Finally after a very long wait I finally got myself an iPhone 5S (Unlocked, 32GB, Gold, for those of you who care). My last phone before I made the purchase was an iPhone 4S. I skipped the iPhone 5 because my 4S was relatively new when Apple released the iPhone 5 so I opted to wait for the next iteration of the iPhone. This means I have never experienced using a 4" screen. I have read a lot of articles about the iPhone's screen being to big(long) for one handed use anymore but only until I finally got my hands on my own iPhone 5S did I understand the struggle of those who complained. Generally if you hold the iPhone 5S with one (right) hand you would have difficulty reaching for the top left icons or buttons, what some would do is to slide the iPhone in their hands or tilt the iPhone just to be able to press the top left app. This, I found, is a very risky way to handle your iPhone. The new material makes it quite slippery, so one slight imbalance and your [precious] iPhone could slide off your fingers and fall.
The solution?
Strategically place your apps across your iPhone's screen.
Before, when I was still using my iPhone 4S I would simply arrange the apps from [top] left to [bottom] right depending of the frequency of use. But when I got the iPhone 5S this became quite a challenge. What I did then is I placed my most used app on the 2nd column of the 3rd row of the App Grid, I noticed that that's where my finger (thumb) is most relaxed. After doing so I checked which other part of the App Grid is my thumb comfortable reaching. I've concluded that the last 3 rows of the iPhone 5S' screen (excluding the dock) is the most ergonomic place to access your frequently used apps and the 1st two rows is where you should place your least used apps (I know you have 8 least likely to use apps that you can place there, who doesn't?).
By doing so this will eliminate your need to tilt your iPhone just to reach the upper left corner and will lessen the incidents of iPhone drops.
Now if your curious about folders I have thought of that as well. In the case of folders, since the App Grid is a square, place the most used app in the middle. If you have 4 or less apps still place the most used app in the middle (1st row of course). This area is the most comfortable area to reach your most used app.
All of these suggested locations are based on my hand size of course. Other people might have a different comfortability standard based on their hand size. Just try and rearrange your apps now according to frequency of use based on the suggestion above.
Was this tip helpful? Were you inspired to suggest a better app arrangement? Let me know on the comments below.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Sunday, October 6, 2013
What I Think A Smart Watch Should Be
There's a new trend in tech slowly rising up to get everybody's attention. Technically it has been around for a while now but its only recently that the manufacturers are pushing the technology to the surface. That is the Smartwatch. Samsung recently released the Galaxy Gear. I have read a few reviews about the device and I'm quite impressed by it I should say but I wouldn't be all that excited about it... yet.
I'm saying this because until now the Smartwatches developed are still tethered to Smartphones. I think in order for them to be the next generation of mobile computing (and communication for that matter) is that they should be able to stand by themselves. So I'm listing out things that should be integrated to the 1st generation of actual smart watches.
1. Push to Talk
It feels weird (not to mention counter-ergonomic) to hold your smart watch close to your mouth or ear for listening or speaking for long periods of time. Nowadays most people don't really talk that much over the phone anymore because of social networking sites, email, etc. There's not much to talk about anymore except maybe when making arrangements of a meeting (date, activity, etc.). Push to Talk is the solution to that. It provides short message exchanges and will allow you to distinguish better wether to put your smart watch close to your mouth or ear. Of course you can always opt to have a wireless ear piece but that's a different matter.
2. Projector
A watch-face of course was never an suitable size for reading off large amounts of text or even viewing photos or videos for that matter. So the most logical solution is to integrate a projector. The technology is already available and only needs enhancements. Just like the LED screen, before we had Retina or Super AMOLED we had just the normal LED Display, I think the display quality of projectors will be improved once it is widely used. Of course due to privacy reasons not many would want to project their device's content for everybody else to see. The solution is simple, projection size should be adjustable from the size of your palm to much bigger sizes like, say, a tablet, or a small TV.
3. Voice Recognition
One of the most obvious sacrifices that we have to make when we try to move to wearable computing is losing the keyboard (Digital or Physical). So the best solution is to have voice recognition. This technology is already present and has proven to be very usable, but of course some would still prefer to have a keyboard, but then again the next generation of users would probably find more use of this than those of us who were born the generation of QWERTY.
That pretty much sums it up, of course other's would have a different opinion on the matter. That's simply because they have a whole different way of using their Smartphones and transitioning to a Smartwatch maybe a difficult challenge but I think that the way we use our device will allow us to change the way we work. For example a businessman would want to have a larger screen to view spreadsheets as opposed to a professional dancer who would want a simpler device just to play music and some videos. Different people, different usage but one thing's for sure the 1st generation of actual smart watches should be able to cater to the demands of today's users to succeed.
Are there any other things you would want to be integrated to a smart watch? let me know on the comments below.
I'm saying this because until now the Smartwatches developed are still tethered to Smartphones. I think in order for them to be the next generation of mobile computing (and communication for that matter) is that they should be able to stand by themselves. So I'm listing out things that should be integrated to the 1st generation of actual smart watches.
