Custom iPhone icon for websites!

On November 29, 2009 in Tutorials, Website Design.
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So, with mobile browsing becoming more and more popular, it’s increasingly important to optimize your site for a variety of screen resolutions.

Another nice little feature which I have recently implemented for both work and my personal site is the addition of an iPhone icon, so that when the website is saved to the home-screen on the iPhone it shows a sexy icon rather than a screenshot of the website.

To do this, I simply created a 57px x 57px box, with a transparent background in Photoshop. I used the rounded rectangle tool to create a nice little box, added a gradient and a light curve at the top to resemble the reflection. I finally added some symbols to the icons, and hay presto, its created!

To implement the icon couldn’t be simpler! Just upload the icon to the root of your site and re-name it to ‘apple-touch-icon.png’. Safari automatically checks the root for a .png of this name! If you don’t want the icon in the root of your site, just add the following code to your page/s:

<link rel=”apple-touch-icon” href=”LOCATION/apple-touch-icon.png” />
Custom iPhone icon for websites!

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Car Technology

On November 26, 2009 in New Technology.
1

There has been technology in cars for years; ABS, Electric Mirrors, Traction Control etc, but I want to talk about the more obvious, yet somewhat less featured tech in modern cars.

I have recently brought a new car – the Ford Fiesta Titanium. I added on the ‘Technology Pack’, which included some nifty features.

Keyless entry is the first feature that’s included, and is brilliant! No more fumbling for your keys, just press a small discreet button on the door handle when the keys are within range and the wing-mirrors unfold and the car unlocks. The same can be done when leaving the car, and the wing-mirrors re-fold!

The start/stop button is the next feature, and ties in with keyless entry well. Presuming the keys are in the car a simple press of this button will start up the engine. It feels much more digital than the conventional turning of a key, and is becoming more and more popular in upcoming cars!

Now we get onto the good stuff: Built in Bluetooth and USB ports! You can plug in an external HDD, an iPod or anything with a USB connection and play music through the head-unit! What’s even better though is connecting an iPhone to the Bluetooth, which not only allows direct calls through the speakers and built in microphone but also music to be played via the iPhone wirelessly! It’s a brilliant new feature and should be incorporated into more cars, especially with the popularity of the iPhone!

Technology in cars gets a lot of stick for distraction of teenagers and the reason that there are so many accidents each year. Understandably it does have some correlation, but the technology shouldn’t be to blame. The advancements in modern tech means it makes more and more sense to incorporate gadgets into the auto-trade, an industry which has long been in need of some good old fashion (brand new) technology!

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Online!

On November 22, 2009 in Internet.
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So, I have finally completed Assassins Creed 2 (Brilliant story line – Can’t wait for the next episode!) and decided to give COD:MW2 a blast!

I must say, ever since I picked up the controller, I haven’t stopped thinking about it! It’s advanced so much since the days of the M1 Grand (Call of Duty 2 – My last encounter with online COD).

The addition of custom classes alongside unlocking weapon improvements gives the online play a purpose other than watching an opponent through the scope of a sniper before getting a warm feeling inside as the word ‘head shot’ flashes onscreen.

What I also like the use of the ‘wasteland’ map, which has been taken form a previous COD map and re-used here. I do think that some of the COD2/3 maps should be included (for example the one of the German courtyard with the single house and multiple walls!).

It’s honestly great! If you haven’t tried it out as of yet, do so! Just as Assassins Creed 2 has the best storyline of the year, COD:MW2 has possibly the best online game play of the year, with its franchise topping my all time favourite online games!

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Twitter AutoDM Feature: Good or Evil?!

On November 16, 2009 in #60SecondShout, Development, Internet.
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So, after about 4 days of Tweeting I have started to gather a small selection of lovely followers! (If your one of them thanks for taking the time to read this!)

So now I have a dilemma – Should I autoDM new followers? Lots of people see this tactic as ‘spam’, especially when promotional links are included and to be honest so do I. On the other hand a genuine ‘hello’ can go down well and make the tweeter (me) seem more human rather than a bot spamming with promo-tweets every hour or so! (I’m not a robot – Promise!).

