The Bradnam Blog

3 Sep 2010

Revealed: the real designers of the new gray interface to iTunes 10

Color is futile. All OS X apps will be assimilated!

2 Sep 2010

The evolution of the iPod nano

via youtube.com

24 Jul 2010

Mixing ecosystems: life in an Apple and Android world - Part 2: Productivity apps

In an ideal world, I would like access to all of my stuff, anywhere, anytime. By 'stuff', I mean any file or piece of data on my computer that has any degree of importance or usefulness in day-to-day life. This ranges from short text notes, to a variety of PDFs and document files, all the way up to large datasets (including music and photo libraries). As flash memory continues to become available in ever larger sizes (e.g. 128 GB USB drives), the prospect of putting very large datasets on devices such as cell phones and iPods becomes more and more realistic. In many cases, bandwidth and data transfer speeds are the most limiting factors.

I imagine that many people do not feel a need to have any sort of management system in place for their data. Just put files on the desktop, all of your bookmarks in one browser, and make copious use of Post-it notes (real or virtual) for everything else. This is probably good enough for many people but not for me. If I want to realize my ideal world scenario then I will have to use specific applications to help me achieve that goal.

As I spend most days working at my MacBook, this is clearly the first port of call for where I will deposit all of my stuff. However, I also have an older iBook and I sometimes use other macs at work. In addition to this, I own an iPod touch as well as a Nexus One and I may well end up owning an iPad. It's not impossible that the future will see me using Linux or Windows machines. So in an ideal world, any stuff that I need to get at, should ideally be able to sync between devices like so:

Is such a mutli-device, cross-platform data-syncing nirvana achievable for all of my various files, bookmarks, and notes? Or is this what old IT professionals tell their children in order to help them sleep at night "One day son, you will be able to sync your music between iTunes and Android...one day". The role of the cloud is important not only as a central hub for all syncing transactions (though obviously Macs and PCs can do two-way syncing directly to devices such as iPods), but the cloud is also another point of access to your data. If I was involved in a bizarre gardening accident which just so happened to destroy all of my computers and handheld gadgets, I would ideally like to fire up a web browser on a friend's computer and still be able to access all of my stuff.

In the past, I managed a lot of my stuff using a simple combination of Bare Bones Yojimbo and Apple's iDisk. The iDisk was used for various documents (presentations, spreadsheets etc) and other large-ish files (>10 Mb) but I used Yojimbo to store pretty much everything else (notes, PDFs, bookmarks, serial numbers, and various clip art and other small images). Even at $39, it's a great app because it is very cleanly laid out and very intuitive to use. It also makes it very easy to get data in and out of the app. Sadly though it's one main weakness is that is very much a Mac-specific application. There is no native web interface (though you can try the 3rd party Webjimbo software) and it not easy to sync the database to other Macs (though this is possible). A recent update did offer the ability to export your Yojimbo Library to a HTML version which could be viewed on devices such as my Nexus One. However, this is read-only data and you still have to manually sync the HTML version to other devices. So Yojimbo fails in this one aspect, but if you plan on mostly working on a single Mac computer, then I highly recommend it. I'll come on to how I replaced Yojimbo in a minute.

Originally I was quite happy using iDisk to sync data between multiple Macs, and the iOS mobile application gave me a degree of access when away from the computer. However, after suffering from a spate of iDisk syncing problems I started migrating my iDisk data over to the excellent Dropbox application. This adds a single 'Dropbox' folder into your home directory, the contents of which are automatically synced online and with any other Dropbox clients you have. I can't sing the praises of this software enough. It's free (though you can also pay for extra storage space). It supports all of the platforms shown above (how often do you find software for Windows, Mac, and Linux?) and it has clients for iOS devices and Android. Wow. It also is very fast and efficient at syncing data (it makes iDisk syncing look positively clunky). It gets even better because you can share folders with other Dropbox users and also access all of your data through the web interface. The icing on the cake is that Dropbox allows you to retrieve older versions of files, including files that you have deleted. I should also add that the team behind Dropbox seem to be constantly working on adding new features. Yay for Dropbox! I now use it extensively at home and work, and it's where I store all of my PDFs and Office/iWork documents. I am seriously considering paying in the future to increase my capacity because my current limit of 3 GB means that I clearly can't use Dropbox for all of my files.