1. Push to Talk
It feels weird (not to mention counter-ergonomic) to hold your smart watch close to your mouth or ear for listening or speaking for long periods of time. Nowadays most people don't really talk that much over the phone anymore because of social networking sites, email, etc. There's not much to talk about anymore except maybe when making arrangements of a meeting (date, activity, etc.). Push to Talk is the solution to that. It provides short message exchanges and will allow you to distinguish better wether to put your smart watch close to your mouth or ear. Of course you can always opt to have a wireless ear piece but that's a different matter.
2. Projector
A watch-face of course was never an suitable size for reading off large amounts of text or even viewing photos or videos for that matter. So the most logical solution is to integrate a projector. The technology is already available and only needs enhancements. Just like the LED screen, before we had Retina or Super AMOLED we had just the normal LED Display, I think the display quality of projectors will be improved once it is widely used. Of course due to privacy reasons not many would want to project their device's content for everybody else to see. The solution is simple, projection size should be adjustable from the size of your palm to much bigger sizes like, say, a tablet, or a small TV.
3. Voice Recognition
One of the most obvious sacrifices that we have to make when we try to move to wearable computing is losing the keyboard (Digital or Physical). So the best solution is to have voice recognition. This technology is already present and has proven to be very usable, but of course some would still prefer to have a keyboard, but then again the next generation of users would probably find more use of this than those of us who were born the generation of QWERTY.
That pretty much sums it up, of course other's would have a different opinion on the matter. That's simply because they have a whole different way of using their Smartphones and transitioning to a Smartwatch maybe a difficult challenge but I think that the way we use our device will allow us to change the way we work. For example a businessman would want to have a larger screen to view spreadsheets as opposed to a professional dancer who would want a simpler device just to play music and some videos. Different people, different usage but one thing's for sure the 1st generation of actual smart watches should be able to cater to the demands of today's users to succeed.
Are there any other things you would want to be integrated to a smart watch? let me know on the comments below.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Purchased A New Camera!
So after all the thinking and deliberation I finally made the purchase of Canon EOS 650D. I have it for two days now. I only got the chance to try it outside for one day but it has already showed me so much potential. I used to take snapshots but now I feel like I can take more! I'm an aspiring photographer and I want to learn all the works, I know this camera will make me achieve all that I need. Any photography tips? Or tricks on using this camera? Let me know on the comments below.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
The Perfect Mobile Phone
Nowadays there are a lot of mobile phones to choose from and this led to a lot of people arguing about which phone is the best. The answer? All of them of course! There will always be an opinion against other phones and that's good, it keeps competition steady for the manufacturers and drives them to improve their own products which in turn benefits us (the consumers). But the true question is what is the IDEAL phone?
Recently the competition between phone specs are focused on size, screen size to be specific. There has been a trend on mobile phone since they first appeared a decade ago. First they were very large, then they became handy (by handy I mean fits perfectly in the hand) then they became really small, almost toy-ish, then they were given life by the Transformer Cube (Form Factor Phones), then they went back to being handy but this time the screen grew little by little until finally they ditched the physical keyboard and just made phones with the whole face a screen like the ones we have today. The form of the phone changed because of how we use them, before it was only for calls, then texts, then email, then web browsing, then media hub until finally it became a portable computer. But to determine which phone is really the best is to check if it delivers the basic necessities at 100% performance and that's where the iPhone comes in. Okay maybe you really didn't expect this to be an iPhone Fan Post but I've been pondering for a while now which phone should I really stick with (at least for the next few years) and all my thinking led me to the conclusion that the iPhone should be that and here's why.
Before everything else I'll just share my opinion on the Samsung vs. Apple trend. I don't think its a real fight at all. Samsung's recently announced Galaxy S4 Smartphone packs a lot of features (It really is a lot!) but almost everyone around the web didn't get wowed by it, why? Because almost everyone around the web cannot think of a situation in their life where they will use these new features more than once! (or at all for that matter). I think that the best devices to compare the Galaxy S4 is the iPod Touch or iPad Mini, because they have the same focus "Content", the iPhone on the other hand focuses on "Communication", same reason why it has recently entered the enterprise market. What people need is to get in touch with each other not isolate themselves and iPhone helps us do just that.
So going back to why the iPhone is the ideal phone. The iPhone delivers features that help people get in touch with others at the most efficient way. Almost all Apple products share the same communication apps through iCloud, namely iMessage and FaceTime. Just with these two apps you'll never get disconnected, say your iPhone's battery died and you can't charge anytime soon, you can just get your iPod Touch, iPad or Macbook to continue on an interrupted conversation. With other phones you simply can't do that. Other phones only have their own messaging and calling applications and thats it, when a conversation is cut short you need to do the primitive way, borrow someone else's phone. Or how about when the other user doesn't have access to their iPhone? They can still communicate with you because of Apple's iMessage and FaceTime through their Macs or iPads or iPod Touches. There are also third party applications that can help you with that but you still need to register and give away some important information but with the iPhone you have one account for all.
