Developer – Nik Fletcher

App version – 1.1

Happening – iTunes Store $1.99 (£1.19)

Happening for the iPhone is built solely to allow access to Yahoo’s Upcoming service. Upcoming which has been around since 2003 is a social networking events website, the most useful facility on the site is the ability to search for music concerts, art exhibitions, conferences and meetups near where you live.

iPhone App: Happening

Since the first release of Happening the app has improved significantly, you can now RSVP events as attending or interested from within the app and everything feels generally smoother and less buggy.

For the function it is built for Happening can’t be faulted but the app however does require further improvements. For example when viewing an event the small map preview in the top left shows half the Google logo blocking most of the view and tapping on it doesn’t bring up a full map view as you’d expect. The ability to add people as friends from within the app would also be useful.

One of the best ways for me to find out about events is via the groups that I join, unfortunately Happening has no group implementations at all, removing one of easiest ways to view lists of relevant events.

The other problem lies less with the app and more with the service it links into. Despite its size and prominence in the events arena Upcoming is still too small outside of North America to be of great use. Naturally there are pockets of the UK that have activity such as London, Brighton, and Bath but outside of these areas it’s largely useless.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Pros

• Makes finding events in local area simple
• Easy browsing of events while on the go
• Fast app with no crashes in my use

Cons

• No group related features
• Requires some minor UI improvements
• No ability to add/remove friends

Verdict

Happening for the iPhone is the perfect solution for finding events in your local area, unfortunately a series of missing features let the app down in the end. No doubt a superb app to have for events like SxSW and Macworld though.

Event details

RSVP an event

This review makes a comparison of what are considered to five of the best and most popular iPhone Instant Messaging (IM) applications around today.

I will be looking at three of the more expensive applications such as IM+ With PUSH, BeejiveIM and Agile. I will also compare two of the most popular lower priced applications and see how these compare to the higher priced applications. These applications are eBuddy and Palringo.

One of the best features of the iPhone that puts it above other smart phones is the push notification service. This service allows applications to update you in real time using badges, sounds or custom text alerts without having to be running in the background. This service was made by Apple but is ran by the third party applications so the quality can vary. This is quite an important feature for IM applications as it allows people to keep in touch with their friends and colleagues, whenever and wherever they are. All of these applications include push notifications, so it is worth seeing how the quality varies between these applications.

Developer – Shape Services

IM+ with Push – £5.99($9.99) – iTunes

IM+ with Push covers an excellent choice of IM services, which includes Skype, AOL, MSN, Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo!, Google Talk, Jabber, ICQ and MySpace. This IM client is laid out appropriately, with the sort of tabs that you would expect for efficient movement around a well designed application.

The application is open for easy management of your accounts where you can set your status, delete or add contacts, and even allows you to update your status with a GPS location link, so people know where abouts you are at the time. If you have a large amount of friends then you can order them into groups or even put your best friends into a favourite tab. Along with this there is landscape view and the inbox stores all your past conversation threads for easy access. When reading through conversation threads you can hide the keyboard by simply tapping the conversation thread.

This application has the largest array of emoticons that I have ever seen. It has a category for all the emoticons that you could ever need for use in MSN etc, but then it has a lot more for use when chatting to another person with IM+.

Something you may have noticed about this application is that it includes twitter within it’s list of services. Now if you use twitter you may think this would be quite a useful idea to have everything under one roof. But to be honest, this application is clearly designed for IM services, which twitter is not. Saying that it does have its upside. It allows you to check twitter whilst you’re amidst conversations with your friends. It’s not as intuitive to twitter as applications that are made for twitter but it makes it easier to check if you are using this application at the time. It also allows you to have your twitter @replies and DMs pushed to your phone. So although not useful as a primary application to check twitter, it does come in handy when needed along with the push notifications.

The application also includes an In-app web browser, which means that you can easily check links that people send you or just browse the web, without having to leave the application.

Pros

• Easily manage your accounts
• Well designed layout
• In app web browser
• Large choice of services
• Push notification for Twitter

Cons

• Push has been somewhat unreliable
• Not ideal as primary twitter client

Developer – Beejive

Beejive – £5.99($9.99) – iTunes

Beejive allows you to receive push notifications for up to seven days after you close the application, which means your not going to be losing contact to anyone anytime soon. It stores your conversations so you can continue from where you left off. Beejive integrates all of your favourite IM services including AIM/MobileMe, Google Talk ICQ, Jabber, MSN Messenger, Myspace IM, Yahoo! Messenger and Facebook IM.

There’s room for customisation with a choice of aesthetically pleasing backgrounds or anything from your own library. Beejive also allows you to manage your accounts such as adding and removing contacts, changing your nicknames, accepting friend requests and blocking contacts. You can also put your friends into groups, if you have a lot of friends to make it easier to find those that you speak to more often.

The application comes with standard features such as landscape mode and a large panoply of emoticons. You can also add friends to a favourites list similar to that of the phone book favourites. Push notifications last for up to 7 days after you close the application, which is longer than any of the other applications that I have tested.

Not only does this application give you everything most necessary for an IM client but it also has sharp interface that feels smooth to use and the application has logical settings and menu layouts. If you have some friends with multiple IM accounts then meta chat allows you to put all of the chats into one thread so it is easier to look through past conversations. With the in built web browser it is possible to browse the web and go to links that people send you without having to keep opening and closing the application.

Pros

• Push notifications for up to 7 days
• Saves chat history
• Smooth interface
• Meta chats between different accounts
• In built web browser

Cons

• None

Developer – Agilemobile

Agile – £5.99($9.99) – iTunes

Agile is probably one of my least favourite premium IM applications. It does a good job but I feel that when it was designed, there wasn’t much thought in to what the most important features for an IM client would require. It does have some brilliant quirky features such as the ability to use the cameras live footage as the background so that you can chat and browse through the application on the move. I have tested this out and it does work quite well.

the applications interface and design seems unintuitive and the application feels limited when compared to what other premium iPhone applications have to offer. It is limited on the number of services that it offers, which are ICQ, MSN, AIM, Yahoo!, Jabber and Google. The application only allows for up to 12 hours after closing for push notifications.

Agile mobile for the iPhone is known for its push notifications being a bit hit or miss at times. I found that sometimes I just wasn’t receiving any push notifications at some point, which is not what you want from an application that claims to have this ability.

On the up side the application runs very smoothly and does do its job as an IM client. It even includes Unicode support for chatting to people in any language, which is more than the applications feature.

Pros

• Camera Footage for on the go
• Support for all languages
• Application tends to lag

Cons

• Only 12 hours of push notifications after close
• Small selection of IM services
• Push quality unreliable
• No inclusion of an in-built browser

Developer – eBuddy

eBuddy Pro – £2.99($4.99) – iTunes

This application comes as half the price of the premium applications and for that reason I expected to let myself in for disappointment. This application does its job but it doesn’t give you any of the perks that the more expensive applications have to offer, which is fair enough.

You are required to set up an eBuddy account to use this application but that is all very quick and simple to do. Once you do this you are away, with the ability to easily chat to your friends or colleagues, All integrated into one list. Push notification services last for up to three days after you have exited the application, so you won’t miss any important gossip.

The application also includes some common features nowadays such as landscape mode for the keyboard and all the regular emoticons. You can send pictures to friends and send a buzzer by shaking your phone. You can also change your display picture from your camera or from your photo library. The application saves your chat history and allows for support for many services such as MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, AIM, GTalk, Facebook, ICQ, MySpace and Hyves.

I was disappointed to find that the application only included the most basic emoticons and also didn’t correct any of my spelling mistakes, which I thought was odd considering that spell correction is common in nearly all applications today. This meant that my messages were very hard to read at times. I also found that when people would contact me through Facebook chat, the application would give me their user number instead of a name, so I wouldn’t actually know who it was. This is a basic error that is one of many small reasons why I would pay more for one of the premium applications, which don’t have this problem.

This is a great application but I can now see after reviewing why it is  down there in the lower price bracket. It does everything that I expect an iPhone IM client to do but at the same time, it is missing a lot of features that would put it up there with the premium rate clients. It also didn’t feel as fluid to use as Beejive and IM+ with Push. I found that scrolling through chats sometimes you would end up moving into a different chat by mistake. The way the application allows you to simply flick between chat logs could have been set up better. I imagine it to have a flow somewhat like the home screen and how you flick between pages of applications.

Pros

• Wide range of services
• Includes push notifications
• Reasonable price for what it offers

Cons

• Small amount of Emoticons
• No inclusion of names with Facebook chat
• No in-built web browser

Developer – Palringo

Palringo £2.99($4.99 ) – iTunes

Palringo is another company that has been making IM applications for various platforms other than the iPhone. It prices up as half that of some of the premium apps but does it meet up to the same expectations?

It allows a wide choice of services such as Windows Live Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, Facebook, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, IChat/MobileMe and Gadu-Gadu. This application actually offers little more than an IM client. It doesn’t include spelling correction, which I thought was common to all third party applications nowadays. It does keep a record of chat history and does include basic features such as themes and landscape mode. The application has a terrible layout that is very confusing to get around and uses pinch zoom in the most unnecessary places.

The application allows for you to send picture messages to friends and share your location with friends. You can create groups so that you can easily send messages to multiple people at the same time.

This application is by far my least favourite and I wouldn’t recommend it to anybody. If you are really wanting a cheap application then definitely choose eBuddy over this.

Pros

• Low priced
• Push notification

Cons

• Poor quality design

Verdict

Truth be told, these applications vary in quality a lot more than I expected, which means that deciding on the best app isn’t too difficult for me. IM+ with push and Beejive are definitely the best two and really choice depends on what you are looking for in an IM client. IM+ had a lot of room for personalisation and included the largest variety of IM clients. IM+ offers push for twitter, which could be pretty handy if you’re a heavy IM and Twitter user. Beejive just felt a step better in terms of speed, reliability and intuitive design. Beejive also allows you to get push notifications for the longest period of time, which is very useful. AgileMobile was close behind these two because it met up to most standards and included some clever extra features such as the background camera screen and the large selection of UNICODE. Agile failed on the interface and the general ease of movement around the application didn’t feel as comfortable to use as with the others along with a lack of a web browser.

Overall Beejive is the winner for me as it is my favourite IM client and I am more of a casual user. I hope that you have found this review useful but if you feel that there is anything I have missed out then feel free to mention it as I have spent a lot of time with these applications so I should be able to answer most queries.

To be able to use Facebook chat with these applications, Facebook will require you to verify your date of birth. Each application deal with this in different ways and isn’t difficult to sort out, but it did have me confused at first so I thought it was worth a mention.