So Dropbox has taken care of some of my 'everything, everywhere' problem, at least for small to medium sized files. But what about all of the other stuff that I was previously using Yojimbo for? Well, I did flirt briefly with Evernote. This app is similar to Yojimbo but it also has clients for Windows, iOS devices, and Android. It's also free and has a web interface too. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but there is something about the UI that I don't really like. It doesn't feel how a proper Mac app should feel like (whereas Yojimbo does).

Instead I moved all of my text notes, bookmarks, and serial numbers from Yojimbo into an app called Notational Velocity. This is a very simple, but powerful, note manager app, and you can choose to sync your notes with the Simplenote service or with Dropbox. Syncing with Simplenote means that you can then access your notes via the web or through other Simplenote clients (I'm currently trying to decide between the mNote and SolidNote clients on Android). For short text notes, this means I can now view, create, and edit notes from just about anywhere. Notational Velocity is a very well designed application and appears almost deceptively simple. But this narrow focus is its strength. Wish I had discovered this app sooner.

The final piece of my data jigsaw puzzle is an application called Springpad. This is relatively new, but seems to be gaining ground quickly. It fills in the middle ground of tracking things which aren't quite notes (though it can store notes as well) and aren't quite files (though it can also store files). Springpad does not have desktop clients, instead you access it via the web or from an iOS or Android device. You can use Springpad to store details of favorite places (bars, restaurants etc), films, CDs, recipes, contacts, wines, the list goes on and on. It doesn't just let you store things, it can be used as part of a Getting Things Done (GTD) system (supports lists, tagging, alerts, reminders etc). The mobile apps let you take pictures of items, scan barcodes, or just add locations based on things that are 'near you'. It is also a bit like Evernote in that it has an intelligent web clipper which grabs content from web pages and sends it straight to Springpad.

If you add an item using the Springpad web interface, then as soon as you start typing the name, Springpad automatically suggests matching titles as you type. Matches can be from existing items in your library, but more impressive is its real time matching of items from certain internet sources. E.g. if you started typing 'To Kill a Mockingbird' you will be offered matches from Amazon and Netflix as you type, as well matches to similar items in other Springpad users' libraries (but only if they have made them public).

However, the killer feature of Springpad (to me anyway) is that after adding the basic details of something, Springpad then adds lots of 'value added' data. E.g. if I add 'Toy Story 3' to my Springpad library and then click on the item, I can then see details of local showings of that film, click on an Amazon link, add to my Netflix queue, watch the trailer, or read reviews. Pretty cool. Likewise if you add an album, then you may see details of whether that band or artist is currently on tour. Add the name of a restaurant and Springpad automatically adds its address, a Google map, and reviews from Yelp. In a way I've only begun to scratch at the surface of some of the things you can do with Springpad. It's still maturing as a service, and there are a lot of things I think it could improve on, but I'm confident that the developers are taking steps in the right direction.

If you want to know more about Springpad, here's a good overview video:

So there you have it. With a combination of Dropbox, Simplenote, and Springpad, I have pretty much constant access to (nearly) all of the things that I might ever need to know or look up. And I'm pretty much covered even if I have to switch platforms to a Linux PC or Windows. I guess cross-platform interoperability is the new lingua franca of the tech world.

15 Jul 2010

An exclusive look at how Apple will 'fix' the iPhone 4

Two weeks ago Apple took their first steps in damage limitation over the growing backlash over the now infamous Death Grip problem. Initially they acknowledged a software problem that was responsible for the iPhone 4 not showing the correct signal strength, but claimed that all phones suffer a loss in signal when held. However, this was not been enough to quell the storm, and after Consumer Reports decided that they could not recommend the new iPhone, Apple has decided to announce an iPhone 4 press conference that will take place tomorrow. Such an event is without precedent in Apple's history and many speculators have been wondering what Apple will say or do to address the problem. I can now exclusively reveal that after weeks of brainstorming, Apple's top engineers have come up with the following solution which they are calling a 'High contrast, adhesive-based, instructional messaging system'. You and I might know them as 'warning stickers':

These adhesive labels will be supplied, at no cost, to all customers who have already purchased an iPhone 4 and will be offered as an additional extra to future customers for a modest charge of $0.99. Apple's CEO, Steve Jobs, is expected to tell the gathered media tomorrow that these stickers...ahem, I mean the high contrast, adhesive-based, instructional messaging system will deliver an unparalleled visual feedback mechanism which if used properly will deliver increased signal strength whilst leaving the iPhone's sleek form factor unchanged. It is also expected that senior vice president of industrial design, Jonathan Ive, will appear in a video wearing a grey T-shirt and gesticulating wildly with his hands, while very possibly using the word 'magical'.