The iPhone is an empty canvass. A lot of people always say that iPhone lacks a lot of features or the design is "boring" or they're just simply tired of the OS. But in reality you can personalise the iPhone in more ways than one! As for the look, there are a lot of cases available, if your bored with the colour then you can put stickers. For the UI, are you so lazy that you don't want to do that one extra tap? say to adjust brightness or turn on wifi or bluetooth, these can all be solved by a jailbreak tweak (and admit it as soon as your iPhone's warranty expires you jailbreak it and for some, even if their iPhones are still under warranty they just do it anyway) also if you use these settings so much then why not just keep them on? Right? (by the way, brightness has an automatic function so you don't have to toggle it all the time). Then there are the sea of accessories that can give your iPhone a whole new purpose, starting with the speaker docks all the way to the breathalysers. You can use your iPhone as a POS device for sales, or scanner, or insulin reader and a whole lot more. With all these possible add-ons how can anyone say that the iPhone lacks features? I think Apple intended it to be like that and give users the freedom to add their own feature to the iPhone based on their needs. And of course there's the ever growing app store, which Apple attends to personally, so you can be sure that you get good quality apps to add purpose to YOUR iPhone for YOUR use, instead of just having every possible feature available in the hope that one day you might use it.
As for the screen size, well a lot of other phones beat the iPhone at this one but in my opinion do you really need a phone whose screen is above 4"? Like what I've said earlier the Galaxy 4S is not competing as a phone but as a media hub, with its screen size and other "features" its really good for those who consume a lot of media like videos, photos and more, but for regular users all these features doesn't really matter. If your a photographer then surely you own an SLR, if your into film then surely you have a high end camcorder, if you like music then probably you have an MP3 Player and so on. But if your just a regular person who makes calls, sends SMS and email, and checks your social network every now and then, then what will you do with these other features right? You have to remember that the price of your phone is the summary of the value of all the features so if there are features in the phone that your surely not going to use then why purchase it? This includes the iPhone, but then again apart from the newsstand almost all of iPhone's built in apps are very useful.
So there you have it. Those are the reasons why I think the iPhone is the ideal phone. By the way I have an iPhone 4S and it serves me so well that I did not feel the need to upgrade to the iPhone 5, I even think that this phone will live through another iPhone iteration before I finally replace it. Do you agree with me? Let me know on the comments below.
Recently the competition between phone specs are focused on size, screen size to be specific. There has been a trend on mobile phone since they first appeared a decade ago. First they were very large, then they became handy (by handy I mean fits perfectly in the hand) then they became really small, almost toy-ish, then they were given life by the Transformer Cube (Form Factor Phones), then they went back to being handy but this time the screen grew little by little until finally they ditched the physical keyboard and just made phones with the whole face a screen like the ones we have today. The form of the phone changed because of how we use them, before it was only for calls, then texts, then email, then web browsing, then media hub until finally it became a portable computer. But to determine which phone is really the best is to check if it delivers the basic necessities at 100% performance and that's where the iPhone comes in. Okay maybe you really didn't expect this to be an iPhone Fan Post but I've been pondering for a while now which phone should I really stick with (at least for the next few years) and all my thinking led me to the conclusion that the iPhone should be that and here's why.
Before everything else I'll just share my opinion on the Samsung vs. Apple trend. I don't think its a real fight at all. Samsung's recently announced Galaxy S4 Smartphone packs a lot of features (It really is a lot!) but almost everyone around the web didn't get wowed by it, why? Because almost everyone around the web cannot think of a situation in their life where they will use these new features more than once! (or at all for that matter). I think that the best devices to compare the Galaxy S4 is the iPod Touch or iPad Mini, because they have the same focus "Content", the iPhone on the other hand focuses on "Communication", same reason why it has recently entered the enterprise market. What people need is to get in touch with each other not isolate themselves and iPhone helps us do just that.
So going back to why the iPhone is the ideal phone. The iPhone delivers features that help people get in touch with others at the most efficient way. Almost all Apple products share the same communication apps through iCloud, namely iMessage and FaceTime. Just with these two apps you'll never get disconnected, say your iPhone's battery died and you can't charge anytime soon, you can just get your iPod Touch, iPad or Macbook to continue on an interrupted conversation. With other phones you simply can't do that. Other phones only have their own messaging and calling applications and thats it, when a conversation is cut short you need to do the primitive way, borrow someone else's phone. Or how about when the other user doesn't have access to their iPhone? They can still communicate with you because of Apple's iMessage and FaceTime through their Macs or iPads or iPod Touches. There are also third party applications that can help you with that but you still need to register and give away some important information but with the iPhone you have one account for all.