DoodleJump – £0.59 ($0.99) - iTunes

For such a cheap price I bought this app to pass the time and found that it was surprisingly fun considering the simplicity of the app. Doodler jumps upon various platforms and items such as trampolines and jet packs to climb high into the heavens. The aim of the game is to get as far as possible without falling or bouncing into an enemy.

The game is simple yet elegant with a sleek design that includes clever little perks such as placing scores along the game for comparisons between yourself and online scoreboards. To control the Doodler, tilt the phone left or right and tap the screen to shoot enemies. There is also the option to submit your scores on Facebook or Twitter.

The game has had many updates since its release in March this year, which have added in more features every time to give more variety to the gameplay. Along with this there is a nifty little feature that allows you to unlock various different characters from other iPhone games such as Pocket God and The Creeps.

Pros

• Perfect for casual gamers
• Online score boards make the game more competitive

Cons

• Addictive gameplay

Verdict

A small game for a small price but none the less brings an abundance of joy.

✓ Shop smarter. RedLaser searches for low online and local (NEW) prices from hundreds of thousands of retailers. Now features TheFind product search in US, UK!

✓ Scan faster. Even without autofocus! RedLaser uses state-of-the-art barcode recognition that can read virtually any product barcode. Works great on the first-gen, 3G, and 3GS!

Developer – Occipital

RedLaser – £1.19 ($1.99) – iTunes

Sometimes I find I will go into town shopping for a particular item and I will have a bit of a hunt around and then buy it; only to find that it’s being sold for a lower price elsewhere. This app is aimed to prevent this from happening. I have been waiting for an app like this to come to the iPhone ever since I heard about a similar application for the Android platform that a friend of mine was all too keen to show off.

Since I got the app I have been going around shops and testing this app on anything with a barcode. The app is very fast paced; simply pick up the item you want to price check and scan the barcode. Once the app rapidly deciphers the barcode [Ed note – with a cool sound I might add], the app will bring up a list of price ranges and where you can shop for said item.

Now that you have this information on your phone there is a great choice of options open to you. By browsing through the list you can choose who you want to purchase the item from and the app will take you to their website. The app will keep a list of all the items you have scanned and from there you can mark your favourites or email yourself a copy of the list. The app even includes manual entry of the UPC, EAN, UPC-E and EAN-8 barcodes in case the barcode is intact or for whatever reason you are unable to scan the barcode (which seems unlikely to be due to the app).

Something I noticed when browsing thorugh the items I had scanned is that some of the sellers are selling the items new and some are selling them second hand. The app doesn’t seem to have a method for differentiating between the two, which depending on the item you may not want to buy it second hand. Apart from this I really find it hard to find fault with this app. This is a modest app that functions effectively and can be used with ease.

Pros

• Hair-trigger response to interpretting barcodes
• Great variety of online merchants
• Easily email lists to yourself or to friends

Cons

• Doesn’t differentiate between new and second hand items
• No discrepency between single item and bulk purchases

Verdict

This is a modest app that functions effectively and can be used with ease. This cheap app will certainly save you more than you spent buying it in the first place.

Developer – id Software

DOOM Classic – £3.99 ($6.99) – iTunes

Doom Classic is a first-person shooter based on the original PC game which was released in 1993. This game defined the first person shooter and made alien shooting what it is today. This is a game that can be enjoyed by both casual and hardcore gamers with a variety of difficulty settings. The game can be saved at any point so whether you are playing for five minutes or five hours that precious gameplay won’t have been wasted.

Navigate through 36 missions, which are all available from the start, with a variety of control options that include both multi-touch and tilt controls. There is a lot of customization to be had with these controls and their sensitivity. The default setting in my opinion is appalling, but I can see why they would have used it as default. This setting involves a single joystick on the screen that allows you to move back and fourth and turn left and right. This relies on you using the tilt function to strafe, which feels unnatural.

The second of the settings has one analog stick that allows you to move back and fourth and strafe left and right, whilst an iPod style wheel allows you to turn left and right. This again is similar to a steering wheel and is a ridiculous control set up for a first person shooter.

This leaves me with my final and favourite by far, which uses a D-pad and horizontal analogue stick set up that almost feels like using analog sticks on a games console controller; for this reason I adapted to this setting pretty quickly. The tilt controls can be used to strafe in the direction that you tilt your phone. I personally found this quite awkward to control smoothly so I just used the on screen analog sticks.

Once you get the hang of these controls, which you will, nothing will stop you from effectively shooting down aliens in this fast paced shooter as you chainsaw through your enemies or simply blast them to pieces with a rocket launcher. Overall the controls have been well thought out and haven’t stopped me becoming attached to this game. The graphics are dated and there is no option to look up or down, but this doesn’t affect the quality of gameplay and keeps in touch with the classic.

Friends can be included in the alien slaughter with the ability to play with up to three other people across a local WiFi connection. With this you can either play co-operative missions or you can play deathmatch games which is great fun.

Pros

• Ample amounts of gameplay
• Mass amount of customization
• Awesome weapons and engaging gameplay

Cons

• Slight hold back on the control selection

Verdict

A fantastic first person shooter that anybody would want to have a go at. Copious amount of gameplay and deadly weapons make this game addictive to play. Its great to see that this game still holds it epic status after all this time.

BNO News – $1.99 (£1.19) (Monthly subscription $0.99/£0.59)

I’m addicted to news, for some reason I love reading and receiving news. Ever since the advent of push notifications on the iPhone I had a dream of being notified of breaking news within seconds of it happening. This kind of instant news gratification has always been available to those who pay to have access to news wires but I’m personally not always at a computer. Twitter has become a reasonable substitute on the go and in particular news service BNO News offers quick and concise updates via its Twitter account. For me and I imagine other “news junkies” this is still not enough and the same company has come to the rescue with the almost perfect iPhone App aptly named BNO News.

Don’t get me wrong there have bucket loads of news apps for the iPhone, some that come to mind are AP Mobile, Sky News and FT Mobile. Out of that lot only AP Mobile offers push notifications and even then I receive a notification maybe once a day.

The BNO News app offers push notifications at a cost, not only is there a price to download the app but via in-app purchasing it will be necessary to buy a monthly subscription to enable push notifications, without paying you’ll only receive one update a day. The app itself will continue to function as normal as a news reader. While we’re on the subject the app is a reasonably poor news reader, updates are less than 140 characters (to suit Twitter) and therefore sparse on information. BNO counters this in some cases by offering a link to a website, a trade off I’m mostly willing to make but often it’s necessary to find more details elsewhere (when other sites catch up).

The app itself offers the most customisable system of push notifications I’ve ever seen, by default BNO News will deliver just breaking news via push 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But with some easy tweaking via the app’s preferences–which I should note are within the app itself rather than in the iPhone’s preferences–you can set the app to deliver “low priority” updates via push and also set a sleep period to silence all alerts. On top of all this with one of the recent updates to this app the ability to only receive notifications for certain types of news was added, for example I can now choose to get notifications regarding earthquakes, terrorism, technology but not sport or crime.

Unfortunately the app is flawed, but not in quality of build or delivery but rather the service that runs the content. There will be large chunks of the day where I receive no updates at all despite knowing about breaking news, not impressive for an app and service that promises updates “anywhere, anytime”.

Pros

• Largely reliable and accurate push notifications, certainly quicker than any other news service
• Streamlined app for just reading headlines
• Ability to customise exactly what news to receive and when
• Cheap app price and subscription

Cons

• Some stories lack further detail
• Service often suffers long periods of no updates

Verdict

As it says on the tin, short and precise push notifications about the latest breaking news. BNO News is incredibly customisable and all this for just a small few per month. It’s a shame that the app is let down by what appears to be an inability to deliver news 24 hours a day to all timezones of the world.

Developer – Agile Partners

GuitarToolKit – £5.99 ($9.99) – iTunes

Many useful attributes are compiled into this one handy little app. If you play the guitar then you will find this app beneficial at some point if not all the time. The chromatic tuner uses the microphone in the iPhone to deliver quality tuning. The downside to this is that if there is any background noise in the room then the tuner starts to get very confused. It would be more ideal if you could plug your guitar into the tuner but this is obviously limited due to the iPhone hardware, which is reasonable.

The comprehensive chord finder and extensive range of scales are laid upon an interactive fretboard that can be strummed or tapped to hear how they sound. It comes with a metronome with 13 different sounds and visual flash options. With support for many instruments; support for left handed people and custom tuning it becomes convenient to many musicians.

This app is beneficial to those who wish to learn more about the guitar and various other instruments. I personally find it very useful for learning scales on the guitar and also for tuning my guitar. The designers who made this app clearly spent a lot of time understanding what musicians would want out of it; this includes a lot of options so that you could personalise it for what you need it to do.

Pros

• Copious and convenient qualities
• Reasonable price
• Personalise for your convenience
• Elegant finish

Cons

• Difficult to tune with any background noise

Verdict

As far as technology goes this app definitely pushes the boundaries of what the iPhone has to offer. This app is useful and will come in handy for anyone who plays the guitar.

Developer – Bolt Creative

Pocket God – £0.59 ($0.99) – iTunes

Time to play God in this nominally priced app. The aim of the game is to rule over the pygmies who inhabit the island’s and to do with them as you please. From feeding them to the sharks, shocking them with lightning or flicking them straight in to the volcano there are many ways to bring misery and misfortune upon the little pygmies. With an infinite supply of pygmies you will have the oppurtunity to discover them all. Along with finding new ways to extirpate the pygmies, you can control gravity by tilting your device and watch as the pygmies hold on for dear life.

As far as playing God goes there are very little ways in which you can be benevolent towards the pygmies and even then it’s not long before you want to do something brutal to them again.

With the earlier updates there was little point to the game other than just dawdling but with the later updates mini-games have added a delightful mix to the game. OpenFeint is an iPhone social network with chat rooms and leaderboards, which adds an objective to these mini-games as you aim for the high score. Pygmy cloud jumping and laser shark shooting are among these games that become quite addictive as you keep trying to beat your personal best.

This is a game that has been growing at a fast rate for a long time. With kept promises the developer has produced a constant stream of updates on the roll adding new aspects to this game. The most recent of updates adds a mini-game where you have to attract sharks under the sea with laser beams on their heads and test your skills by shooting pygmies, whilst keeping the sharks interest with a constant supply of food.

Among some of the great qualities the game offers some fun cartoon graphics along with a smooth interface. This game is very simple but at the same time it brings an illusive amount of gameplay, which at times can become addictive.

Pros

• Excellent updates on a weekly basis
• Many ways to desimate those little Pygmies
• Nominally priced
• Elegantly finished and a smooth interface

Cons

• Not much choice when it comes to benevolence

Verdict

For the price this app is definitely a good spend. It gives you a lot of fun and the sheer amount of interaction is worth every penny. As long as the updates keep rolling up then this game won’t get tiresome.

