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Archive for the ‘iPhone’ Category

O2 Drop Unlimited Data Contracts

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In the wake of Apple’s WWDC 2010 conference, it appears that network providers around the globe are now dropping their unlimited data packages (and not just for the iPhone). It seamed that only minutes after Steve Jobs sat down, AT&T dropped their package, and the next day @O2 did the same in the UK.

This instantly angered me and my fellow O2 iPhone friends, being limited to 500MB a month seamed painful. It got me thinking about how I use my phone, as I see myself as a relatively heavy user. I use my phone regularly to check Twitter, The Register, SlashDot, Google Blogs, Twitter Blogs, the BBC and much much more. And of course the odd bit of YouTube and WeRule (sad I know). I thought that this would surely mount up to a lot of data usage.

To my surprise I have only used 2.1GB of data since I got my iPhone (in October 2009), however the surprise was short lived. When I am at home, I have WiFi, when I am at work/the cafe/my Girlfriends/etc I have WiFi, so it all comes down the pipes rather than over the air!

So yes O2 are about to limit us, but as they say most of us won’t even notice!! My only concern is that with the incoming iPhone 4 (and iOS4 for the 3GS) some of us will start having streaming programs running in the background as we walk from A to B (listening to spotify or similar), so perhaps O2 should use a different model than just limiting us all! They say that the problem is the 1% that use crazy amounts of data, perhaps just put it in the fair use, and charge them rather than limiting us all!

The Official Twitter iPhone Application

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Twitter for iPhone App Icon

Twitter for iPhone App Icon

So here it is the long promised Official Twitter iPhone Application, first impression upon loading it from the Apple AppStore was that the icon needs a bit of work, almost like it had been rushed.

But more importantly what is the application like? Opening the app up for the first time presented me with a screen showing the latest tweets of interest and trends. I would show you a screen shot, but stupidly I rushed passed that page and logged in (you get a similar page once logged in).  What did surprise me was the basic authentication method that was used, “please enter your username and password”. Surely the official Twitter app should be using oAuth? If someone like me can slave over a PHP oAuth system, then Twitter’s dev team can create a layer for the iPhone!??

But what do my tweets look like I hear you shout (or I might be imagining it), well they look like this.

Official Twitter iPhone App - Timeline

Official Twitter iPhone App - Timeline

They appear to have taken the standard layout, author image to the left (unless its your’s, then its to the right). @kaivana ‘s tweet is shown with a blue background I presume because it is tweeted at me! Oh and @Tony_Hillier is trying the new app also, hence the random “Tweet Tweet”.

My current iPhone Twitter client is TwitBird Pro, and the only thing that I feel this page is missing is the background image feature that TwitBird Pro offers.  Perhaps @Twitter will take notice and do an update!

The icons along the bottom of the screen provide a few extra views,

  • Speach bubble provides your standard home timeline.
  • @ symbol unsprisingly provides a list of tweets in which you are mentioned.
  • Letter provides your direct messages, grouped by user which is a nice touch.
  • The hand glass provides the more interesting feature allowing for trending topics and searches.
  • The triple dots gives access to the settings and your favourite tweets and lists.

Clicking onto a tweet performs the usual action of showing the tweet along with and links for #hashtags and @usernames. If the tweet is geo-tagged then it will also show a nice little map which can be extended with a click to a full screen view.  The normal access to a users bio is also available when you click on their name, which gives a funky feature allowing you to import their info into an iPhone contact!

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QR Codes

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Just a quick post, as it’s just a quick topic!  I’m just randomly surfing the interwebs at the moment before contemplating going to bed.  I followed a link off of one of the people I follow on twitter (@GinaTripani), and took a poke around one of her posts on LifeHacker about QR Codes.

The QR Code for OnlyIdiotsAssume.co.uk

The QR Code for OnlyIdiotsAssume.co.uk

For those that don’t know, a QR code is a graphic akin to an old style marconi mark.  You often find them on the back of packing and on electronics.  They are basicly a way of storing data in a 3d barcode, much like the standard 2d barcode found on everything in the shops.

You can read these barcodes with an ever increasing number of mobile phones, and via apps on the iPhone and Android phones.  The QR Code to the right contains a URL, to OnlyIdiotsAssume.co.uk.  It was generated using a free web-app at kaywa.com

So as Gina said in her post, all that I have left to do is get my code printed onto some stickers, and start sticking them all over the place!!!!  As those with iPhones and Androids will notice them, and as such its free advertising!!

TTPMO: eBooks verses Printed Books

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Recently in the press we have heard about the “print media”, such as books and news papers, bringing out charging systems for their online content.  For example the New York Times is reported to be bringing in a charging structure for 2011 <cite>.

Authors have recently been provided with a workable and accessible system for their printed works to be made available on like, that system is commonly known as the eBook.  The open eBook format can be read by many different devices from the iPhone to the humble PC (with all the eBook readers in-between).  It is very easy for one to create an eBook, there are many pieces of software (such as Stanza) which can take text and save it to the ePub format.

Many websites have appeared almost overnight providing the ability to download a new release in eBook format,  for a price.  My problem here, and the thing That Pisses Me Off, is the price difference.  Yesterday I decided that I wanted to buy a copy of Dan Brown’s latest work “The Lost Symbol”, I decided that I would buy it in eBook format.  My reasoning for this was that I always have my iPhone (and as such Stanza) with me, so I can read the book whenever I have a spare moment.  So I started with Google, and found my way to a few sites selling the eBook.  What I found shocked me.

The Lost Symbol eBook pricing

The Price difference between an eBook and a Printed book

  • Amazon US  - Book: $12.00 (£7.75)  |  eBook: $14.09 (£9.91)
  • Waterstones – Book: £9.49  |  eBook: £13.58
  • WHSmiths – Book: £9.49  |  eBook: £13.48
  • Barnes & Nobel – Book: £28.20 (£18.23)  |  eBook: $9.60 (£6.20)

I was under the impression (wrongly!) that an eBook would be cheaper than a printed book. It does make sense that it would be, as surely the process of me purchasing a printed work would cost more?  I will point out that B&N were cheaper, but they won’t sell eBooks to the UK.

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Back to work and iPhones again!

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Evening all,

My last post said that I was going to be updating more often, it’s no supprise that that didn’  happen!  I’ve been off work on sick leave for the last two weeks since I had my appendix out, and tomorrow I get the joy of returning to work.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m in some ways glad to get back to work.  It will be nice to have some pattern back, and to do something other than watching TV all day (CSI Miami right now!).

On a seperate note, a friend (Sam James aka kaivana.co.uk) has pointed out a website of interest.  It tells you how to make a website that is 100% iPhone friendly.  Including oriontation changes, such as making the site wider when you view the site with the iPhone on it’s side.  The website is http://bit.ly/6EihlY.  So needless to say, JamesChorlton.co.uk will soon to be sporting an working iPhone interface!

Well that’s all for now,

James