The iPhone is an empty canvass. A lot of people always say that iPhone lacks a lot of features or the design is "boring" or they're just simply tired of the OS. But in reality you can personalise the iPhone in more ways than one! As for the look, there are a lot of cases available, if your bored with the colour then you can put stickers. For the UI, are you so lazy that you don't want to do that one extra tap? say to adjust brightness or turn on wifi or bluetooth, these can all be solved by a jailbreak tweak (and admit it as soon as your iPhone's warranty expires you jailbreak it and for some, even if their iPhones are still under warranty they just do it anyway) also if you use these settings so much then why not just keep them on? Right? (by the way, brightness has an automatic function so you don't have to toggle it all the time). Then there are the sea of accessories that can give your iPhone a whole new purpose, starting with the speaker docks all the way to the breathalysers. You can use your iPhone as a POS device for sales, or scanner, or insulin reader and a whole lot more. With all these possible add-ons how can anyone say that the iPhone lacks features? I think Apple intended it to be like that and give users the freedom to add their own feature to the iPhone based on their needs. And of course there's the ever growing app store, which Apple attends to personally, so you can be sure that you get good quality apps to add purpose to YOUR iPhone for YOUR use, instead of just having every possible feature available in the hope that one day you might use it.
As for the screen size, well a lot of other phones beat the iPhone at this one but in my opinion do you really need a phone whose screen is above 4"? Like what I've said earlier the Galaxy 4S is not competing as a phone but as a media hub, with its screen size and other "features" its really good for those who consume a lot of media like videos, photos and more, but for regular users all these features doesn't really matter. If your a photographer then surely you own an SLR, if your into film then surely you have a high end camcorder, if you like music then probably you have an MP3 Player and so on. But if your just a regular person who makes calls, sends SMS and email, and checks your social network every now and then, then what will you do with these other features right? You have to remember that the price of your phone is the summary of the value of all the features so if there are features in the phone that your surely not going to use then why purchase it? This includes the iPhone, but then again apart from the newsstand almost all of iPhone's built in apps are very useful.
So there you have it. Those are the reasons why I think the iPhone is the ideal phone. By the way I have an iPhone 4S and it serves me so well that I did not feel the need to upgrade to the iPhone 5, I even think that this phone will live through another iPhone iteration before I finally replace it. Do you agree with me? Let me know on the comments below.
Monday, March 11, 2013
I Want To Make An iPad App
It has come to my attention that even 12 year olds develop apps, some are games and some are productivity apps.This got me thinking, maybe I should develop an app myself. The first thing that came to my mind of course was what app should I make? After much thought I finally decided what app I'll make. I'll make a Planner app, a productivity app. I decided on it because I knew that whatever app I will make I would surely use and for a while now I've been searching the app store for a perfect planner app and since I cannot find one I'll make one! It will just be a very simple app mostly will have the ease of use as the Notepad App but better way of viewing entries, much like a Planner Book.
The challenge here is I have no idea how to make one, I don't even know how to code or any of the IT stuff. What I do know is to follow instructions so I'm hoping to find tools and procedures in the internet. If you have an idea or know tools and lectures that will help me develop an app please post on the comments below.
The challenge here is I have no idea how to make one, I don't even know how to code or any of the IT stuff. What I do know is to follow instructions so I'm hoping to find tools and procedures in the internet. If you have an idea or know tools and lectures that will help me develop an app please post on the comments below.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Why I Settle For Apple's Built-In Apps
There have been a lot of complaints about Apple built-in apps. I have seen blogs about third party apps that work better than that of Apple's. I know that the new Apple Maps did fail to deliver but as for the other apps I think they deserve to be used more often than not. One of the reasons why I use the Apple Built-In apps is because they're already there! You don't have to search other apps, read reviews and not to mention pay for it, its there to begin with. Another reason is that I feel that they load faster (or this might just be me). I've tried replacing some of the native Apple apps with a few selections of my own but eventually ended up using the built-in apps instead because they load faster, this maybe due to the simplicity of the built-in apps. I remember reading a Steve Jobs quote, it said that before, when Steve was still making the early iMacs people urged him to make them with more storage capacity but he said it should be programmers who need to learn how to write software that occupies less space. And seeing as how Apple's devices are "limited" so to say, it seems that they are following this mentality. And I think its a good one, it urges us to slow down, think, analyse before doing anything at all. So here are a few of the Apple Built-In Apps and why I choose to use them.
1. iMessage
My most used app on my iPhone, I prefer if over the other messaging apps like Whatsapp they have the same service anyway and I made sure that all my friends and family use iDevices too, even so I still use Whatsapp for my non-iDevice user friends. I like it because its simple, you can also send media over it. Plus iMessage can be used free of charge over WiFi (and what places don't have WiFi nowadays right?) so you won't have to worry about data coverage most of the time. In my country mobile carriers provide subscribers with unlimited SMS service so even if we're out of data coverage we can still utilise Messages for regular SMS usage.
2. Facetime
iPhone doesn't have FaceTime natively, instead its buried deep within the Phone App, but I use FaceTime a lot because my family lives on other countries. I use it more on my iPad, with its 9.7" screen I feel like I'm talking to a real person rather than a miniature face. I prefer it over Skype, though I still have Skype installed but I'm only reserving it for cases where the other person has no FaceTime. The service is very simple though it would be nice if there is a video conferencing option but I think Apple know what they're doing.