Developer – SEGA

Golden Axe – £2.99 ($4.99) – iTunes

Another classic SEGA production has been brought to the iPhone. A game that back in the day, was fantastic to play on the SEGA Megadrive. The problem is that there are certain types of games that just don’t work on the iPhone.

I feel that SEGA are just trying to push out games for the iPhone, squeezing every last penny out of their past productions with no effort to produce a quality game. If I were the developers of this game I would be highly embarrassed. Golden Axe has been ported to the iPhone with little care for quality and you can tell this from its sluggish play and imprecise controls that leave you feeling disappointed. Adding to the difficulty of being able to control the game is the fact that the screen is covered in buttons, making it hard to see what you are doing. There is also no inclusion of multiplayer, which could have been quite fun to play with friends.

It is irritating because this game is so much fun on other platforms. Select one of three characters, each of which vary in strength and magical powers and fight you way through the mystical lands as you head to defeat the wicked Death-Adder. This same emulator is available on Xbox 360 and PS3 at a cheaper price and without the sluggish gameplay. But there is no excuse for this game to be slow as there are many other high quality, graphics intensive games that don’t have this problem on the iPhone. The only highlight of this game is the fact that you see scantily dressed, pixalated babes through out the game including one of the choice of chaacters.

Pros

• Sadly there are none

Cons

• The game is sluggish and the controls are imprecise
• The game doesn’t include any multiplayer features as in the original version
• Too many buttons cover the screen

Verdict

This game is extremely disappointing. The worst money I ever spent. I would have rather thrown the money away than think that SEGA are actually reeling in the money on this poor production.

Developer – ngmoco, Inc

Rolando 2 – ($9.99) £5.99 – iTunes

Once again the finger is worshipped by those little Rolando’s in this sequel, which brings you to the Island of Fontanis where you must seek out the Golden Orchid in order to save the Rolando sages. Packed with many new and interesting characters you must roll, fly, swim and even drive carts as you work your way through fun and interactive puzzles.

The game has been pushed towards the casual gamer side slightly more than the original Rolando. I found in the original that there were the odd bits that got a bit tedious, where as I haven’t found this at all with this game; with the allowance to choose a variety of levels at any one time and to skip levels using your exit idol getting stuck in a rut is no longer an issue.

The puzzles are simple enough and navigation around the levels isn’t too complex; yet highly addictive. On top of just completing the levels there are the extra tasks of foraging for crystals, safely maneuvering your Rolando’s through the levels and doing so before the time runs out. The rolando’s talk to you as you roll your way though the levels and make you feel involved with the story.

Tilt the iPhone to send the Rolando’s along their merry way and use touch controls to drop bombs, draw bridges and move about the level as you explore and work out how to complete the puzzles. This iPhone-native platform truly pushes the boundaries of what the iPhone has to offer.

The puzzles have become much more advanced with Rolando’s that come in all shapes and sizes with varying qualities such as ones that can fly and some that can either sink or float in water. With the inclusion of Plus+ you can now earn rewards and share scores with friends making Rolando 2 one of a growing array of games to do so. Plus+ is described as a part social network, part gamer network and gives the opportunity to compete against the world … or just your friends. Another new experience to the world of Rolando is weapons to destroy the enemies. Now you can shoot, drown and explode the enemies so that nothing can stand in your way.

Rolando 2 has this elegant and smooth mix between 2D and 3D. This 2.5D environment along with the art work and funky music wraps the game up perfectly.

Pros

• Ability to skip difficult levels
• Fantastic price for such a high quality game
• Plus+ network adds a whole new challenge to iPhone games
• New features that add a whole new experience to Rolando
• Seamless quality that has been built upon in this sequel

Cons

• Irritatingly faultless

Verdict

If you only buy one game for the iPhone this year then this has to be it. I believe that nobody would find this game a disappointment. A beautiful game with addictive gameplay always leaving you wanting more.

Compared to the iPhone 3G the iPhone 3GS adds a better camera with auto-focus and the ability to record video, a magnetometer (digital compass), and voice commands. Beyond these features the iPhone 3GS also has some hidden tricks, revealed only by its name. The ‘S’ according to Apple stands for speed and this is where the iPhone 3GS shines.

What’s Included

The iPhone 3GS includes almost the identical set of accessories that the iPhone 3G came bundled with. In the UK the included power adapter has been significantly shrunk allowing Apple to reduce the size of the packaging. Apple also included a slightly modified set of headphones, instead of just a microphone and a play/pause clicker on the earbud cord there is now volume up/down controls, replicating the functionality of Apple’s dearer in-ear headphones.

The iPhone itself is largely the same, the major change is that Apple has opted to use an oleophobic coating on the display. The coating effectively repels oils such as those off your fingers; finger prints are noticeably less distracting and a single wipe of the iPhones display will give a brand new finish.

Battery Life

The iPhone 3GS is quoted by Apple to have battery life better than that of the iPhone 3G, but only just. Despite not having enough time to run specific battery tests we can confirm that the battery is slightly improved from that of the iPhone 3G. Unfortunately for those switching from the original iPhone the battery life will be seem woeful, with heavy users requiring a midday charge.

S for Snappy

When Phil Schiller took the stage and introduced the the iPhone 3GS at WWDC 2009 he made it clear that the ‘S’ stood for speed but gave no further details on how Apple had achieved this. Since then it’s been revealed that the CPU in the 3GS is a ARM Cortex A8 clocked at 600MHz and although not confirmed it is suspected that Apple has doubled the available RAM to 256MB.

Not only does the iPhone 3GS pack some speedier components the device can also support data speeds of up to 7.2Mbps, compare this to the iPhone 3G’s meagre 3.6Mbps. Unfortunately across the UK and USA, O2 and AT&T respectively have very few areas capable of such speeds, I suspect the UK is slightly more prepared but was unable to confirm so with O2 UK. AT&T says it is rolling out network upgrades to support 7.2Mbps later this year but coverage will likely be very patchy.

The speed increases don’t just stop with better CPUs and faster networking components, the iPhone 3GS supports the brand new OpenGL ES 2.0 standard, this means we’ll see a whole new generation of iPhone games with better and more complex graphics.

Where the iPhone 3GS really shows off in the pack is opening and closing of applications and rendering of web pages, below is a table outlining some benchmarks between the new iPhone 3GS and the original iPhone.

All times in seconds. All web page loading benchmarks tested on freshly restarted iPhones with cleared caches running on the same WiFi network. All tests carried out three times with an average published. Both iPhones running public release of iPhone OS 3.0.

Camera and Video

Between the original iPhone and the iPhone 3G the camera didn’t change, not one bit. With the iPhone 3GS the camera makes some evolutionary steps, first of all a 1 million pixel increase in quality from 2.0 megapixels to 3.0. Second, the camera has the ability to focus in both auto and manual modes. Manual focusing is achieved by just tapping an area of the display, the 3GS will then attempt to focus and meter off that object.

In addition to significant and noticeable improvements in the still camera the iPhone 3GS can now record, edit and share video. Video is recorded simply by flicking an on-screen switch. Once recorded you can do a basic trim on your video and share it via MMS, EMail, MobileMe or YouTube. Unfortunately trimming a video on the 3GS is destructive and the bits you trim off can never be recovered.

All round the iPhone 3GS has taken several giant steps forward in the camera department, the ability to share both photos and video has become incredibly easy and the quality of both is generally acceptable.

Below is a selection of shots from both the original iPhone and the iPhone 3GS.

Below are also three video examples, one filmed in daylight, another in lowlight and a final one in almost complete darkness.

Video recorded on the iPhone 3GS during the day.

Video recorded on the iPhone 3GS to demonstrate low light conditions.

Video recorded on the iPhone 3GS in the dark.

Compass

Anyone who thought the iPhone 3G was perfectly suited to finding your location was seemingly wrong, Apple has taken it one further by adding a digital compass to the iPhone 3GS. The magnetometer as it is technically known functions as you’d expect pointing out your current heading and showing a pretty compass interface. Jump into the Google Maps application and the compass also helps the map point in the same direction as the iPhone. This feature will no doubt come in handy when working out which direction to walk up or down a block or for just finding out which direction my desk faces (298º NW if you care).

Disappointing to me personally is Apple appears to have negated a feature which first appeared on the Android mobile platform, if Google street view was able to show my direction using the compass it would become even more useful.

Voice Control

Another distinguishing feature of the iPhone 3GS is the voice control software which comes pre-installed. Press and hold the home button for a few seconds and a blue interface with commands floating past will pop up; say “Play songs by Eminem” and very likely the iPhone will obey. The feature only works with the phone and iPod parts of the iPhone, so no dictating of emails or SMS messages but it is surprisingly accurate even with my British accent.

Surprisingly the voice commands do not function at all with either Apple’s Bluetooth headset or any third party headset, the only way to use this in a car would be to use a set of headphones with a built-in microphone. Press and hold the play/pause button for a few seconds and you’ll hear those familiar beeps, say “Call Alex” and iPhone will respond asking you which Alex you wish to call, say their surname and the iPhone will dial the number. If they have more than one number you’ll also be required to state which number you wish to call. I’m unsure whether it is a feature or not but my iPhone 3GS appears to have learnt that for certain contacts I always dial a certain number and has stopped asking which one I want to ring.

Far more impressive to those who I’ve shown this feature to is the iPhones capability to dial numbers just from you reading them out, the accuracy is superb.

As I mentioned the voice control feature is limited to the phone and iPod, with the iPod implementation it certainly suffers and lacks in some areas. The iPhone can be asked to play a playlist, artist or album. No where to be seen is the ability to play a song, also the iPhone 3GS gets very confused when an artist has more than one name. Asking “Play songs by Kaiserchiefs” will work fine but “Play songs by Electric Light Orchestra” usually fails.

As you’d expect anything but a reasonably quiet environment throws this feature haywire, as I walked around my local supermarket the iPhone refused to make a Genius playlist of the current playing song, insisting that I wanted to ring my work. I really didn’t.

Accessibility, Encryption and Nike+

Apple also distinguishes the iPhone 3GS with some less obvious software based features. I suspect that the added speed has allowed Apple to port some of the accessibility features available in Mac OS X over to the iPhone OS. Accessibility tools can be enabled in iTunes or on iPhone itself. Zoom is available, once enabled users can magnify the screen by double-tapping with three fingers and using the same three fingers to either increase the zoom or scroll around.

VoiceOver has also made it over to the iPhone, once turned on a single tap on any text or button will have it read out, a double tab is then required to action an item.

A “White on Black” setting inverts the display while a “Mono Audio” setting does as suggested and allows all audio to be directed to either the left or right channel on earphones. Finally a feature not just handy to those visually or audibly impaired, “Speak Auto-text” will announce auto-corrections as they appear when typing.