30 Jun 2010

Signal problems on the Nexus One might be as bad as iPhone 4; Pope is still Catholic too

This Anandtech article is perhaps one of the better attempts to get to the bottom of the iPhone 4 signal problem (though an honorable mention should go to Richard Gaywood's piece on fscked.co.uk). I like how the Anandtech article addresses the point about how the number of bars you see on the phone's display is not the primary metric that you should care about. The number of bars is an arbitrary reflection of signal strength. I would go one step further and say that ultimately this should really only be an issue about call quality and/or download speed. If you are losing signal strength but can still make a good quality call or surf the web at a reasonable speed, does it even matter how many bars you have?

Brian Klug and Anand Lai Shimpi from Anandtech managed to find a way of getting the signal information out of the iPhone 4 so they could compare signal strength to the number of bars that you see. And this is what they found:

(image copied from: http://www.anandtech.com/show/3794/the-iphone-4-review/2)

The strongest signal that you can get on any phone (or so I'm led to believe) is -51 dB. Once this signal drops below -113 dB you essentially have no signal at all. The decision as to what signal strength corresponds to what number of bars seems to be up to each cell phone manufacturer. As the above image shows, on the iPhone 4 you see five bars when the signal strength is between -91 and -51 dB. As many others have indicated, the reduction in signal when holding a phone is not limited to the new iPhone. I imagine that all cell phones suffer a drop in signal when being held. I guess the issue is whether the iPhone is significantly worse than other phones.

I own a Nexus One which seems to suffer from exactly the same issue as the iPhone 4. You might not have heard about this because the Nexus One is. well you know, it's not made by Apple and so maybe it attracts a tad less attention. But if you take a read of this post on the Nexus One forums, you will see people getting equally enraged by the lack of information from Google about this issue (I wouldn't bother reading all 76 pages of comments though). Actually, until the whole iPhone 4 signal problem story broke, I have to admit that I hadn't heard about the Nexus One problem at all. I guess that as I wasn't suffering from dropped calls or any issues with voice quality or download speed, I hadn't really noticed.

Android makes it very easy to see your phone's signal strength (just go to Settings -> About phone -> Status). With that display up on your phone you can easily see how your preferred hand grip affects the signal (or doesn't affect as the case may be). Android phones only have four signal bars not five like the iPhone. I decided to see how the signal strength corresponds to the number of bars that you see. This makes for a nice comparison with the above graph by Anandtech:

So the highest signal (four bars) on a Nexus One covers more signal range (-81 to -51) than five bars on an iPhone 4. The levels for one bar seem exactly the same though. As soon as I pick up my phone I see an instant drop in signal, usually -10 dB or so even if I just hold the phone by its edges. This short video demonstrates what I mean:

(download)

At my home, I usually get about three to four bars of signal and if the phone is laying on a table, the signal strength is in the range of -73 to -79 dB. As the video shows, picking up the phone lowers the signal to -83 dB and as I rest the phone on my hand the signal continues to drop. When I then use my other hand to cover the phone I can almost abolish the signal altogether (I did block the signal altogether on other occasions, but didn't capture it on video...it depends on how tightly you cover/grip the phone).

So the Nexus One has comparable reception problems to the iPhone 4. But you know what, I don't really care too much because it works when I need it to. Maybe Apple and Android should just make their signals display one or zero bars. I.e. reception or no reception. After all, I imagine that's all that matters to most people.

30 May 2010

Mixing ecosystems: how an Apple user has grown to love Android - Part 1

In 2001, I purchased my first Apple computer (a G3 iBook) and since then I have never really looked back. At home and at work, I have had the opportunity to use – and to enjoy using – just about most items from Apple's inventory (from Mac minis to Mac Pros, and everything in between). The transition to a Unix based operating system (OS) was what initially attracted me and I have appreciated the layers of polish and functionality that each release of OS X has brought (the days when I was a user of OS X 10.1 'puma' seem a long time ago). Aside from computers, I've owned five different iPods (iPod classic 3rd & 5th gen, iPod shuffle 1st & 3rd gen, and iPod touch 1st gen). If you add to the mix the Airport Express and Time Capsule, plus paid Apple software (iWork) then I can provide no reasonable defense against accusations that I am an Apple 'fan boy' (though I have not gone as far as these people). So it's only logical that my phone is an iPhone right?

