/5/2009

The mobile phone is the social camera

I started to leave a blog comment on Antonio’s post and decided to do it here instead …

When I read the rumor that Apple has ordered a 5MP CMOS sensor for an unspecified product, it screamed to me of another coming disruption, this time around the point-and-shoot slice of the digital camera market. Because while the market for digicams is still growing at a healthy clip, the fat belly of point-and-shoot cameras has been relatively stalled since 2007 and shows signs of becoming a segment dominated by price and share warsâ€” in other words, ripe for an Apple-like disruption.

A lot of the industry analysts that cover the emerging mobile space have been saying for a long time that better cellphone cameras would eventually kill the point-and-shoot, but I’m not sure that it is quite that simple. Or that is, before we get to this cellphone-as-camera nirvana, we may still have room for the iPod Touch of cameras (one that is connected but without a data plan). This would allow for all sorts of neat use cases around the concept of the “Social Camera, ” some similar to what Eye-Fi allows today, albeit with richer, more mass-market integration.

And best of all, if such a device was based on the iPhone platform, we’d benefit from the same Precambrian-like explosion of apps to explore every corner of the programable camera universe in a much more rich way than any one company could.[ The Onda]

An interesting thought for sure, but here’s where I see it really going. I already have a social camera and it’s called ANY Nokia handset I’ve used in the past several years.

Here’s how it works:

I take a picture and share it instantly via (your choice) Share Online or Shozu.
My current arrangement is via Share Online and pics pass through Pixelpipe which is an amazing photo mediation service. My default setting sends pictures to Flickr, Ovi, Facebook and Twitpic – all at once. Share Online also regularly checks Ovi and Flickr for new media, media that I’ve commented on and media of mine that’s been commented on and brings it all to me – even nicely notifying me via the homescreen.
Pictures and Video I capture are geotagged and mapped on the supporting services as well so I’ve got a very rich contextual map of my media.

The social camera is here now. Â It’s easy to use and has worked for a while. Â I”m sure Apple has a perspective on this, but my guess is that it will happen on the existing platform not via some new piece of hardware.

2/24/20092/24/2009

Safari 4 Quick Take

I just downloaded and installed Safari 4 on two machines – my work laptop (XP) and my netbook (Win7) which are both PC’s. It’s immediately noticeable how quickly pages render and that’s courtesy of Safari’s new javascript engine. Safari also brings HTML 5 and CSS 3 support which is great news for web app developers and Web 2 enthusiasts.

There are definitely some bugs though as you should expect in a beta. In Gmail, if you click a link within a message you get a new window instead of a tab which is how my preference is set. This is the same BS that exists in the current release of Safari.
Clicking the title on a Digg post opens the page in the current view rather than opening a tab as you see in Firefox and Chrome.Â Interesting that this is the exact opposite of the way links are handled in the first point.
On both my systems (XP and 7) even with the preference set from within Safari, I am unable to get it to be the default browser.
I tried to install Gears which appeared to install, but on restart of Safari, I found the browser had reset â€“ no saved bookmarks, passwords etc.Â Iâ€™d only been using it for about 30 minutes so the loss was not severe, though annoying to have to re-enter things.
I can’t add a new bookmark (only a folder) in the bookmark manager.
Itâ€™s impossible to add a link to a postÂ using WordPressâ€™ graphical editor as seen here:

I’ve also noticed some striking similarities between Chrome and Safari … The Top Sites view (first image of the post) is very similar to the Most Visted view in Chrome though it seems to load a live view of sites when possible which is a nice touch. Safari has also moved the tabs to the top of the window panel and added two icons over on the right side of the upper chrome which are very similar to Chrome’s … On the left is Safari 4 and on the right is Chrome:

Sure the changed the wrench to the gear, but the options in both menus are very similar.

Thereâ€™s a cover view option in bookmarks which will also look to show you a live view.Â I donâ€™t tend to use local bookmarks much aside from bookmarklets so this is not of much interest to me though I suppose would appeal to a more mainstream consumer.

Iâ€™ll probably play around some more but until I can get around the tab issues and the default browser setting, using Safari is annoying â€“ even though it is seriously fast!

2/22/20092/22/2009

iPhoto ’09 Face Fail

In general the new iPhoto is really an excellent upgrade. There are a slew of interface changes and I am actually giving a lot of consideration to moving back to iPhoto from Aperture. That said, the new Faces feature definitely needs some work. It seems to require a lot of training to start recognizing things and does not like different angled shots of the same person. And then of course there are things like this:

1/28/20091/28/2009

Palm vs Apple

There’s no doubt in my mind that the Palm Pre is going to be a winner …. if they don’t get sued by Apple for patent infringement for the multi-touch BS that just went through. Engadget has a great analysis on the topic and shows how Apple actually borrowed a few tricks from Palm’s IP library … Should make for an a fascinating court case if it goes down. If the Pre does make it through without issue, it opens the door for others to implement multi-touch in a similar way … everyone could win.