Encryption was a feature mentioned briefly by Scott Forstall in the WWDC 2009 keynote and only mentioned in a single paragraph on the iPhone 3GS website but is a big part of the new iPhone 3GS. All data on the iPhone 3GS is stored in an encrypted image, so if protected by a passcode lock data on the iPhone is virtually impenetrable by thieves. Additionally using some form of Remote Wipe feature offered by MobileMe or corporate tools is instantaneous as only a part of the data needs destroying for the rest to be inaccessible.

Nike+ has also finally made it to the iPhone, you’ll need some special Nike+ shoes and a sensor which will track your walking or running performance. The feature is notable not only because the iPhone 3GS is the first iPhone to support it but it also works in conjunction with wireless Bluetooth headphones or speakers. So at the same time as transmitting to and from the Nike+ sensor, the iPhone 3GS can also send audio to your Bluetooth headphones.

Conclusion

There is no disputing the iPhone 3GS lives up to its name, the device is faster at everything and it’s noticeable. The camera is a step in the right direction but the lack of a flash will be a let down for some, the camera also appears to constantly wanting to make everything much brighter than it actually is.

There are generally two scenarios in which you’d be looking to upgrade to the iPhone 3GS, you either own an original iPhone or third-party phone or you own an iPhone 3G. If you own an iPhone 3G it is somewhat likely that you’ll be wrapped up in a contract that prevents you upgrading immediately but those who are illegible may be considering the upgrade.

If you own an original iPhone then the upgrade to the iPhone 3GS is well worth it, some may argue that a model next year will be far improved but the original iPhone is now two years old, lacks 3G connectivity and is beginning to miss out on features such as MMS.

From the iPhone 3G the scene is different, the iPhone OS 3.0 update brought along a whole new array of functionality. How much value do you place in the ability to record video, have a slightly better camera and be able to see what direction you’re facing?

Pros

• Speed improvements are noticeable across the board
• Great improvements to the camera
• Video recording is a welcome addition and editing and sharing is a breeze
• Oleophobic display works as advertised
• Voice control is accurate more times than not

Cons

• Compass appears slightly inaccurate at times and seems to have limited use
• Voice control does not work with Bluetooth headsets
• Battery life is poor compared to original iPhone

Developer – EA Mobile

The Sims 3 – ($9.99) £5.99 – iTunes

EA Games have been working with The Sims series for a long time now, with which they have had great success. The series has sold surplus of 100 million copies worldwide and to date is the best-selling PC franchise in history. For these reasons and the fact that I have played The Sims in the past I had some great expectations for this game. It has been specifically made for the iPhone/iPod touch and there has clearly been a lot of effort put in.

When I have played previous versions of The Sims I have found that initially the game is very addictive and comes packed with a lot of entertainment, but once I have made myself a mansion, maximised all my Sims skills and so forth then I just lose interest. This game is a scaled-down version of The Sims, but it has moved away from the traditional style, where you would spend a lot of time producing your dream home (which is still possible), and moves more towards looking after your sim and individualising their personalities. This still involves improving various skills such as cooking, fishing, repairing and gardening; but now there is a lot more involvement with how your Sim socialises.

When creating your Sim you can customise their aesthetics and define their personality; this will coincide with how they interact with other Sims and will affect their wish list, which is the goals that your Sim will want to achieve. This opens the opportunity of replayability by creating different characters and developing your Sims along various paths of life; either make your Sim climb the corporate ladder to success or become the town nuisance by annoying your neighbourhood and breaking into their homes to use their fridge. The goals that your Sim dreams up adds a little more excitement to the game, giving that little bit of variety to stop you getting bored of the repetitive lifestyle. Even without the consideration of replayability, there is a magnificent amount of gaming hours.

Personalize your house as you please with a panoply of household items such as T.V’s, Fridges and Couches. This is limited to the fact that you can’t build a house like in the full computer version, but this again isn’t really the key focus of the game.  There is also no fast-forward, which means that tasks can sometimes be a little slow. I don’t really want to watch my Sim watch T.V in real time. Fast-forward is substituted with the game skipping time at work and time when your Sim is asleep.

Apart from just looking after your Sim, socialising and getting a job there are mini-games to boost your Sims skills. These take advantage of the iPhones accelerometer. For example you can go fishing where you flick the phone to catch the fish. At first these mini-games are great but after a while they become repetitive. Whenever you want to feed your Sim there are two methods of doing so, you can either give him a quick snack, which isn’t that satisfying and becomes very expensive or you can cook him a proper meal. To do this you have to buy some recipes; personally memorize the ingredients for when you go to the shop and buy the various products; then go home and cook the meal, where there is a mini-game. This involves picking up the various pans and shaking them using the accelerometer to cool them down until the food is cooked. I personally find shopping for food can sometimes be quite a drag in the real world, so I start to question why I’m doing it a virtual world. Also household electronics break far too often for my liking, which is where your Sims repairing skills come in to use.

One thing that I had a major problem with was that the game would crash and return to the home screen on a regular basis. I thought this was very important to mention as I nearly deleted this app before solving the problem. If you download the app, then you will need to restart your iPhone/iPod touch before playing the game otherwise it will crash a lot. The game still crashes occasionally and the only current solution to this is to restart your device about once a week; as after restarting, it won’t crash for quite some time.

Initially I found that the controls were not well explained and do take some getting used to. When selecting an item that has a lot of options for your Sims to interact with, it isn’t obvious that you can scroll through to see more options. One of my main confusions was that I was set a goal to grow some vegetables, but the game didn’t explain that I couldn’t do that until I had upgraded my house. I found quite a lot of these examples through out the game.

Pros

• Fantastic gameplay and very addictive
• Create your Sim and assign their style and personality
• Repeatability with varying gameplay each time.
• Huge amount of gaming hours

Cons

• Controls are sometimes awkward and confusing
• Even after restarting, it still has a tendancy to crash

Verdict

Overall EA Games have done wonders with this game (ignoring the occasional crash) and used most of the best attributes from previous versions to give you the best of what the Sims is truly about. Although the game does eventually become quite tedious, initially the game is highly entertaining and brings many hours of gameplay. If you have enjoyed previous versions of the Sims then you will without a doubt love this game.

Developer – SEGA

Sonic The Hedgehog – ($5.99) £3.49 – iTunes

Another timeless classic has been brought to the iPhone, which fills you with a deep sense of nostalgia if nothing else. If you enjoyed playing this for the Sega Mega Drive back in the day then this is the game for you; if not then you have definitely been missing out. Sonic The Hedgehog is a platform game with many hours of enjoyment. The aim of the game is to collect rings, destroy enemies and hurdle your way through various obstacles as you aim to defeat Dr. Eggman’s evil plans. There are seven stages, each with three acts and a fight with Dr. Eggman at the end of each stage.


The game is controlled by having a D-pad on the screen and a jump button; I found it odd that they hadn’t incorporated tilt controls into the game when they have applied such features to other iPhone games such as Super Monkey Ball; which was a truly fantastic game. There is also no inclusion of a button for being able to spin on the spot as in the original game, but it’s not really needed to be honest.

Even though I have complained about D-pads on the iPhone before I found that I picked up the controls quite quickly; although there is the occasional tricky part where it can be quite difficult to get through unscathed.

I have actually put a lot of hours into this game and I still haven’t complete it yet. It’s not that the game is too difficult; its just that when you hit game over and you have no continues left, you have to start all over again. Ok, so this probably sounds a bit monotonous but it doesn’t take that long to get through the levels and I always discover new parts to the levels when I play them again, which is part of the fun of Sonic. It also fits in with the classic game style of not having an auto-save. For some people, thats great, but not for me. When you go into the bonus levels its possible to collect continues, so it’s possible to lose all your lives and then continue from where you were.

Something that I am also pleased with is that you can simply quit the game and it will save the current state you were in. It sounds simple but there are games than don’t do this and being able to quickly start and stop a game on the iPhone is a must in my opinion.

Pros

• Saves current gameplay when you quit.
• Quick to pick up and great for the casual gamer.
• Very enjoyable with many hours of gameplay.

Cons

• No autosave function

Verdict

All in all one of my favourite games. It’s unquestionably worth buying if you want something fun and addictive to play on the iPhone.

Developer: AirPlay

Price: £2.99 ($4.99 – $1 starting June 6th)

The developers of this game have been making games for mobile phones for the past five years now. One of their most successful games has been the Super Yum Yum series; the first of which was a BAFTA games awards nominee for the 2004 mobile game of the year award. Although they have been making mobile games for sometime now, Super Yum Yum 3 is the first game that they have made for the iPhone. Ok, so what you really want to know is whether or not this game is worth spending £2.99 on, as was I before I paid for it.

The motive of the game is simple; eat all the fruit and help Leon collect up all of his babies. The game is quick to understand and the puzzles start off quite simple and get increasingly difficult throughout the game. The app has gone for a retro arcade style, which they have done well with. To move about you just touch the screen where you want Leon to move to, which saves the need for a D-pad control as I’m not a fan of D-pad controls on a touch screen. In general, the interactive feel to the game is just not as smooth as I would expect for an iPhone app

I don’t often play games on my phone so an iPhone game has to be pretty special to attain my interest; probably playing a couple of times a week when I am having to hang around or just sat on the couch watching T.V. Although saying that, when I find a game for the iPhone that I truly like I will get quite addicted. With this game I found it a bit of a struggle to play. The game quickly becomes tedious and very repetitive, lacking variation between levels in the fact that the goal is the same every time; eat your fruit and rescue your babies. As the game goes on the levels get increasingly harder, which adds some interest to the game; but at the same time becomes frustrating and just causes a loss of interest.

Adding to these drawbacks, the game isn’t particularly quick to get into if you just have a spare couple of minutes and want to solve a puzzle. On top of that it isn’t possible to save mid-game, which means that you would have to start that puzzle over again the next time you play. This is another reason why I find the game so difficult to play as I don’t want to keep playing the same level.

One of the better aspects to this game is that there is now a rewind button, which means that if you make a mistake in the puzzle and get stuck then you can easily correct your mistakes. Although the puzzles can get quite tedious, I do find that they can get quite addictive and there is some entertainment to be gained form the game.

Pros

• Rewind button allows for easy correction of mistakes through out puzzle
• Concept of puzzle is quite unique

Cons

• The game becomes very repetitive
• Unique puzzle
• Game doesn’t save if you’re in the middle of a puzzle
• No quick save ability

Verdict

Although I have made a lot of negative comments about the game I feel that the concepts of the puzzle are quite unique and the story line in the beginning of the game is interesting. This game definitely isn’t up there with some of the top iPhone games but at the same time it’s not a bad game.