3. Calendar
Okay, so this is one of the apps that I see a lot of complaints about but I think its a matter of how you use it. Some people want to use their calendars like a planner, others like a reminder and some like a diary. But if you want these other services then the Apple Calendar app is not for you. The main reason why I like the Calendars App is because Siri can access it. There are times that I use Siri to see my schedule and make some adjustments and if I use a different calendar app then I'll lose this capability. Also the Calendar App syncs over iCloud, so whether I'm holding my iPhone, iPad or MacBook Air I can view and edit the same calendar entries.
4. Notes
I don't know about other people, but I'm not a serious note taker, if I get an idea and I want to jot it down quickly before I forget it, I use Notes and that's it. When I want to take down notes off of a lecture then I use a different app for that (Notability). I noticed that the Notes App on the iPhone and iPad launches as soon as you tap it. I tried a different and more organised note taking app Note'd but it takes a few more seconds to load, once, I had an idea and while waiting for the Note'd app to launch I totally forgot it. This was enough to convince me to go back to the native note taking app for iPhone and then just transfer these notes on Note'd later on to be organised.
5. Reminders
Pretty straight forward isn't it? If you want to be reminded of something you need a reminders app, but some reminder apps out there are too complex with their templates and calendars and all that other stuff, what I want is for my phone to just sound an alarm while flashing a keyword of what I need to be reminded of. No need for colour coding, organising and all that other stuff. Although you can still organise, just add a new Reminder List. With this you can make yourself an organised set of reminders, as for me I have Reminders, Chores, Errands, Grocery and Blog Articles.
So I have the Reminders for random set of reminders like text someone, email something, a due date etc. then I have Chores for house work of course, then Errands are for errands (duh!) and Grocery for the list of grocery items that I need to get and finally the Blog Articles so that I know what to write about to add more content to my blog. I've tried to use a different app before for each kind of reminder but I just organised as such so now I just have one app for all my reminding needs, saves space both in storage and screen real estate.
6. Camera
What I've observed with other camera apps especially the ones that give you controls like an SLR is that they load slowly. One thing that I have to accept is the inconvenient truth that I have an iPhone not an SLR so why bother having all those other controls I just want to point and shoot anyway. So I trimmed down my camera apps to three: Leme Cam, Multi-lens and Polatax. I don't use live filters for photo taking because I can do that later with iPhoto. Plus there are only a handful of times that I'll use my phone as a camera anyway (it eats up too much battery power) that's why I have a digicam (and you should too if you really like taking photos, like all the time). Some people want to immediately upload their photos that's why they like a camera app with a lot of capabilities but as for me speed on photo taking wins over composition of photos.
7. Safari
I use Safari because it syncs with my MacBook Air and iPad. Before, I was using Google Chrome but I noticed that that took a significant amount of space in my MacBook Air, so I learned how to use Safari the same way as I was using Google Chrome before. It really worked well for me, also I'm not bothered that Safari doesn't support flash its all a matter of how you use your browser, again, if it lacks capabilities that you want/need then its not for you.
So those are the built-in Apple apps that I use and why I stick to them. I don't think that third party apps are better than Apple's native apps I just think that different people have different needs and for some people the Apple Built-In apps doesn't suit their needs. But then again give the Apple Built-In apps a chance you'll never know what they can do for you. Plus the simplicity is amazing no need to configure a lot of things, just like what Apple says "it just works".
1. iMessage
My most used app on my iPhone, I prefer if over the other messaging apps like Whatsapp they have the same service anyway and I made sure that all my friends and family use iDevices too, even so I still use Whatsapp for my non-iDevice user friends. I like it because its simple, you can also send media over it. Plus iMessage can be used free of charge over WiFi (and what places don't have WiFi nowadays right?) so you won't have to worry about data coverage most of the time. In my country mobile carriers provide subscribers with unlimited SMS service so even if we're out of data coverage we can still utilise Messages for regular SMS usage.
2. Facetime
iPhone doesn't have FaceTime natively, instead its buried deep within the Phone App, but I use FaceTime a lot because my family lives on other countries. I use it more on my iPad, with its 9.7" screen I feel like I'm talking to a real person rather than a miniature face. I prefer it over Skype, though I still have Skype installed but I'm only reserving it for cases where the other person has no FaceTime. The service is very simple though it would be nice if there is a video conferencing option but I think Apple know what they're doing.
3. Calendar
Okay, so this is one of the apps that I see a lot of complaints about but I think its a matter of how you use it. Some people want to use their calendars like a planner, others like a reminder and some like a diary. But if you want these other services then the Apple Calendar app is not for you. The main reason why I like the Calendars App is because Siri can access it. There are times that I use Siri to see my schedule and make some adjustments and if I use a different calendar app then I'll lose this capability. Also the Calendar App syncs over iCloud, so whether I'm holding my iPhone, iPad or MacBook Air I can view and edit the same calendar entries.
