Same idea as last post but for my iPad. What’s on yours? Any good ideas?
Category Archives: Tech News
iOS iPhone iPod Apps
Following on from my last post about Apple edging android in the app contest I thought it a good idea to re post the what’s on my iPad and iPhone articles. So first up is what’s on my iPhone. Now I will clarify that I don’t put all the apps I own on the iPhone. If I did I would need 5 more screens of folders.
Below is the screen shots. Any questions let me know. As you can see a reasonable variety.
Since posting this @shongum recommended Marine Transit for ships.
Apple vs Android Apps
Much has been written about the Apple iOS Apps vs the Android Apps available and which is better and which has more. This number of apps is only a guide. The quality, depth and breadth is more important.
I have spent a considerable amount of time looking into the different apps on the operating systems and included my own experiences too. I have purchased nearly 1,500 apps on iOS and 700 now on android, just as a reference. I have owned and used the latest of both operating systems from the iPhone 5 which I use currently and the Samsung S3, my last phone. Before the S3 I had the Note and prior to that the iPhone 4S. I have used both size and owned both size iPads and Nexus 7.
I am going to start this article with the conclusion and then explain why. So in conclusion the iOS app selection tops android. With the tablet configuration iOS wins hands down. With smartphones whilst the number of apps on both platforms is huge, it is the breadth and depth where IOS really has a larger edge over android. However, android does have a win over iOS in terms of game emulators. On iOS they do not exist really, but on android they are several superb options. Also on the android platform you can use play station or other game controllers to play some of these games. That’s more to do with the open aspect of android hardware and software. The other aspect where android apps have an edge over iOS apps is the ease of sharing data throughout the system, with better use of background multitasking. The other consideration is Google apps and services. Google is really trying to create a superb user experience.
Now, I know some of you are going to say my favourite apps are on both platforms. That may be the case, but it is often updated or available first on iOS. Another challenge is that whilst that app is not available on android, there is an android equivalent that is just as good. And that’s a fair challenge.
But look at the the categories available on both. Then think about apps for women, apps for men, for children, for specialist interests and so on. What you will find is that on iOS the offerings are far greater with more depth, quality and breadth. This isn’t a question of looking at the top 50 in both app stores, this is about going deeper into sub categories of sub categories. Previously when I did this comparison, I only looked at my apps and were the equivalent available on both operating systems. This time I went far deeper in to the types and quality of the app offerings. I must admit, I really thought iOS wouldn’t have a clear advantage but overall it really does and if I am being honest by a decent margin except for apps that are game emulators or share data.
What I do believe is that this gap will totally close and the offerings will be down to personal preference and the services the two operating systems offer.
Samsung just bought 5% of Wacom
Wacom announced that Samsung has bought a 5% stake in their business.
Clearly Samsung is looking to develop and S-Pen and use it even more as a unique selling point.
Blackberry Z10 accessories
It seems Blackberry have thought of everything when it comes accessories including a battery charger that can charge a spare battery at the same time, and smart cases as pictured below.
The spare battery will be essential with this phone as it eats juice fairly quickly.
No Internet – Panic stations
Last week from 6pm on Thursday to 6pm on Friday, that’s 24 hours, I was positioned in a rural village which had no wifi and no mobile Internet. In fact, this place had no communications of any kind.
So there I was with an iPhone 5, iPad Mini, Blackberry Curve and all the accessories under the sun, yet unable to say or send a word. So what do you do. Answer. There is nothing you can do.
At the end of the 24 hours, I noticed was the battery level on my iPhone 5 was extraordinarily amazing. Nearly 24 hours later it was down to 93%. Not surprising it wasn’t doing anything.
But during that time of being cutoff from the world it felt really odd. I was getting withdrawal symptoms. I couldn’t tweet, couldn’t read/receive emails, check this, do that, read the online news, no calls, no SMS, no nothing. The first few hours felt dreadful. I kept picking up my phones, turning them on and off to see if I could get a signal. Then I tried moving around the lock house. (It wasnt a lock house, but it felt like it). Still no signal. And then I conceded defeat.