Developer: Weather Underground

Price £3.99 ($6.99)

I thought I would review this app as I felt it would come in useful to me; I was definitely right. I really love this app. It has excellent functionality. This app allows you to access literally thousands of radio stations and there is definitely a radio station for anyone. The app allows you to select the radio stations you like and place them into a “favourites” tab. When you just want to listen to your desired station, the app is pretty simple to use; the ability to search for a specific station makes it quite useful.

Something that attributes to the quality of this app is the simplicity to learn more about unknown artists. When you hear a new artist that you like, simply press the Last.fm button and you’re taken straight to the Last.fm website through the built-in browser to learn more about them. I find this beneficial as it helps me to discover new artists; you can also still be listening to your desired music station at the same time. The radio stations will still stream over 3G and EDGE connections with a minimum of 12Kbits/s, which means it is difficult to not get a connection. Great for listening to stations on the go.

I think that there are some things that could be improved with this app. Browsing through the app to find new radio stations is quite long winded to find anything. For example I can browse music by Genre, which sounds really cool but there is only a choice of about twenty genre’s; considering there are over thirty thousand stations I think that narrowing them down into twenty genre’s is being a bit too general; I select a genre and then I get a choice of about 12 “featured stations”. It gives you an option to look at more stations of that genre, which you select and then it shows a ridiculous amount of stations in alphabetical order. I feel that unless you know what radio stations you like you wouldn’t want to spend ages browsing and trying so many unknown stations.

There are also some points that I am probably being quite meticulous about but thought I should mention. The app just isn’t as elegant as I would like for an iPhone app. This doesn’t get in the way of the apps functionality but I always think that beauty is important when designing software. I find it really irritating that the app can’t be run as a background app. I know that this isn’t feasible but if I’m using this app and I want to send someone a text message for example then I have to quit the app. [Editors note - not technically the developers fault; Apple doesn't allow applications to run in the background.]

Pros

• Over thirty thousand Stations
• Web browser, with simple to access to Last.fm
• Great for discovering new music
• Radio stations will stream through Edge and 3G stations

Cons

• Not so elegant
• Searching for new stations can become monotonous

Verdict

After reviewing this app, knowing what I know about it I would still definitely recommend it. For such effortless access to an impressive amount of radio stations, which even run on 3G and EDGE connections this app is definitely worth buying.

Developer: Realmac Software

Price: £1.79 ($2.99)

Towards the end of 2008 Mac software developer Realmac Software delivered a handy desktop application called LittleSnapper. LittleSnapper offers many features but primarily allows snaps shots to be taken from your desktop or a website and be uploaded quickly to a image sharing website.

Just this week Realmac released an iPhone version of LittleSnapper for iPhone which to my knowledge offers some features that no other iPhone application has. LittleSnapper supports three methods of capturing an image, grab it from an album already on the iPhone, take a picture using the camera or grab a screenshot of a website. That last feature is very handy and unique.

In essence LittleSnapper for the iPhone brings all the essential features of its Mac based brethren but unfortunately drops a few handy tools. The ability to tag, rate and give images descriptions remains but there is no image annotation or editing tools.

Before I jump into the details I should mention on the outset that LittleSnapper’s interface right down to the icon is amazing. The main menu resembles a camera mode swivel knob, possibly the best method of offering a menu on an iPhone application I’ve ever seen.

Once you have an image it can be uploaded to Realmacs own QuickSnapper service – which isn’t very iPhone friendly – this also is a let down as the desktop version of LittleSnapper allows uploading to more popular services like Flickr and even a private FTP server. Hopefully they’ll expand the sharing capabilities in the future.

When your image is uploaded to QuickSnapper, LittleSnapper comes into its own again offering the choice of visiting the image in a browser, emailing a link or posting a link to Twitter. When posting to Twitter LittleSnapper for iPhone asks which client you’re using (Tweetie, Twitterific or Twitterfon) and takes you straight to that application with a nice tidy link ready for posting.

It’s the little touches just like Twitter integration and the superb user interface that make LittleSnapper for iPhone a top notch application. Even for those that aren’t in the business of snapping webpages LittleSnapper is great for taking photos sharing them with the world.

Pros

• Beautiful and functional user interface
• Integration with popular Twitter iPhone clients
• Capture entire web pages

Cons

• Only uploads to QuickSnapper service which is not entirely iPhone friendly
• No editing or annotations of images
• No real integration with LittleSnapper on the Mac

Verdict

Whether you love taking snaps of your favourite websites or just want a convenient place to upload photos, LittleSnapper deserves a place on every iPhone even if it’s just to grace it with its beauty.

I personally have been a Twitterific addict since my inception to Twitter, but there are many more clients on the market that offer all kinds of different perspectives on how Twitter should work on the desktop.

Tweetie for Mac offers great features like separate tabs for @replies (mentions), DMs (direct messages), search and of course the timeline itself. That’s nothing special really but Tweetie for Mac takes it one step further offering threaded DMs and mentions in a clever breadcrumb fashion.

Tweetie for Mac also has support for multiple accounts with the ability to easily post from one of these accounts without having to switch in the preferences. While we’re on the subject the box to post a tweet isn’t on the main window itself. Posting a tweet is done from separate small window which can be set to appear on top of any application with a short key.

Tweetie for Mac also takes from its iPhone companion the niceties of viewing pictures posted to image viewing services such as Twitpic, instead of firing up the browser images pop out in a Quick Look type window. Tweetie for Mac also links up to all the popular URL shortening services to help you create compact tweets and a browser bookmarklet is even available for easy sharing of websites.

Tweetie for Mac certainly isn’t perfect though, many features I and many other users of Twitterific have become used to are missing like ability to hide the Dock icon, Growl notifications integration and a less intrusive translucent window.

Pros

• Slick user interface
• Built-in ‘retweeting’, URL shortening, and TinyPic viewing
• No need to leave client to view profiles and user timelines
• Separating tabs for mentions, DMs, search and the timeline
• Seperate tweeting window
• Multiple accounts support

Cons

• Separate tweeting window
• No option to hide Dock icon or make client translucent
• No Growl integration

Verdict

But for a brand new Twitter client Tweetie for Mac has to be admired for a superb effort and an incredibly slick user interface and if Tweetie on the iPhone is any indication then it will grow to encompass everybody’s needs within no time at all.

Tweetie for Mac is free with built-in ads but is also available for the limited time price of $14.95 which will remove the adverts.

Review software: Tweetie for Mac 1.0.1

[Updated] As noted in the comments Trends can be viewed by going to the search tab and clicking the drop down in the search box. Not perfect but certainly shows trends.

Developer – Gourmet Pixel

Go Go Go! – £3.99 – iTunes Link

I have been quite keen to start following the Formula 1 this season and for this reason I decided to take a look at this app to see how much it would help me to keep up to date. After playing with this app for a week I have found that there are a lot of useful features.

Open the app and straight away you get a really smooth design with a countdown of how many days until the next race and the weather forecast for that race.

Then you enter into the app where there is a large panoply of information available to you. Up to date information on the drivers and the teams standings; information on all of the races this season; maps of all the race tracks; loads of details on the teams and the drivers including history, photos and technical information. The list just goes on. The app also contains a library of videos to stream. This app really does contain everything you would ever want to know about the Formula 1 season. I quite enjoy reading up on the information about the next race tracks. The app updates with several news feeds everyday, so there is always something interesting to read about.

The app has had a lot of effort put into it in my opinion. Something I find really useful is that the app is able to store all the latest data. This means that even without any internet access you can read up on F1 info previously stored onto the phone.

There was one thing that I find a bit disappointing about this app but I’m not really sure if GPXL could easily get around this problem. It is that the app will let you know the dates and times for the races, which is great. But it doesn’t allow you to convert those times into your own local time zone. I think that this is quite a key issue as obviously if you are into Formula 1 then you are going to want to know what time the races are on for you to watch.

Pros

• Incredible amount of Formula 1 information available.
• Elegant finish and simple to use.
• High amounts of stored data to keep you informed even without any wireless connection.

Cons

• Cannot convert the race times to your local time-zone.

Verdict

This app is well worth its money and a must have for anyone following the F1 this season. All the information you could possibly want to have on the go and more.

Developer – Remember the Milk

Remember the Milk – Free (requires $25/year “Pro” account on web application) – iTunes Link

In the today’s fast paced world, everyone has lots to do and invariably most have a to-do list of one kind or another. Remember the Milk is one such to-do list implemented as a web application with a companion app for the iPhone and iPod touch. This review will not cover the features of the web application overall, but rather will cover the functionality and features of the Remember the Milk iPhone app.

After downloading the application to your device, registering it with the web service is fairly trivial, however you need to have a “Pro” account which is $25 annually. Once you enter your login details, you are required, only once, to approve the external application to use the web services API, connect to your account, and sync your information. Once completed the application launches into its default view, Today.

As the name suggests, the Today view displays a listing of all tasks due today. Similarly there are other views shown as tabs at the bottom: Tomorrow, This Week, and Lists. Finally there is a tab for more views, including Tags, Locations, Nearby and Search. Like the iPod application, you can change the display of these tabs.

Adding a task is simple from anywhere in the application and is context aware. If you are viewing Today, the task is set to be due today. If you are on a certain list or tag, the task is added to that list or tag. New tasks can be given a name, due date and time, tags, a time estimate, a repeat schedule, a location, a URL, added to a List, and have notes attached. Once a task is added, the app needs to be synced to the server via the refresh button in the lower left before the change will be visible on the webapp.

When viewing a list, a simple swipe can mark a task complete (hiding it from view after a few seconds), but in order to delete or postpone a task, a more cumbersome action must be performed (Tap task -> click Edit -> scroll to the bottom -> click Postpone/Delete). I reschedule or remove tasks just as often as I complete them, so I find task management to be unnecessarily burdensome at times.

If you are a user of David Allen’s Getting Things Done, you will be able to fit Remember the Milk into your system. With both list and tag functionality, there are many ways to architect a GTD solution to fit your needs. Additionally, by using the Location feature of the app and your current position, you can have location-aware contexts for GTD. If you are at the post office and check for tasks nearby, you will be shown a list of tasks within a certain radius, like getting milk from the store. Alternatively, if you work from multiple offices or client sites, you can list your tasks by those locations individually. More information can be found at the RTM blog.

Pros

• Integration with web app
• GTD capable
• Location aware
• Offline editable

Cons

• Need to pay for “Pro” account
• Need to re-sync before quitting app
• Awkward UI for certain task management tasks

Verdict

Overall, the Remember the Milk iPhone application is a fully-featured companion to the corresponding web app and even adds iPhone-specific location awareness. Unlike some standalone iPhone task managers, the integration with the web application allows you desk access to your list primarily as well as mobile access when needed

Developer – Last.fm

Price – Free – iTunes Link

Simply insert your favourite artist, tag or user and the Last.fm app will produce a personal radio station full of similar artists commercial free. When you find artists that you like there is a lot of useful features that allow you to find out more. The app has a smooth finish and an easy to use interface.