Feel free to comment if you use AutoDM to tell me what program you use. Also, if you could retweet this blog (so I can get more results) it would be much appreciated! Thanks guys!

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Virgin Media 50Mbps – Install Complete!

On November 16, 2009 in Internet, New Technology.
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The installation is complete! The router is up and running (the second one, which Virgin delivered yesterday!) with remarkable speeds!

The pre-installation results were showing between 14Mb/s to 20Mb/s – Limited by the router. The new (D-Link ‘N’ rated wireless) router has now been installed and is running with amazing results. The first attempt at installing didn’t go to plan, as the provided software couldn’t detect an Internet connection. However, logging onto the router directly and configuring seemed to do the trick!

The result: Its running great! The wireless (N series) is transmitting with great signal between 20Mb/s and 30Mb/s, and is encrypted using the WPA2 technology. Virgin have made bold claims about the speed of their new XXL package, and it seems to stand up to the hype – for now at least. I don’t reckon things will be quite as quickly at peak times, but at least I’m now prepared for the big leap to 100Mb/s!!!

Goodnight and God speed!

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Top 5 Gadgets over the last 10 years!

On November 9, 2009 in iPhone, New Technology.
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Over the last 10 years the gadget industry has taken off – Here are my take on the top 5 ideas since the year 2000, which once seemed so far away, and now seems so long ago!

5) The Flash Drive – The small portable devices carry all the music, video and data you can manage, and with recent developments the capacity has increased significantly resulting in portable hard-drives! Gone are the days of hunting for a power supply to power the little beasts, simply plug your HDD into a USB 2.0 and off you go. There are now capacities of up to 1Tb! Moved on a bit from the days of Floppies and Jazz disks!

4) Sony’s PlayStation 3 - This console set the standards, and set them high! I used to be a 360 lad myself, but when I got my hands on the PS3 there was no turning back! It’s so much more powerful, with its multiple core-2-duo processors; making load times, physics handling and rendering so much smoother than its rivals. It’s a true home entertainment system, with a compatible internet-browser, built in Wi-Fi and BluRay player (see 3) – all for a superb price!

3) BluRay – The war is over, BluRay is victorious! The introduction of HD media over the past year brings a new dimension to viewing. 1080p is so much clearer, and it is noticeable, especially when gaming! Note though that some providers, although claiming to be at the top of HD broadcasting, still output less than 720i, which frankly doesn’t make that much of a superior experience. BlueRay is at the for-front of its game, and hopefully will continue to develop in the coming years, which broadcasters try and catch up!

2) Sky+ – Recording made simple! This is a gadget, which I think many people take for granted – And that’s why it’s so brilliant! Incorporating a HDD into TV viewing made it possible to record and pause live TV. More so, with downloadable content on the anytime player films, documentaries and everything else is available at the touch of a button. The Sky+ boxes currently have a USB port on the front, which will hopefully allow even more new features and functionality in the next few years! Keep up the good work sky!

1) iPhone – The iPhone revolutionised the phone market! It’s definitely the gadget of the decade! Incorporating Internet browsing, Wi-Fi, Video streaming, Email, Music and much much more it’s baffling to think why anyone would buy anything else! Apart from the dominating hand of Apple (price fixing and control over the App store) the iPhone set the standard for any other phone, or in fact gadget. Few gadgets have managed to match the popularity of the iPhone, and no other phone comes close, even 3 years on! Can’t wait for apple’s next Keynotes’ seminar later next year!

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Assassins Creed 2 vs. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2!

On November 8, 2009 in Uncategorized.
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Its a clash of the titans – Two of the biggest Game developers both releasing highly anticipated games within one week of each other: Assassins Creed 2 (Developed by Ubisoft) is released exactly 7 days after Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Developed by Activision).

Despite the close release dates Ubisoft aren’t worried by the success of CoD:MW2, stating that they sold over 9 Million copies of the original Assassins Creed, which was released only 14 days after the original Modern Warfare.

The two games differ in many ways: AC2 is a third person action/adventure game, while CoD:MW2 is a first person shooter. I would hate to have to make a choice on which is the better of the two. Saying that, if I was forced to make a choice I would say that AC has the edge over CoD for its originality and storyline! I would argue it has slightly better graphics and physic engine too. The first AC had me on the edge of my seat – battling countless guards in order to try and find out the next instalment of the story.