Umm. Well no. Don't get me wrong I would really like an iPhone. Actually, I would love to own an iPhone. It would simplify many aspects of my digital life. But I am not yet prepared to make a pact with the devil and sign up with AT&T. It's not just that there a lot of other people who seem unhappy with AT&T. And it's not just that AT&T have made poor progress on promises such as enabling tethering before the end of 2009. And it's not even about the horrendous home Internet service that I received from them which capped the download speed to half the stated maximum (how does that class-action lawsuit feel now?). It's a mixture of all these things, coupled to the fact that I also really enjoy the service that I get from my current cellular provider, T-mobile.

So when our two-year T-mobile contract came to an end last October, I didn't exactly rush out to sign up for an iPhone. Rather than sign up for another two years with T-mobile, I signed up for one of their excellent Even More Plus plans. As I was in the position to pay the full price for a phone, this plan means that there is no annual contract. I am free to walk away at any time I choose. This gives me hope that one day I will be holding the next generation iPhone in my hands (just as soon as Apple partner up with any other carrier).

So what did I go for instead? Well there was only ever one choice for me, Google's Nexus One. At the end of last year there were very few Android phones on T-mobile (how times change) and I came close to buying a Samsung Behold II. I'm glad I skipped over this as it is still stuck on version 1.5 of the Android OS and Samsung angered many when it recently announced that it will only ever be upgradeable to 1.6. This fragmentation of the Android ecosystem, along with the myriad add-on user interfaces (Sense, MotoBlur etc.) is the main reason I held off from some of the early models of Android phones. I think that the potential problems of fragmentation is best encapsulated by the fact that someone has actually set up a website androidfragmentation.com to cover this issue (I doubt if there will ever be a iphoneosfragmentation.com). If you are in the market for a new Android phone, then I would be worried about the shelf-life of many Android hand sets that are out there at the moment. Hopefully my Nexus One should be good for at least 2–3 more updates and I look forward to being able to taste the sweet delights of OS 2.2. 'Froyo' on it very soon. Incidentally, even if there was no iPhone and Android was the only player in town, then I still don't think that I would buy an Android device from AT&T.

So the point of all of this rambling, dear reader, is that I am in a situation where a) I have a high-performance Android phone and b) I have a Mac. How do these two co-exist, and more to the point, can they co-exist? In an ideal world I would like to use software that can sync between my computer and my phone and to the cloud. I.e.

My attempts to do this, will be chronicled in part 2 of this blog series. I will list the software that I've switched to using in order to achieve harmony with my e-life.

30 Apr 2010

Apple, why can't you just fail like everyone says you will?

1) Consider this article from 2006 by Bill Ray titled Why the Apple iPhone will fail, and fail badly

2) Then consider the wise words of Microsoft's Steve Ballmer in 2007 when he said that "there's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share"

3) That brings us to today with the news that Motorola has lost it's position as the largest U.S. maker of phones. And who did they lose this position to? It couldn't possibly be Apple could it?

Apple Inc. – defying (idiotic) predictions since 1976.

4 Apr 2010

24 hours with the new noPad from Apple

It's the latest technological wonder that literally no-one has been talking about, it's the new noPad from Apple. Don't confuse this with the somewhat inferior iPad, though they do share many similarities. Like the iPad, the noPad is simply gorgeous to look at. Its crystal clear display which has a 360˚ viewing angle, is jaw-droppingly stunning in it's clarity. Picking up the noPad is also a delight. What really impressed me was just how light it felt in the hands, almost weightless in fact.

You can orient the noPad in any way that you want, and it doesn't share the iPad's limitation where you have to have the screen actually pointing at you in order to be able to use it. As demonstrated below, it is easy to hold with just one hand, freeing your other hand to interact with the extensively complex, yet innocently simplistic, user interface.

Another advantage of the noPad over the iPad lies with the fact that the noPad is locked in an 'always on' mode which incredibly draws very little power, actually none at all. Unlike many new pieces of technology, there is absolutely no learning curve associated with the noPad. Just pick it up and... BOOM, you're ready to go. Everything works so well and so intuitively that after just a few seconds of use, it feels almost as if it wasn't there at all.