It includes some of the Last.fm classic tools such as Love or Ban. You’re able to look at the artists Bio, which I always like to read a bit of background info from my favourite artists. If the artist is on tour then a tab notifies you and allows you to check out tour dates, plus you can state whether or not you are attending in your events calendar within the application. Once the event is in the calendar, you can check the address of the venue and the app can take you to Google maps to pinpoint the location; One of my favourite attributes and useful for when you’re out and about and can’t find the venue.

The app will still stream music in 3G areas without the requirement for a wireless connection. This is quite a nice touch as it means you can use the app pretty much anywhere. Any less than a 3G connection and you will find the app is buffering every ten seconds. Something that I really like about the app is that you can easily look at your top played artists, albums, tracks, recently played and even lets you check out your friends profiles and check out your common artists.

Last.fm have done a great job with this app but I do feel there are some downsides that I should mention. Something that I find really frustrating about the app is when I am thinking of an artist that I have just heard on the radio for example, and I now want to find out some information about that artist; there isn’t anyway to do that with this app. This is something that is really simple to do on the Last.fm website and I didn’t think it would be too difficult to integrate into the Last.fm app.

“Insufficient Content, There is not enough content available to play this station. Please try another Station”

This is a comment that comes up too often for me to not mention it. When searching an artist in the station, I can get this message several times before it realises that it can find some similar artists for a particular station.

Pros

• Free
• Really beautiful finish
• Wonderful to use when your out and about
• A great tool for discovering new artists
• A major edition to what the iPhone/Touch has to offer
• Commercial free

Cons

• Unable to search a specific artist of interest to find out more about them
• Still needs to have some bug fixes

Verdict

Overall I really like this app and find myself looking for new music a lot more than I used to when I just had Last.fm on my computer. Considering that the Last.fm app is free, it really is worth having a play with as it does have some useful features and is fantastic for discovering new music.

Baca and Rizzo told me why they decided to film Welcome to Macintosh and where the idea came from:

We loved Robert Cringely’s documentary series “Triumph of the Nerds” – Especially the parts that address Apple. We always wanted to see an update to the story, and one cold January morning we agreed to set out to make a movie about Apple and the Mac. Over time we decided to make the film a true introduction and overview of what it’s like to have a passion for Apple products, placed in the context of the history of the company, as well as what might happen at Apple in the future

This docu-movie (as I like to describe it), consists of a series of interviews with some of Apple’s original staffers such as Andy Hertzfeld, Jim Reekes, and Guy Kawasaki who give background on what it was like to work at Apple and some little known history on the roots of the Mac. In addition to these popular figures, Rizzo and Baca managed to pull a couple gems out of the bag; in particular, Wayne Wenzlaff, a buyer for Team Electronics back in the late 70s who is often credited for the success of the Apple II.

Despite having what I thought was good knowledge of Apple’s past I was unaware of the massive significance Jim Reekes and Wayne Wenzlaff played, I asked Rob and Josh just how they came about these two characters:

Ron Wayne is also on hand to offer some original stories about the first Apple logo and give insight into Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak’s relationship when Apple was first started in the mid-70s.

We had been shopping around for classic Apple computers to use as props in the film, and Rob came across a very expensive Apple II on eBay. That machine turned out to be Apple II serial #5. Rob made contact with the seller to ask about the machine’s history, and got an overview of the story presented in the film… the rest is history.

As far as Jim Reekes, Josh was doing research on the origins of the current startup sound and he found an article on BoingBoing by Jim retelling the story of SOSUMI. This article linked to Jim’s website which goes a little further by detailing Jim’s contributions to the Mac, Quicktime and the Start-up Sound we all know today. From there Josh arranged a meeting during Macworld 2007 which lasted exactly 47 minutes, and ended exactly 58 minutes before Robs flight back to Ohio was set to take off. It was then that we learned that there were only about 5 taxi cabs in San Francisco, and they don’t drive through the embarcadero district at 6pm on a Thursday. It was quite a comical scene as Rob and Josh sprinted, carrying all of the equipment back to the car at our hotel a few miles away. But it was well worth it as Jim ended up becoming one of the stand out characters in the film. (And we got Rob to his flight just in time.)

After detailing the history of Apple in superb and unrelenting detail Welcome to Macintosh changes direction and covers some of the individual factions that make up Apple’s cult following. In particular the film takes a look at “The Collector”, “The Author”, “The Film Maker” and my favourite “The Satirist”.

Leander Kahney, the author of “The Cult of Mac.” features heavily in Welcome to Macintosh but when covering the cult aspect of Apple Rizzo and Baca couldn’t have struck upon two greater figures than Wayne Bibbens and John Moltz.

Wayne Bibbens (“The Collector”) gives a short tour of his premises where he stores literally thousands of old Apple computers, keyboard, monitors, and of course empty boxes.

John Moltz is probably a name you’ve come across before; and he of course is behind the brilliant Crazy Apple Rumors site. Unfortunately Moltz’s sections are done in iChat losing the beauty and high definition of the rest of movie.

Between all of these interviews we often get a glimpse of a classic Apple computer sitting in odd location such as on rail tracks or on a log in a stream. The scenes aren’t what you’d expect at all, so I had to ask Rob and Josh on why they came up with this original idea.

The transitions with the “crazy” cut-away shots of Macs in unusual places stems from the idea that Apple products are symbiotic and seem to co-exist well in any environment they are placed. Macs are also different in the sense that the machine, over time, becomes like a friend for many users. We thought this theme was an interesting way of representing these notions visually while transitioning from thought to though.

Availability

Welcome to Macintosh is available from FilmBaby on DVD right now $19.84 (World of Apple readers can get a $2.00 discount by entering coupon code: WOA2009). The DVD is really a bargain, not only containing the usual theatrical trailers, a “Making Of” segment, Spanish and English subtitles and a montage of the “Macs in Nature” scenes I mentioned before but also more than three hours of additional interviews (including a great segment from Jim Reekes about SOSUMI). It is also worth mentioning that the DVD is region-free and can be played in DVD players all over the world.

The DVD is not only available to purchase but can also be rented from NetFlix.

The After Show

Now for a bit of storytelling, the original press-only screening of Welcome to Macintosh was on Monday, January 4th, at the Sundance Kabuki Theatre in San Francisco. Both I and fellow writer dizzle attended as well as Apple Computer co-founder Ron Wayne and Wired.com’s Leander Kahney. Following the movie, I had a chance to have a good chat with co-director Rob Baca who insisted I come down on Thursday for the public screening; at the time he mentioned that Guy Kawasaki may well be attending.

On Thursday I decided to attend; maybe I’d get to meet Guy Kawasaki I thought to myself. Little did I know that also in attendance would also include Andy Hertzfeld, Jim Reekes, Ron Wayne, and Steve Wozniak who sadly doesn’t feature in Welcome to Macintosh.

Following the screening (which I enjoyed for the second time); Guy Kawasaki, Leander Kahney, Jim Reekes, Andy Hertzfeld, Steve Wozniak, and Ron Wayne all sat down for some questions. Being the unprepared person that I am, I didn’t have a still or video camera on my person so failed miserably to get any content. Luckily Nik Fletcher was able to grab some photos, and dizzle was on hand to film almost the entire question session on her camera. The lighting isn’t great, but the sound is good.

View the 30 minute question and answer session here.

Also see the answer to the first question by TUAW’s Mike Rose of the Q&A directed to Steve Wozniak asking what he thought about “Welcome to Macintosh.”

Directors

Robert Baca & Joshua Rizzo are 2002 graduates of Ithaca College’s Roy H. Park School of Communications. Robert resides in Columbus Ohio where works as a producer of industrial and commercial video. Joshua currently resides in Los Angeles and works as a post production systems engineer for TV and film. “Welcome to Macintosh” is the first feature-length documentary film from the pair.

Pros

• Star-studded cast.
• Perfect length for documentary
• Superb collection of Apple facts and insights
• Available on DVD

Cons

• Some of the cut scenes should have been included in the main movie
• iChat parts not so enjoyable due to quality
• Not available on iTunes Store

Verdict

If you couldn’t tell by my review, I thoroughly loved this docu-film. I went into the Welcome to Macintosh screening with an opinion based on other similar films which I won’t name here, which wasn’t a good opinion at all. Frankly I envisioned two hours of boredom.

Welcome to Macintosh delivered laughs, stark realisations, and a fantastic breakdown of Apple history and insight. I highly recommend it to anyone with even a vague interest in Apple.

dizzle’s Verdict

I concur with everything that Alex has said above. As a fairly new convert, I was completely transfixed by history that I was either previously unaware of or had only heard filtered through the lens of a story about Steve Jobs. It is somewhat unusual to find books or films on Apple in which the figure of Steve Jobs is not foremost, and I am glad that I did not know in advance that this film would be different as I might not have gone. However, I am glad I did as it really did open up a whole new world for me on the history apart from Jobs and a look into the whole Apple culture. I had brought two friends with me, one of which was not a Macintosh user. It was interesting to see how the film helped her to understand the unique atmosphere that exists in the Apple community that causes its member to band together over “just a computer.” She had known me pre-Macintosh, and witnessed the transformation over the past few years in my own devotion. Most people who would see this film will have already seen The Pirates of Silicon Valley to which, for me, this was a fascinating supplement. Even though the press had been given a free copy, I have also purchased an additional copy that I am going to donate to my Mac Users Group as an item for our monthly door prize raffle. In fact, I am going to recommend that we spend an evening together watching the film.

Developer – ngmoco, Inc

Rolando – $5.99 – iTunes Link

Rolando is one of the thousands of casual games available for the iPhone, unlike many other iPhone games Rolando is packed full of charm and most importantly was designed from scratch for the iPhone platform. Those that have been sceptical of Rolando’s price in the past will be glad to know that as of writing Rolando is now just $5.99.

Games on the iPhone have long be criticised by the naysaysers mainly pointing that the device has no buttons. Rolando is one of those games that takes full advantage of the lack of buttons.

To give a brief bit of background; Rolando’s are small round creatures who worship you “The Finger”, Rolando’s can be navigated around the 36 levels by simply tilting the device left or right to roll the Rolando’s around. The main aim is to complete the puzzles in each level while at the same time collecting gems and saving a defined number of Rolando’s from the bad guys and all this happens to the sounds of Mr Scruff.

Rolando implements multi-touch and the accelerometer seamlessly, objects can be rotated using two fingers, landscapes can be pinched to zoom in and out and some levels allow the device to be rotated endlessly to steer the Rolando to it’s destination.

Rolando is not only striking in it’s gameplay but the overall polish is second-to-none, before you even enter the game itself the menus are fully interactive, reacting to touch commands and accelerometer.