4. Notes
I don't know about other people, but I'm not a serious note taker, if I get an idea and I want to jot it down quickly before I forget it, I use Notes and that's it. When I want to take down notes off of a lecture then I use a different app for that (Notability). I noticed that the Notes App on the iPhone and iPad launches as soon as you tap it. I tried a different and more organised note taking app Note'd but it takes a few more seconds to load, once, I had an idea and while waiting for the Note'd app to launch I totally forgot it. This was enough to convince me to go back to the native note taking app for iPhone and then just transfer these notes on Note'd later on to be organised.
5. Reminders
Pretty straight forward isn't it? If you want to be reminded of something you need a reminders app, but some reminder apps out there are too complex with their templates and calendars and all that other stuff, what I want is for my phone to just sound an alarm while flashing a keyword of what I need to be reminded of. No need for colour coding, organising and all that other stuff. Although you can still organise, just add a new Reminder List. With this you can make yourself an organised set of reminders, as for me I have Reminders, Chores, Errands, Grocery and Blog Articles.
So I have the Reminders for random set of reminders like text someone, email something, a due date etc. then I have Chores for house work of course, then Errands are for errands (duh!) and Grocery for the list of grocery items that I need to get and finally the Blog Articles so that I know what to write about to add more content to my blog. I've tried to use a different app before for each kind of reminder but I just organised as such so now I just have one app for all my reminding needs, saves space both in storage and screen real estate.
6. Camera
What I've observed with other camera apps especially the ones that give you controls like an SLR is that they load slowly. One thing that I have to accept is the inconvenient truth that I have an iPhone not an SLR so why bother having all those other controls I just want to point and shoot anyway. So I trimmed down my camera apps to three: Leme Cam, Multi-lens and Polatax. I don't use live filters for photo taking because I can do that later with iPhoto. Plus there are only a handful of times that I'll use my phone as a camera anyway (it eats up too much battery power) that's why I have a digicam (and you should too if you really like taking photos, like all the time). Some people want to immediately upload their photos that's why they like a camera app with a lot of capabilities but as for me speed on photo taking wins over composition of photos.
7. Safari
I use Safari because it syncs with my MacBook Air and iPad. Before, I was using Google Chrome but I noticed that that took a significant amount of space in my MacBook Air, so I learned how to use Safari the same way as I was using Google Chrome before. It really worked well for me, also I'm not bothered that Safari doesn't support flash its all a matter of how you use your browser, again, if it lacks capabilities that you want/need then its not for you.
So those are the built-in Apple apps that I use and why I stick to them. I don't think that third party apps are better than Apple's native apps I just think that different people have different needs and for some people the Apple Built-In apps doesn't suit their needs. But then again give the Apple Built-In apps a chance you'll never know what they can do for you. Plus the simplicity is amazing no need to configure a lot of things, just like what Apple says "it just works".
Friday, March 1, 2013
Why I Want To Upgrade To A Nintendo 3DS XL
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| Nintendo 3DS XL |
I want to get a 3DS XL! I've recently downloaded the game demo of Kingdom Hearts 3D. I've tried to play the game and upon doing so I discovered one thing that I never saw before, the 3DS screen is small! I mean, the size seems ok if you play games with minimal graphics (like Pokemon). Even the Mario 64 looked right on the 3DS screen because Mario is quite small but the avatars on Kingdom Hearts 3D are quite tall and there are so many things that happen during gameplay especially on battle scenes I felt like it was so cramped. I was so interested to buy the game but I feel I need more screen real estate, this made me miss living room console gaming (I haven't done this in years). Right now I am also looking at other games released for the 3DS and it just seems more logical to upgrade to the XL. How about you what do you think? Let me know on the comments below.
I'm Planning To Get A DSLR And Here's Why
Ok, so here's what's new right now with me. I'm planning to get a DSLR. I've mentioned before in my other blog that I was considering a DSLR before but got myself a digicam instead. Actually, during that time I thought to myself that I should just get a digicam and decide later whether I would need/want a DSLR. Now, that time has come, I am having the need to get a DSLR.
The DSLR that I have in mind is the Canon EOS 650D 18-135mm kit. I like it among all the rest because of the touch screen LCD. I know that it may seem like just a luxury to get a touch screen DSLR, but when you think about it, at present time who doesn't have a full touch phone? Right? So I think learning to use a touch screen in a DLSR would be easy as 1-2-3!
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| Canon EOS 650D 18-135mm Lens |
Of course as with any new gadget I consulted my gadget buying guide (5 Things To Consider Before Buying A New Gadget) and here are my justifications:
Looks
It's a DLSR how good can it get? DSLRs variety on design are so minimal so it's not hard to like something based on their looks, unless you're particular about the colour. I know other camera manufacturers that make DLSRs with different coloured bodies and some, even lenses. As for me I just like the classic black look. It feels like a real camera. By real I mean it doesn't feel like a toy. And I'm the kind of person that passionately engages in a task especially when I have the right tools for it. Not to mention that I want to encourage myself to take a shot at photography (professional photography that is).
