Facebook to Change User Profiles and Launch iPad Application?

On September 29, 2011 in Development, Internet, New Technology, Website Design.
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So, like it or not, when a Facebook update is released you can expect a wave of opinions in the form of status updates! And it seems the coast is no longer clear with a tsunami of opinions eminent!

Facebook User Interface ChangeFirst off there is the revamp of the Facebook profile pages, up until now laid out somewhat uniform, with the profile picture on the left, paragraph of information at the top, stream of tagged photos parallel and the wall below. It seems, however, that this is soon to change; In favor of a timeline approach style! This new style will (probably) conglomerate tagged pictures, status updates and activity on the social networking site, to eliminate (or at least reduce) the amount of content hidden beneath the fold (beyond the view-able screen without scrolling).

Secondly, as discovered a while ago, the iPad Facebook application is “launching soon” according to a 9to5 Mac article. Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if it launched alongside the Facebook UI updates!

So, this change again will inevitably cause a current of opinions in the world of Social Media… With everyone holding their own thoughts (and most posting/tweeting their feelings) be prepared (Social Sandbags?) for the next wave of “I love/hate the new Facebook layout” status’.

I leave you with this famous quote from Winston Churchill;

To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.

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Home Screen Worthy Apps for the iPad 2

On May 14, 2011 in Apple, New Technology.
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I’ll admit, the previous article regarding the iPad 2 was a little rushed. Why? Because I was busy playing! Now I’ve had 24 hours to fully intergrate the iPad into my life, I think it’s about time to talk a little about the apps that have made it onto the first page on the home screen of my shiny white new tablet!

iPad home screen - With ApplicationsFirst up, Spotify! Iv’e gone for the 16Gb WiFi model, largely due to already owning an iPhone (with constant internet connection). The Spotify app is actually the iPhone version, but why re-make the wheel? Creating a playlist (‘for the iPad‘) allows me to control and constantly update which songs are synced to the device from my phone, computer or directly. Jump onto a wireless connection and hay presto, instant music library updates! In my opinion Spotify is one of the best (if not THE best) application on the iPhone, and it works well on the iPad. I just wish they’d make an iPad specific application.

Next is DropBox. There are a load of reviews about the magic of DropBox, so I’ll keep it brief; If you haven’t got DropBox yet, go and sign up. Then download the DropBox app for your iPhone and iPad and never be without your much needed documents again! It’s also a great way of wirelessly transferring content from/to your devices.

CoolPapers: It’s basically what it says on the tin: An archive of beautiful wallpapers to really customise your iPad experience!

BBC iPlayer: Wonderful! Watch all the BBC iPlayer content on your beautiful device. Perfect for bed-time catch-up! Really nice interface too, very 2.0, and looks amazing on the iPad’s shiny screen! My only gripe here is that some of the programs don’t quite fill the screen (due to aspect differences) and an over-scanning option would be nice.

Friendly. Until Facebook get’s on-board the iPad specific Application revolution, Friendly will be your best bet. It works and interacts well (after a little getting used to). That said, it did have some time-out issues this morning. However, it’s generally been quite reliable (according to a couple of friends).

mBox Mail. This is only really going to be of much use if you have a Hotmail E-mail account. Unfortunately the native ‘Mail’ app doesn’t sync all the folders (due to POP3 / Push / etc) of a Hotmail account. Something Mbox Mail overcomes seamlessly. Dear Apple, please add this functionality to iOS5. Regards.

Skype. I’ll be honest, I haven’t used this yet. But I have used the application on the iPhone. Seeing as how it’s ported directly from the iPhone to the iPad, I can recommend it. Although FaceTime put’s up a good fight against this. I guess it depends on personal preference, and weather your contacts are Apple-esk or not?

Twitter. Facebook should definately take a leaf (preferably one without bird poo!) out of Twitter’s book! A beautiful app, full of features and perfectly laid out! This is how the iPad expereince should be! Even if you don’t have a Twitter account, download this app! 10/10!

Flipboard. A very good, intuitive and modern approach to news reading. With the ability to customise the ‘contents’ page, you read the iPad like a book, with articles appearing in a digital 2.0 magazine style. (Page flipping transitions included!).

iPad running WordPress with Wireless KeyboardWordPress. Much like Twitter, this is a beautiful application. Purpose built for the iPad, in addition to the easy-to-use keyboard, this will soon become my preferred way of blogging. Look, I’m even using it to write this blog (with addition of my wireless keyboard, just to test out the bluetooth connectivity!).

Bonus Application: Google. I decided to add Google as a bonus application for two reasons. 1: I miscounted the number of non-native apps on the homescreen! and more importantly 2: It can often be overlooked, by default going to Safari and using the search bar. However, the Google App does much more than searching the net (as if that wasn’t enough). Google Goggles (search via images) and really good voice recognition make for a truly rich-media searching experience!

So there we go! The top 10, ahem, 11, applications to download for your iPad!

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First hour with the iPad 2

On May 13, 2011 in Apple, New Technology.
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After a late night ensuring the door-bell was working(!), I woke this morning and greeted a man delivering a small, white box. The iPad 2. But what’s the first thing to do when you receive one of the most popular gadgets of the moment? My answer: Install Apps!

Apps, IMO, transform the iPad 2 from shiny white (or black) tablet device into a personalised multi-use device for reading, writing, gaming, painting, socialising and much more!