Rolando also includes a feature dubbed “iSave” which allows the “home” button to be instigated mid-game, when you start up Rolando again it will restore your previous session exactly where you left off. The same applies when incoming phone calls interrupt your game.

Pros

• Price
• Superb gameplay
• Fluid and smooth
• iSave function
• Polish
• Soundtrack
• Integration of multi-touch and accelerometer
• Fun factor

Cons

• None, other than the fact that the game actually has an end.
• Addictive

Verdict

Rolando is in a class of it’s own when it comes to iPhone games. Rolando delivers the fun factor, lengthy gameplay and original content to make a game that will no doubt define iPhone gaming for many years.

iGirl – $0.99 – iTunes Link

iGirl is the height of ringtone applications for the iPhone but offers quality to boot. Open up iGirl and you’ll be greeted with a splash screen that hangs around a little too long for my liking. Once inside you can create an iGirl of any ethnicity, change the hair colour, clothes and even give her a name of your own.

What’s surprising about this crude and limited application is the visual values, iGirl offers decent 3D scenes and a well rendered female, the camera can be rotated around using standard multi-touch controls and even give the iPhone a little shake to see your girls displeasure.

Pros

• Excellent example of iPhones 3D abilities
• Entertaining
• Incredible cheap

Cons

• Long loading time
• One of the worst time wasters available
• Some bad dancing

Verdict

Facts can’t be avoided forever, this application is aimed at 15-18 year old guys with no girlfriends. For the rest of us this is a cheap way of wasting a bit of time. A sure-fire best seller.

Thank you to everyone who commented. The response was incredible and keeps me going to continue to write such time-intensive reviews. I appreciate it very much.

Also please be advised that some of the links to the developer’s site might be temporarily unavailable. I received this notice from Accordance:

The entire website is being transferred to a new server this weekend. The address will not change, and you should be able to continue browsing and downloading almost without interruption. However, the online store will close for a few hours from 11 a.m. EST on Saturday to allow us to transfer all the accounts to the new site. Please plan to place your orders before that time, or wait until we can reopen the store later in the day.

The drawing will be done over the weekend, and the winner will be announced and notified early next week. Thank you everyone for your very kind comments.

Accordance by OakTree Software is one of those massively powerful programs that causes me to think, “Where to begin?” Let’s start with introductions. Readers, Accordance 8 is a highly flexible and in-depth program for studying the Bible, commentaries, and related reference tools—including maps—with the ability to conduct extraordinarily complex searches. Its functions meet the needs of the layperson up through the scholar starting with simple translation comparisons all the way to delving into the original languages behind the English translations of the text. Those two sentences, however, do not do this program justice. As I have stated in the past, I am a fairly new Mac convert, joining the cult family in about May 2007 after nearly twenty years of Windows usage since Windows 3.1. Prior to my switch, my Biblical software of choice was the very popular Logos program—particularly the Scholar’s Library. Logos did the job, but I did not find it particularly intuitive—and no matter how useful a program may be once mastered, if mastery becomes a chore, I lose interest and motivation. This is why I remain a mediocre Photoshop user. Although there are a ton of resources and conventions and blah, blah, blah to learn the program, I do not care for any software that requires the time of maintaining a second husband to understand. This fact does, however, have to be balanced with the reality that complex programs do have a learning curve, but a good developer will minimize that curve as much as possible and thoroughly equip the user with tools to quickly navigate that painful period. I am very pleased to report that Accordance has done this with true faithfulness to continuity with the Macintosh GUI. While I had recently learned that Logos is being developed for the Macintosh platform, and my (expensive) license is transferable, unless something has greatly changed with their user interface, I do not anticipate ceasing use of Accordance as my primary Bible study program. Also, I have my doubts that a long-time Windows developer with its attached baggage of Windows butt-ugly navigation experience will be able to create a product with the look and function of a citizen of the Appleverse.

I have also used the free program MacSword as an alternative to the free PC software e-Sword and promptly gave up. It was confusing and aggravating in addition to being very limited in its available resources as compared to its PC counterpart. I have a well-stocked personal library of theological texts; if it is more efficient for me to grab books and conduct research the old-fashioned way, then a particular study program is not for me. Now despite this admittedly glowing introduction, I will now highlight the major features that I have been road-testing and give my frank assessment of each—good and bad. In the interest of full disclosure, the base software and any add-on modules reviewed were given to me gratis from the developer. I hope I have developed a relationship with my readers from my prior reviews to have earned the trust that this does not influence my opinion. In fact, in this case, I had already learned that my Windows Logos license for which I had paid well over $500 could be transferred to a Macintosh license prior to contacting the Accordance developer, so my motivation for requesting the review was not a burning need to try to obtain sophisticated Biblical study software for free.

Read more…

I like to consider myself a budding photographer, but if I’m honest with myself I know I’m just starting out. I went outside to grab some pictures to test with Photomatix Pro. Below are the three images I started with.

Under-exposed:

Mid-exposure:

Over-exposed:

So as you can see, none of these images quite captures the whole scene. However, when put through Photomatix Pro, the results are quite amazing. I really wanted to create a sort of surreal picture, yet keep the great colors from the sunset in the sky.

The Result:

Bear in mind that this is the result of dropping 3 images in and spending maybe 30 seconds tinkering with a few sliders before processing. Given more time (and probably a better understanding of image editing than I have) you can create even more astounding results. My test simply shows that even in a matter of minutes with limited experience in photo editing, you can still create a good looking picture. For some examples that are more professional than I can offer at the moment, check out HDRsoft’s example pages here and here.

Before I wrap this up, let’s talk about the giveaway. As usual, constructive comments, suggestions, etc. about Photomatix Pro will earn you the chance to win your own copy of this great program. On October 23rd, I will randomly choose one commenter who will then be contacted with instructions on how to claim their free copy! In the meantime, head on over to HDRsoft and download a free trial today! Photomatix can also be purchased through the same website for $99. On to the breakdown!

The Breakdown:
Pros: Extremely easy to use, simple and uncluttered interface, easy enough for beginners to use and powerful enough for professionals to appreciate
Cons: Expensive (though not in comparison to tools such as Photoshop), somewhat limited feature set
The Verdict: If you’re a photographer, this is a handy tool to have. It is a bit more expensive and it does have a somewhat limited feature set, but it does what it’s designed to do with ease and produces good results. I’d recommend it for those who deal with photography and image editing regularly. For budding photographers like myself, I’d recommend holding off for now and focus on learning the basics first.

First, the unboxing:

Doing its duty:

The LowKey’s mission is to hold up the iMac, provide easy access to USB ports, and provide a nice spot to stow the keyboard for extra desk space. It does a fine job of all of these things. Here’s a photo of my desk before the LowKey arrived:

After some cleaning:

And finally after the installation of the LowKey:

Flick approves of the great increase in desk real estate:

Going the extra mile

Certainly the LowKey does what it was intended to do, but there is a lot of room for improvement. A number of the stylistic touches I had counted on were missing. The features that would bring the LowKey to the upper echelon of iMac-uppers just weren’t there.

I had originally believed that the LowKey would perfectly match the iMac. In fact, the LowKey is painted metal, not the evenly powder-coated finish of the iMac and its keyboard. That’s pretty important in my opinion. This is my biggest issue with the LowKey.

The remainder of my issues with the LowKey could be attributed to “snobby pickiness” or “high standards” depending on who you’re talking to. I’ll put them as “suggestions for the next model.”

The USB hub doesn’t have an option to use a second USB cable for alternative power. This requires you to have an AC outlet for the stand if you want to really use those ports.

The USB plugs don’t sit flush with the ports.

There’s no room for the mouse when the keyboard is underneath. This is a tricky one to solve because the flow of the stand’s style would be lost if you made room for it, but it’s something to think about.

The rubber feet, while preventing scratching the desk, aren’t as neat as they could be. I’d like to see a foot underneath the edge without creeping up the sides of the stand.

Finally, we come to the support post on the underside of the stand. The post does prevent the stand from sagging at all, which is wonderful, but this guy still has a couple issues. Firstly, the keyboard levers around the post when you try to pull it out by the mouse cord. Not such a big deal.

The trouble I have with it is that the little rubber cap that keeps it from scratching the desk comes off too easily. It popped off immediately when I took the stand out of the box. This isn’t a problem if you’re leaving the computer in the same place all the time, but if you move and that cap gets lost, you could very easily scrape your poor desk to death.

Should you buy this?

If you need a stand, and $60 doesn’t sound too bad to you, go for it. Your Mac is safe on top of the LowKey. In fact, both of my parents have tried to swindle me out of this one.

If you’re concerned about style, or you just thought “what? $60?” don’t buy it. Instead, wait for a revision. This is a promising product, but it isn’t quite there yet.

Final Notes

I’ve now been using the LowKey stand for about a month, during which time I moved my desk. I didn’t have the cables handy to plug in the USB hub, so now that’s useless due to my own laziness. I’ve only really used the keyboard hiding function once, and I had to move all the junk on my desk out of the way to do so, but I was happy the LowKey was there when I needed it. Lastly, through turning my iMac to view the screen from other parts of the room, I’ve completely scratched up the paint job. There are large scratch rings on the top of the LowKey now. Thankfully the iMac’s foot stands right on top of them, so the scratches aren’t glaringly obvious.

Despite these new developments, I stand by my review of this product.

Initial Impressions & Design:
Holding the new iPhone for the first time, I noticed the new, curved back really did feel better in my hand. It seemed to fit the natural contour of my hand better and the plastic back provided a more secure grip. With the original iPhone, I would nearly drop it on occasion due to the slightly slippery metallic back. The 3G’s plastic back resolves this issue and I feel more comfortable holding the phone overall.

The all-black case with chrome buttons makes for a slick look. In fact, I think it looks even better than the original iPhone. I have heard complaints that some feel the plastic makes the iPhone look and feel cheap, but I beg to differ. While I like the new look overall, both the plastic back and screen are quickly covered with fingerprints and smudges. These are easily wiped away, but can be annoying to those who like their electronics to look clean. For me, it’s not really a big deal but I can understand the complaint. Other than that, everything feels solid, which is what I’ve come to expect from an Apple product.

Screen:
As many of you may have heard by now, the screen on the iPhone 3G is designed to be “warmer,” or more yellow. Coming from an original iPhone, I instantly noticed this difference. That said, it’s not a bad difference and I have found that pictures and videos actually end up looking nicer. The screen is as bright and crisp as ever, displaying everything from my mail to my pictures to videos and album art beautifully. The screen is also easily viewed at many different angles, and while some applications (read: games) require you to use the phone at unique angles which may reduce visibility to a point, I’ve not found it hard to see the screen in any of my usage thus far. In fact, I’ve already had many occasions where I’ve shared YouTube videos with a group of friends gathered around and everyone has been able to see it perfectly. All in all, the screen is great and I have no complaints here.