Function
Its a DSLR so the main purpose is pretty obvious, taking photos! But not only taking photos, I have my digicam and camera phone for that, I want to take great photos, artistic photos, photos that are poetic if you will. I used to do a bit of modelling so I know the works in front of the camera, this time I want to know the works behind it. This camera also has good video capabilities as per the reviews, this is a function that I am not very likely to use but then again, its not bad to have the option. I'll just leave that function alone until the situation demands for it and hey, we'll never know right?
Price
So its not the cheapest camera available. Also the 600D comes in at a cheaper price now because of the 650D release but I think its value will make up for the price. Also I have a few trips planned already so there will be occasions that I will use the DSLR. I'm also not a fan of buying outdated gadgets I always tend to buy the latest so I'll settle with the 650D.
Reviews
The 650D has good reviews but still these are based on user experience. I want to read a review based on the same perspective as me, though its very rare to find but I still hope to do so. But if the time comes when I purchase my camera and I still haven't read a review that I can relate to then I'll just have to learn my lesson the hard way, personal experience.
Lifespan
I think this is as futuristic as cameras will get. I can see this camera lasting for years if not a lifetime and I see no reason to plan an upgrade or worry about compatibilities whatsoever. So I think this camera is a very good deal.
So those are my reasons to persuade myself to buy a DLSR. I have always wanted a DSLR I just didn't have the resources, now I do so I want to get one. And who knows, maybe it will serve it purpose in time. We'll see.
5 Things To Consider Before Buying A New Gadget
I was supposed to write about "Things to consider when buying a new phone" or "Things to consider when buying a laptop" but then I thought that there so few things that you can consider especially if your not comparing it to another product so I decided to write about things that you should consider when getting a new gadget in general.
Over the years I was able to acquire different kinds of gadgets, from watches to phones to computers but since I didn't have my own money (I was still in school back then), I had to really think about it when I buy gadgets. So to help others that are in distress and can't decide on which new gadget to get (or give in case you intend it to be a present), here are a few guidelines that helped me over the years and hopefully will help you too.
1. Aesthetics
Okay, so if your going to get a new gadget it should first and foremost look good! You don't want to carry around a cheap looking piece of gadgetry that maybe does the job but doesn't present it with justice. Well if you are trying to keep a low profile, cheap-looking maybe what you want but for everybody else (and let's admit it we like flaunting our new "toys") we want it to look at its best. Nowadays, gadgets are thought of more as a functional accessory rather than a device for work, especially now that gadgets are becoming more and more portable. So when you get a new one make sure that YOU like it and YOU look good with it, make sure that its looks suit you, your lifestyle, your activities and generally the occasions with which you'll use these gadgets frequently.
2. Function
Of course we don't get a gadget to put them on display right? (or do you?), we get them because we need them, we need the things that they are capable of. When you get a new gadget check its features and see if you'll be using these features now or in the near future.
For example, I got myself an Olympus Water-proof digital point-and-shoot camera last February. I was thinking about getting a Canon EOS back then but I decided to go with the Olympus because of the water proof capabilities, the following summer I had a trip to the beach and I was able to utilise all the features of the Olympus camera, plus I didn't have to worry if it get's wet (or soaked for that matter). So it was a really good deal for me.
That being said make sure that whatever gadget you get, you get to use most if not all of its features within a year (this is so that if ever you overuse it its still under warranty).
3. Price
So I put price on third, this is because if you didn't have the money you wouldn't even be thinking of buying a new gadget right? If money was not an issue I suggest you get the latest model of whatever gadget you want to buy, remember technology moves forward (and fast) so whatever technology fails to catch up gets left behind (Yes beeper, I'm talking about you). That being said you don't have to worry about compatibility because eventually the functions that you'll need will catch up and what you have might be outdated sooner than you think. But if you have a tight budget (like me) then you should consider price versus value, make sure that the gadget you'll get is worth every penny. Let me give you an example, last March I decided to get myself an iPhone, I bought a White 64GB Contract-Free iPhone 4s, so you can guess how much that cost me (and I didn't use a credit card either I bought it in cash, I had to save up for it). It was expensive, yes, but I use every inch of it, from messaging to phone calls to email to FaceTime and all the other 3rd party apps like the "MTR Next Train", "HK Observatory" and "Numbers for iPhone", I even use Siri whenever I'm alone (because I feel I look crazy talking to my phone in public). So you see I maxed out all of the possible uses that I could do with it and maybe there are still more that I can do that I have yet to discover. That being said, make sure that you can use every inch of the gadget you'll buy otherwise it becomes a waste of money.
4. Reviews
This one is very important, not everybody has the financial capacity to try and try until they succeed, gadget buying shouldn't be trial and error, you want to make sure that what you get is the best for you. Read reviews, ask friends, get recommendations. Remember it's one thing to THINK that a gadget is good for you and another to KNOW that it is. Get as much opinion as possible before you make a decision. There are a lot of resources available to get as much information on a gadget as possible. You can visit the product website, go to a retail store to try it out and may know someone that already owns the same device and get their opinion. You can never be too gadget-meticulous after all you'll be the one spending your hard earned money right? You deserve the best!