Unlike the iPad, this is a device that is very pocketable which makes it a must have accessory for taking with you everywhere you go. I was impressed with just how quiet it was, even when I was multitasking to the max (yes, it does feature unlimited multitasking). Equally impressive was how I was able to take it outside and use it even whilst it was raining. No expensive waterproof cases are needed for this baby. The iPad (like the iPhone before it) may have made waves with its innovative 'pinch to zoom' gestures. But when you get to play with the noPad's 'pinch to do anything you can think of' gesture, you will be blown away.

In my extensive testing, the only gripe I had with the noPad is that it can be very easy to misplace. However, given the low, low price of this device, I'm fully prepared to buy a new one any time I lose it. In summary I would say that the noPad is the perfect device for everybody as its uses are limited only by your imagination. In a word, it's magical.

16 Mar 2010

5 reasons why the iPad will fail as a roofing tile

There are only a few weeks left before American consumers can finally get their hands on Apple's much touted iPad. For many people, including millions of Apple's so-called 'fan boys', the iPad will be a sure fire winner. For these naive optimists, the iPad will solve many of the world's problems including, but not limited to, a cure for cancer and a cost-effective solution to tackle global warming.

This skeptical reporter is not so sure. Whereas Apple has not specifically targeted the use of it's allegedly 'groundbreaking' new product as a suitable replacement for clay roof tiles, the subtext in their advertising is clear. Their recent TV advert doesn't feature any words as such, but it's clear that the implication is that if you put the iPad on your roof, it will keep you warm and dry. If you read between the lines, then it is clear that Steve Jobs practically said as much as the launch event.

So how will Apple's device hold up in competition against the traditional clay roofing tile? Well call me old-fashioned, but I somehow don't think that Apple is about to displace the classic roofing tile anytime soon. Here's 5 reasons why I think the iPad will fail in it's role as a roofing tile.

1) Lack of adequate waterproofing

Apple have clearly scored an own goal here. Packing in all that fancy electronic circuitry may make it a digital delight for nerdy teenager boys who have erotic dreams over the size of their iPod's hard disk capacity, but it won't cut the mustard when it comes to protecting against rain showers. Fail!

2) Price

What were they thinking in pricing this thing at $499??? And that's just for the basic version of course. Who has the kind of money to spend that much on a single roofing tile? It will be the most expensive roofing tile in the history of overlapping, segmented roof protection. Fail!

3) Non-interlocking nature

It's typical thinking for Apple to take something that works, and then turn it into a useless mess. Their iPad has no obvious way to interlock or overlap multiple units together to provide a stable, and watertight covering for your roof. I suppose that this will become available as an expensive 'optional download'. Fail!

4) Excessive packaging

We have yet to see any signs of what the iPad packaging looks like, but we can imagine that it will be another case of the usual Apple 'style-over-substance'. Most disappointingly, we believe that iPads will only be available in packs of one. If you want to cover your entire roof in these things, then not only will it be costly, you'll probably need to hire a truck to take away all of the extra packing that you will be left with. Fail!

5) Lack of choice

At launch time, the iPad will only be available in just six different versions. Apple have clearly listened to their customers but have then decided to spit a fat globule of iMac-flavored sputum in their eye. A meager selection of just six varieties is lame. Contrast this to Microsoft's recent entry into the roofing protection market with their 'Slate 2009' product. This came in a consumer-friendly range of 142 different configurations, including the popular 'Slate 2009, Small Home and Underdeveloped Business Edition - Pro Premium XL'. Microsoft clearly have their finger on the pulse of e-Roofing whereas Apple have just wasted a glorious opportunity to do something right for once. Fail!

Apple may as well have named the iPad the 'iLame' as it is the lamest thing that the lame Cupertino company has brought out since their last lame offering. However, as a technology journalist, it goes without saying that I reserve the right to completely retract these words and write another article in a year's time called 'Why I was right about how the iPad has forever changed the world of e-Roofing'.

26 Jan 2010

Exclusive picture of the new Apple tablet

It's what the tech world has all been waiting to see. But here it is, an exclusive first look at the new Apple tablet. The early rumors that suggested that Apple were working on a a sleek, touch-screen device were clearly way off the mark. Apple has surprised everyone by reverting to a 'classic' tablet look. It will go on sale in March for 900 shekels.

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