iPhone 4: a rather fantastic sunny day camera...

Here I go again, Apple this, Apple that. I can't help it. I've tried to fight the geeky title 'fanboy' but it seems to draw ever nearer. Ok, the reasons why I'm not a fanboy:

1. I won't buy a product if I don't think it's up to the job.
2. I buy products to do stuff, not just to complete the collection.
3. I don't have every product Apple has ever made (although they're racking up).

Seriously, I don't have an iPad, or an iMac, or a MacBook Air. In fact I only have four products that work fairly seamlessly together. I can write about that in another post though. My point is I'm not a fanboy. Yet.

So, on Thursday we woke up and green had turned to white, an amazing amount of snow overnight. After suffering cabin fever throughout Thursday I was delighted to wake up on Friday to find the same snow but with that big yellow orb in the sky shining bright and not a cloud to be seen.

My first thought: photos. The iPhone 4 has surprised me for a number of reasons, one being the quality of the camera. Yes, the flash was never going to be the best in the world, and in low light subjects still turn out a little grainy. However, when the sun comes out I seem to get comments of amazement. With its 5-megapixels of loveliness, it weighs in at less than my point-and-shoot, but with the HDR function (where it takes three photos and puts them all together to make the colour nice) I have to say I think it's better. Throw in the geotagging and the HD video recording and, well...this is where the other products come in. I got home, turned on my Apple TV and showed my photos straight away, nice and big. Ooh...aaahhh...the living room lit up like Guy Fawkes night fireworks.

The iPhone 4 does most things well, that's why I have one. To carry one less item around - like my camera - makes my life easier. Well done Apple. Now let's get that video streaming from the iPhone gallery sorted.

Apple TV...Star Date 4.1...

It's updating right now. Kind of exciting really. It's something Apple have really got right isn't it, free software updates. In the olden days when phones had reliable batteries and actually made phone calls, it was a case of putting up with the phone you had for the duration of your contract. Nowadays our devices are updated fairly regularly to satisfy the insatiable hunger of us consumers. Oh, and to compete with the other platforms of course. I don't know about you but I'd certainly consider one of those Googledroid phones if Apple wasn't around. They're looking pretty tasty nowadays. Sorry, I digress.

I've had the Apple TV for a little while. And before you start shouting 'Apple-whore' over your glass of Chateauneuf-Du-Pape, I readily admit it's something I wanted rather than needed. I love the interface, it's so easy to navigate, although the remote does interfere with the MacBook, so I find A-Ha starts playing when I switch it on. The internet section is good, although I would like to see the inclusion of a streaming service here in the UK. We don't get Netflix like you brothers and sisters over the pond. The streaming from other computers is, as they say in the Bridworks naming department, 'awesome', and I'm guessing in about ten minutes time I'll be able to stream video straight from my iPhone.

Wow. Hasn't technology come a long way. If you'd told me five years ago that I would be able to shoot HD video on my phone and send directly and immediately to my TV, I would have probably accused you of watching too much Star Trek and called you an ambulance.

Awesome Note...

Awesome Note - named by a teenage surfer?

Yes, ok, I have an iPhone. Don't roll your eyes and tut. Lots of people have them you know, so don't give me that look. Aside from being the new crackberry in terms of addictiveness it's also pretty much anything you want it to be, owing to the highly successful app store on iTunes. In a way, the app store has been an ever-so-slightly victim of its own success. Although it prides itself on being a walled garden there have been a truck load of highly dubious apps passing through. Also, lots of apps just don't take advantage of the design potential of the iPhone. You really have to wade through the slurry of design awfulness to get to the good stuff.

Now let's get one thing straight, I think whoever was in charge of the naming meeting at Bridworks was either a teenage surfer or Australian (maybe both). If I was choosing apps on names alone, I don't think I would have ever bought Awesome Note. But, oh, what a lovely interface. It's really what the iPhone was made for as far as marrying design and productivity. You can make notes with a gazillion choices of background, include photos and maps and sync it seemlessly with Evernote or Google Docs. It's certainly made my life easier with it's alarm notifications, and kept me interested with its customisable interface.

Bridworks, I salute you. In future though, could you put a grown up in charge of naming your apps?