The lock house where I was staying did have a small library, and a sign saying “please feel free to borrow the books”. Clearly this place knew that there was no signal, no way of talking to the outside world, so they had a plan. Visitors would have to read an actual book, with physical pages. Yep, that’s right, no kindle app, no kindle ereader just a real book.
So I grabbed a pint of bitter in the bar, (it wasn’t all bad) and settled down and started to read. And you know what, it was really enjoyable, more enjoyable than my kindle app or kindle ereader. And as the hours passed and the 24 hours nearly came to an end it felt really good. I had detoxed myself of technology for a day.
And then I got in my car, and left the lock house and a mile later my phones started bleeping and going stir crazy. I had 800 unread tweets, 800 RSS feed items to read, 400 emails and more.
So ask yourself, is it really worth being connected. Just think of all the crap your mind has to put up with every day. Take the challenge. Turn the world off for a day. Relax and read a book.
PS. The lock house was actually a lovely old hotel with creaky floorboards and dusted in white snow.
Amazon Cloud Drive App takes on Dropbox
Competition is the storage space just heated up with Amazon now offering automatic photo uploads via its app. The app also allows for photos to be taken straight from inside the app too, and with 5gb of space to get you started, it’s a competitive offering.
This is sure to add some pressure to Dropbox, but I don’t see Dropbox going anywhere soon. In fact, I reckon the price of storage will drop and the allowance will increase.
Good news for consumers so long as Dropbox doesn’t get swallowed up or pushed out.
Vertu Android Phone – Cover Your Eyes
$4,000 and this Vertu luxury phone is all yours. Just take a look at that luxury feel, the lines, the gold and that bargain basement price tag.
Seriously, who would buy this. Maybe if Vertu sent one to me for review, I might have a different opinion seeing it in real life.
What do you think ?
Au Info Bar – made by HTC but for KDDI in Japan
KDDI’s au Infobar is co-developed by HTC. It features a Qualcomm’s 1.5GHz quad-core APQ8064 , 1GB of RAM, 4.7-inch 720p display, 16GB of storage, microSD slot, 2,100mAh battery, LTE radio (800/1500) and Android 4.1. The phone also supports both CDMA2000 800/2100 and WCDMA 850/1900/2100, making it a global phone. It has a 8-megapixel main imager (with F2.0 lens) and 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera that take advantage of HTC’s ImageSense chip for speedy burst shots. Likewise, you’ll find Beats Audio built into the system. As per typical Japanese mobile phone, the usual NFC (with Osaifu-Keitai mobile wallet), 1seg TV tuner and infrared are also packed inside the 9.7mm-thick, 147g-heavy waterproof (IPX5 and IPX7) and dustproof (IP5X) body.
But look at the home screen design and the above spec. Why can’t HTC have already released something like this? Dust proof and waterproof too, like the new Sony Xperia Z.
Blackberry 10 initial review
So Blackberry 10 will be available in the UK from tomorrow. Several reviews are published and they are mixed in their opinions.
I have already seen much of the specs and features and would agree that there are certain aspects of the new operating system that are good, other parts that are ok and areas that are dreadful.
Apps. 70,000 from launch. Except 69,000 are poor android ports or play book ports. Dedicated BB10 apps are limited in number. Blackberry really needed less but better quality.
The Hub. Great idea but may look messy. Notifications looks clumsy. Also since the screens are mostly full screen you have no idea of the time or battery status. The battery is poor.
The media selection has been done reasonable well. Carrier billing is present which probably explains why it’s available on so many carriers.
The web browser has adobe flash and works ok. Copy and paste is hard work.
Hardware is average and not ground breaking. Keyboard is awesome.
Overall it’s not too bad but iOS or android is better. But then they are maturer operating systems. Let hope Blackberry 10 saves the company.