5. Lifespan
Lately manufacturers have been putting the label "Future-Proof" on their devices, so what does this mean? It simply means that no matter how far in the future technology innovates your current gadget will be as useful then as it is now (or so they say, Yes beeper, I'm still on you). As a long time gadget user I give my gadgets one year lifespan, yes one year only, because that's only as long as the warranty will cover it, after that if something happens to it even if its caused by wear and tear you'll still be the one responsible for the repair charges. So when you get a new gadget make sure that you will use it frequently up until the last day of the warranty after that you can upgrade (meaning get a new one) or retain and maintain it. Most gadgets are manufactured to last more than a year of course but that comes at a price, when you buy a gadget you don't just purchase the features but also durability (have you ever seen a cheap diver's watch?). Some gadgets are so durable that they can last for years, one good example is a desktop computer, no matter what OS update come its way you can still use it almost the same way you used to. Make sure that what you get will last you a year (or two *cough* smartphone contract *cough*).
Bonus
6. The *gasp* Factor
Okay I did say 5, but I really wanted to add this one for fun. You know that feeling when you see a new shiny piece of gadgetry? Whether its in the mall or a TV commercial or held by your not-so-techy-but-rich-uncle? I get that feeling when I see a new piece of gadgetry that I like. I look at it, eyes wide open, smile up to my ears and do a very rapid gasp. The moment I do that I know that I'll get myself one of those. I have proven and tested (on myself only of course) that whenever I do that to something I will surely get it but of course before I do I use my 5 things to consider list.
So there you have it, these are the guidelines that helped me over that years and are still helping now when I decide to get a new gadget. I hope these will help you decide whether you'll get that new gadget or not, by the way these guidelines also apply to gadget-upgraders after all upgrading is like getting a new gadget all over again.
My Apple Devices And How I Use Them
Okay, there have been a lot of times when I heard people say "You don't need that, you already have the other one." and by "that" I mean another apple product. I have four apple products to date, an iPod 6th generation, an iPhone 4S, an iPad 3rd generation and a 2011 11" Macbook Air. Okay, so I may have one of every product category but even so I still have a use for each and every one of them and here are those.
Macbook Air
My MBA is my mothership, its the do-it-all, with it I can text (via iMessage), call (via FaceTime), email, browse the web, edit videos and more (you get the idea). Before I bought my MBA I used a NEO Tablet Laptop, It was a very good laptop and lasted a good three years. When it finally gave up on me I decided to get a new one and its the MBA. I got it because its light and everything is so simple. I'm not and IT person so I don't do a lot of computer tinkering so the simplicity of the Mac is very good for me. With this new computer in my hands I had so much power in such a light package! What I normally use my Mac for is downloading content like music and movies, even if some content like iPhone apps can be updated directly from the iPhone I still update using my Mac and sync it to my phone so that my Mac and phone are always synced. I also use my Mac if I'll multitask on the web, I can also do this on my iPad but not as fast. When I'm reviewing something I want to open a lot of articles all at the same time and sometimes compare them, I can do this on my iPad but the speed at which I do it can only be done through my Mac.
iPad
My iPad is the exploration ship, as I usually say its the extension of my Mac, it has almost as much function but comes in an even lighter package! (lately I'm feeling that the MBA is quite heavy because its the heaviest of all my apple devices! ha ha!) I bought my iPad primarily for reading, weather it be books, websites, blogposts etc. basically when I stop searching for articles and want to read them in a more ergonomic way I pick up my iPad and read from there. I also use it for photo storage (though I don't have a lot of photos there yet) and viewing, with its size and user interface its a good way to show others photos. There are also a good number of photo editing apps on my iPad, some have filters, others, stickers and others more with different ways to play with your photos. I usually edit photos on my iPad because of the variety of photo editing apps available.
iPhone
The drone, this is the most compact and most portable of all my apple devices (next to the iPod of course). I usually put it this way, my iPad is the extension of my Mac and my iPhone is the extension of my iPad. Generally I do very little (or minimal) tasks with my iPhone. I use it like how you should use a phone, calls and texts. I also view other content with my iPhone like email and social networks but I limit my actions only to viewing and leave editing to my other devices mentioned above. I have my iPhone with me almost anywhere so I make sure that its synced with my Mac and iPad all the time. I also have photos and music on it of course but that's just for cases where I need to access these media quickly, if I have time then I'll turn to my other devices for help.
iPod
Last but not the least of course. I use my iPod for (you guessed it!) music. I was fortunate enough to get the 6th generation iPod before they became obsolete, because of this I have a real portable music player with me. Plus I got myself a wrist strap where I can attach my iPod so I can also use it as a watch. On the gym I also use it as a stop watch to time my exercises and lastly it has an FM Radio Tuner so if want a more random music playlist or just want to listen to my favourite radio show I can.
There you have it, that's the list of my apple devices and the ways with which I use them. This basically answers the question "What do you use it for? You already have the other one." So for all you out there who want to get more than one apple product for yourself consider the ways that you use each one of them and the situations that you may be in with each one, because for others, you can have too much but as for me I can say that I have enough.
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