I spent a while downloading a huge array of applications from the AppStore, so here they are;

spotify, myO2, DropBox, weather, clock, liveprofile, skype, vouchercloud, shazam, nectar, sainsburys, twitter, calcuylator, sky sports, sky mobile TV, sky+, sky news, iLoaderHD, bigoven, coolpapers, winmdowshop, ebay, photosynth, imovie, photoshop express, wordpress, marvel, IMDb, DC Comics, Flixster, Rightmove, Yelp, GarageBand, Big top 40, Engadget, BBC News, IGN, Mashable, Google Earth, Google, Fisher Scientific, QI, Banner, bbc iplayer, good food, TV Guide, 4OD, stumbleupon, flipboard, facebook, friendly, airvideo, instapaper, tunein radio, penultimate, world of goo, pages, keynote, numbers, bloomberg, CNBC RT, RealRacing2HD, Angry Birds, Next, Wired, T3, Telegrtaph, The Times, Qwiki, betfair, convert units, mBox Mail, GoodReader, and a couple of web based apps.

Amongst the jungle of apps (helpfully found via iPad alternatives to those installed on my iPhone), the following made it onto the first page of the home screen, and are probably worth a look yourself;

iPad 2

  • Spotify
  • Dropbox
  • Coolpapers
  • BBC iPlayer
  • Friendly
  • Skype
  • Twitter
  • FlipBoard
  • WordPress
  • Google

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    It’s very much a case of installing apps that you want, in order to utilise the personal benefits of having an iPad. I’ll review the iPad 2 and corresponding applications in more detail after a couple of days playing with it!

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    Why is Apple different?

    On March 5, 2011 in Apple, iPhone, New Technology.
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    Apple LogoLove them or hate them, Apple have possibly one of the best action plans amongst its competitors. There world-wide fame and scheduled product releases never fail to conjure a huge amount of interest from prospective buyers and media on a global scale. Instant PR. Everyone wants to get their hands on the latest Apple product; Whether it be to try to find fault, or to marvel in the ‘magical’ new device.

    Retail stores play a huge part in the overall “Apple experience”. When I went to buy my MacBook Pro (for my Final Year Dissertation) walking into the Apple store in Birmingham (UK) was a really exciting experience. I went early to avoid mid-morning crowds at busy peak times. This was a good strategy, with only a few people being seen around town and a relatively empty car park. Except for the Apple store. Considering the lack of people around, the Apple store was still quite busy, and was by far the most popular store. This gives a good indication to the prestige which many consumers hold for Apple as a company, its products and their services.

    MacNow, It’s probably important to mention here that a lot of computer scientists, software engineers, and basically your average “Tech Guy” don’t like Apple. Why? Because they over-price for products which “Don’t perform” as they should. I’m not one of these “Tech Guys” because I love Apple. I seem to find myself time and time again defending their products, trying to convey that they aren’t targeted at the technical end of the spectrum (like Linux) and are more about beautiful design and providing a good interface between your average consumer and a wealth of features. Ok, so they are expensive, but it’s an Apple product!

    So, what makes Apple really stand out from the crowd? For me, it’s not about the functionality, the price, the retail stores or even the products. For me, it’s the way Apple operate. The anticipation of the latest Apple product is exciting, and you know it’ll only be a couple of weeks between announcement to rolling out! Jobs does a great job (excuse the pun) at this, his enthusiasm and natural presentation skills at keynotes really pulling consumes in!

    Mac2Most importantly though is my favourite line when trying to justify Apple’s greatness; “Apple don’t design new products, they design new categories“. Take MP3 Players. They were (lets be honest) a little crummy before the iPod came along. Fast forward to now and all other MP3 players are pretty much obsolete. Let’s try phones. The iPhone came along in 2007, and completely revolutionised the way which phones are today. Phones boasting touch-screen technology, Apps and other similar features are common place, but still can’t rival the fluidity and popularity of the iPhone. Finally there is the iPad. Don’t get me wrong tablets were already around, but the iPad took it to a whole new level. Competitors didn’t know what to expect and had to go completely back to the drawing boards.

    To conclude, Apple are different. Some people love them. Some people don’t. But either way, you have to admire what Apple have done for the industry. Ask someone you know to name the first “hand held device” that comes into their head, and I think they will probably say something like “Oh, like the Apple <insert product here>”

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    Little White Lie – MacBook Pro Marketing

    On April 2, 2010 in General, iPhone, marketing.
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    I’m looking at buying a MacBook in the next month or so to stand as the powerhouse behind my Final year dissertation – “Some sort of Interactive Learning application for the iPhone platform” (not the official title!). I went into PC World today to check out the models, and was looking primarily at the 13″ and 15″ MacBook Pros, each with 2.53Ghz processor and 4Gb of RAM.

    Anyway, the people at PC World told me that they had basically quote “…Stopped selling the 13″ model due to lack of stock country wide”. I asked why the lack of stock, when such product was in such high demand, to which I got a shrug of the shoulders.

    Now, normally I would drop it at that point, but when walking out of the shop I couldn’t help but wonder why Apple would (assuming a little here) produce less of the 13″ model than the 15″ (more conventional) model, as they both contained exactly the same hardware (minus the screen, of cause).

    Could it be to sell more of the higher models? No, because there is a 17″ powerhouse also on sale!
    Could it be due to lack of 13″ screens? No, because both the 13″ and 15″ screens are produced on site at the same factory using the same resources.
    Could it be to promote another product? Possibly, but this just seemed like bad marketing at a time of such high demand.

    And then I stumbled across what I think is most likely the answer. The iPad. With its 9″ screen, it is very similar to the small notebook that Apple sell – with almost identical processing power, resolution and alike. My thoughts are that perhaps they have halted production on the 13″ model in preparation (i.e. to build demand even higher) for the iPad.

    It all made sense, as the PC world sales person had said the regular shipment had ceased late February. Bingo!

    HOLD THE iPHONE! – I got home and rang Apple, only to discover that they had plenty of 13″ models in stock – Could it be that my focus should be on PC World’s marketing, instead of Apple?

    Damn you PC World, and please don’t file a law suit, Apple UK!

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