CoD has a huge following, and I’m sure it will do better in the shops. It will probably have a stronger longevity too based upon its online play.

Basically they are two great games, and both worth buying and playing! The difference is that Assassins Creed 2 is a Novel; one which you should sit and delve into over a weekend (completely loose yourself in the character and story) where as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a magazine; Pick up and flick through when you have a spare hour or two and want to see some heads explode through a sniper-mounted sight!

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Google Wave: First Impressions

On November 6, 2009 in Internet, Website Design.
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So I got my invite yesterday and started having a brief play with the much-anticipated Google wave!

There isn’t that much to rave about as of yet, simply a basic GUI which has a similar layout to Gmail and that’s about it. You log into your Google account and you’re away. I posted a message to Alex Sleat and got a response later on. Seems you can incorporate polls, which is a nice feature, and Google maps.

It needs some work, to make it more google-esk, but it’s a nice concept and the incorporation of all the Google goodies will make it a strong contender for facebook chat and the days of MSN!

What’s especially nice about it is that it is entirely browser based, so it can be accessed from anywhere unlike MSN, which requires a download. It would be nice for conference calls and I think it will thrive in an office environment – I’m just not sure that the day-to-day user needs all the functionality that will (hopefully) be implemented. Either way, I’m looking forward to a Google Wave update to bring it out of its beta stage. Remember the days of Google Beta?!

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iPhone on Orange – Fair Use Policy!

On November 6, 2009 in Internet, iPhone.
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Orange has the largest coverage of 3G networks in the UK.

It’s a big point that Orange are making over why it has better tariffs than O2. However, according to LLC UK (largest independent wireless company in the world) it is Vodaphone who in fact have the strongest 3G services. O2 cover over 90% of the UK and it seems, when compared in more detail (Speed, Connection time, Connection stability etc), that there isn’t that much to separate O2 from Orange.

There is also a sneaky little card up Orange’s sleeve in the Terms and Conditions; they have stated that their fair use policy limits users to 750MB worth of data per month. As large as this figure may seem at first glance, heavy iTunes users who download significant amounts of audio and video may realise that 750MB isn’t actually that much, especially when you couple this with the use of Apps, Google maps and latitude readings, internet browsing and Email/Attachment downloads.

Having the iPhone constantly connected to the Internet is the selling point of the phone. It seems sneaky of Orange to throw this into their contracts, especially after all the stick internet providers (including Orange Broadband) got last year from various reviews regarding the elimination of this ‘fair use’ policy all together.

Finally, there is still ‘The Cloud’. Although this is essentially the same as picking up a local Wi-Fi (greater speeds and reliability) ‘The Cloud’ is recognised as hosting “Europe’s leading wireless broadband technology” with a “unparalleled reach and diversity across the UK“. It also means that many other European countries such as Germany and France have countless ‘Cloud’ access points, providing a partial solution to those nasty data roaming charges. Fear not though Orange iPhone users, I’ll be sure to send you a digital postcard from Brandenburg Gate.

On a serious final thought, Orange do have some advantages over O2 such as ‘Orange Wednesdays’, but most can be met by O2’s responces (O2 Priority). Let’s hope that the addition of Vodaphone brings even more perks for all us iPhone users, and possibly even call an end to the relentless price fixing!

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Orange Wednesday app working on O2 iPhone

On November 5, 2009 in #60SecondShout, iPhone, Tutorials.
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As you may have read in my previous post there are a number of factors Orange are using to influence customers.

An application entitled ‘Orange Wednesdays’ has recently been released, allowing Orange users to get there discount code via the app. Now, I’m on O2, so don’t have this option… Or do I?

Yesterday I started testing the application to see if a work-around could be found, with success. By typing in an Orange number into the ‘Phone-number’ field, it sends a validation email containing a 4 digit PIN to that phone. If you then type that PIN into the confirmation field you can request and successfully receive Orange Wednesday discount codes on your O2 iPhone, while the Orange mobile receives a text confirming the code too.

I know this is no more advanced than getting someone with an Orange phone to forward on the message, but it’s much, much easier and less hassle too!

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