Sound:
There’s not much new here, but I have noticed a slightly improved quality in the earpiece and external speakers. Though it’s not exactly a new feature, I have found that I really enjoy having the external speaker for more than just speakerphone functionality. Being able to play music and videos for others to hear or now using applications and games is great. It really makes the iPhone an even more legitimate device for sharing and gaming.

Additionally, I’ve noticed the included earbuds have a new feel to them. The cord appears to be made from a new material or design, and as a result it does not tangle as easily. It’s a small thing, yes, but it’s often the little things that make a difference and it’s very nice not to have to spend 2 minutes fighting with my headphones just to listen to music.

3G Speed & Reception:
Here’s one of the areas where the new iPhone really stands out. The increased speed of the 3G network is extremely nice to have (though not everyone needs or wants it). In my tests, loading webpages and YouTube videos over the 3G networks easily lived up to Apple’s claims of 2-3 times faster than EDGE. For example, loading Apple’s website (www.apple.com) over EDGE took 52 seconds while loading the same site over 3G took only 15 seconds – that’s over 3 times faster on 3G in my test. It was also comparable with the WiFi speeds loading the same site, which took about 12 seconds. This speed difference is similar among other websites, YouTube, and apps that connect to the internet.

However, the ability to use the internet while on the phone is what stands out even more to me. It has come in quite handy on several occasions already. Being able to view a map or website while discussing directions or any number of things makes the iPhone’s “internet in your pocket” claim just that much better. Additionally, I have noticed improved reception. I’m finding that I actually get a few bars where I used to get no reception at all. One drawback of the new, faster speed is an increase in price which can make the monthly bill a little too high for some. However, the cost is similar to other phones with similar services. In the end, I’m quite pleased with the improvements I’ve seen in this area.

Battery Life:
In the few weeks I’ve had with the new iPhone, I’ve not yet run out of battery. That said, I do charge it every night and have come across the low battery (20% left) warning. In my tests and usage so far, I feel the battery lives up to my daily needs. I’ve easily averaged close to 4 hours of mixed use (phone, internet, YouTube, music) before getting that friendly 20% warning popup – and that’s with WiFi and 3G on (though WiFi is generally not connected in my use). Doing a little math estimates that I should get about 5 hours before the battery were to run dry. However, in anticipation of heavy use of third party applications, I did pick up a car charger. I am planning on using my iPhone in the car for music, maps (with GPS), and more and therefore expect my battery life to suffer on longer trips with extended use of GPS, among other things. Still, I think the battery tests that have been done (by myself, Apple, and others) have shown the battery life to be equal to and/or better than that of the original iPhone in most, if not all, comparable cases.

One thing regarding the battery that many people take issue with is the continued lack of a user replaceable battery. While I’ve never taken issue with it, I can see how a replaceable battery could come in handy with all that you can do with the iPhone. For a look at the battery life from 9 more tests, check out this article over at Gizmodo.

GPS:
The second major feature of the new iPhone is its GPS functionality. Currently no specific navigation applications exist to make use of the GPS functionality, however there is word that they are in development. There is still a wealth of applications that make use of the iPhone’s location aware capabilities and while the older iPhones can still get a decent lock on your location, the GPS in the iPhone 3G provides pinpoint accuracy. In one test, I was even able to locate myself inside a building with incredible accuracy. Another test conducted while driving (well, someone else was driving – I wouldn’t recommend actively testing the GPS while driving yourself!) showed the GPS tracing my every movement in a surprisingly accurate manner – turning when I turned, stopping as I stopped. It behaved in much the same way you’d expect a traditional GPS device to function. I can see the iPhone adding GPS navigation to its suite of features. Imagine driving along, using your iPhone for directions while listening to music with it hooked into your car stereo. Meanwhile, you get a call – the music pauses and you answer on your bluetooth headset. As you hang up, the music fades back in and you continue on your way, guided yet again by the GPS. A truly integrated technological experience.

2.0 Upgrade:
The 2.0 upgrade comes pre-loaded on all new iPhones but is also available as a free download for all iPhone users. The upgrade is nearly enough to make users of the first iPhone feel like they have an entirely new phone. With some a number of needed improvements (contact search, better mail management, Exchange support, etc), the update adds more polish to the overall feel of the phone. The real story with the upgrade, however, is the App Store and the third party applications that it brings.

The App Store & Mobile Me:
The App Store is currently making the iPhone so much more than a phone. With the App Store, the iPhone can do more and more things each day. Applications like Evernote, AIM, eBay, Facebook, Things, and more make staying connected and productive even easier than ever. Games like Texas Hold ‘Em, Trism, Super Monkey Ball, and more make the iPhone a powerful gaming device using “Wii-like” controls with the ultimate portability. And of course there’s the utterly useless applications that just make you smile – like More Cowbell and PhoneSaber. Every day brings a slew of new applications and I think I speak for a lot of iPhone owners when I say that I’m excited to see what develops in the months to come. The iPhone is truly becoming the next computing platform – and it fits in your pocket!

Along with the App Store, Apple has unleashed a .Mac revamp and has renamed the service MobileMe. Though MobileMe has had a rocky start, the service has a lot to offer. With push e-mail, calendars, and contacts MobileMe makes it easy to stay synced across multiple computers and, more importantly I think, the iPhone. A simple addition or change to a calendar or contact on the iPhone shows up almost instantly on my computer. In combination with everything else, MobileMe adds yet another way to ensure that you’re always connected, in sync, and as productive as you want to be.

All that said, the App Store and MobileMe continue to suffer from issues. MobileMe had a rocky start, as mentioned earlier, and appears to be largely sorted out by now. Still, even Mr. Jobs himself has come forward recently to admit they messed up. Additionally, the App Store/2.0 upgrade has it’s own share of issues. The most prominent of these, in my opinion, is the backup time. Some claim that they are able to back up in very reasonable amounts of time (a few minutes) after upgrading to 2.0.1. However, in my experience, I have waited anywhere from 1-2 hours for my iPhone to completely back up. At this point, I don’t even want to bother backing up. This is clearly an issue that should be addressed. Also, I’ve had several occasions where my iPhone restarts itself and gets stuck at the Apple logo. A quick search on Google will reveal this is neither an isolated nor new incident and it is surely a pain to resolve. On one occasion, a complete restore was necessary, which can be time consuming. In the end though, the pro’s outweigh the con’s here and I don’t doubt that future updates will address these issues. It’s just the wait in the meantime that may be painful for some.

Conclusion:
The iPhone 3G builds on an already innovative and impressive breakthrough device. In combination with the software updates and new services from Apple, the face of mobile phones continue to change. As Apple raises the bar higher and higher, other companies must strive to reach the same level of quality and capabilities. That creates a win-win situation for all. Apple continues to amaze and I cannot wait to see what they have up their sleeves next. In the meantime, I’m more than happy with my shiny new iPhone 3G!

The Breakdown:
Pros: Sleek new design, faster speeds, GPS, App Store support, MobileMe support, less expensive (up front at least)
Cons: Smudges easily, battery can die quickly under heavy use (like when playing games) and the iPhone lacks a user-replacable battery, expensive contract (though comparable to phones with similar services), App Store/MobileMe/2.0 difficulties
The Verdict: If you don’t have an iPhone, the iPhone 3G is probably the best phone out there in my opinion. It still lacks some features, and currently has a few bugs, but the pro’s far outweigh the cons. The current ability and future capacity of the iPhone is amazing. It’s not far fetched to say that the iPhone is really the next major computing platform.

If you have a current iPhone, download the free 2.0 upgrade and give that a try before buying the new iPhone. In the end, you may still decide you want the benefits of the new iPhone, but I think that there’s a number of iPhone owners out there who will be more than happy with the 2.0 upgrade. In my case, the faster connection, the ability to use data and voice simultaneously, and the built in GPS was enough to make the upgrade more than worth it. And as one last tip – if you do plan to upgrade to the new iPhone from the old one, try selling the old one on eBay. I was able to make enough on my old 8GB to upgrade to the new 16GB. Hard to beat that!

Just a few more images:

Miles, I will be emailing you with further instructions. Congratulations, and we do hope you make make World of Apple a regular stop for your Apple news and reviews.

As this is my fourth review of video eyewear, I believe it is safe to crown me the Video Glasses Queen of World of Apple. However, I am certainly not complaining as my inner geek loves these gadgets. The product for this review is iMovee’s Theatre Edition personal video viewer selling at a $399.95 price point. Right off the bat there is one feature which many users may consider a distinct advantage over the MyVu video eyewear: this unit may be worn while wearing prescription eyeglasses. As I wear glasses and have difficulty with contact lenses, this was a huge plus in my book. The unit is advertised to be compatible with all video iPod models; however, the i-Movee site is silent on whether or not the device would work with the iPhone though the included manual does claim compatibility with “any other devices with video out.” I had tested the eyewear with an iPod touch. Unforuntately, the unit provided was on a loan-basis only and was returned to the vendor prior to my recent iPhone 3G purchase, so I was not able to see if it would work properly on that device.

The product comes very nicely packaged with a box design reminiscent of the iPod touch writ large. The contents include the glasses as well as numerous connectors, an AC adaptor, a controller dongle, and eleven-page user guide. The vendor has confirmed that it supplies both the universal connecting kit and iPod kit with the standard package with out any further accessories to be bought by the customer. The AC adaptor was a very nice touch as it provided for a way to charge the unit away from a computer without having to purchase an additional accessory. Of course, it can also be charged via a USB port. The glasses themselves are bulky, measuring two inches wide and 1 1/4 inches tall at the center but are foldable for travel. (I’m an American, I don’t do centimeters!!) However, no storage pouch is included. Sound is provided through earbuds that are cleverly kept out of the way by running through a clip along the arms of the glasses. Velcro straps are also provided for even greater fastening. The design of the eyewear is more utilitarian than slick, and the red horizontal line across the silver front gives the glasses a complete “cylon” look – all it needs is the roving light. The video data cable to the dongle attaches to the glasses in an awkward location straight out of the bottom left front causing the user to feel like it is weighing down the glasses on that side even though it really isn’t doing so appreciably. I used the velcro strips intended for the earbud cords to secure the cable to the left arm of the glasses to alleviate the downward pull, but I found that to be a rather inelegant solution, especially as compared to the unobtrusive way the earbuds were attached.

The video cord out of the glasses connects into the dongle which houses an on/off switch and volume controls. This dongle completely takes over the volume control with any changes on the actual iPod having no effect. The volume control is easy to use, but I found it did not have as wide a range of volume as the iPod itself and wished it could be louder. The on/off switch was a bit small and difficult for me with longish acrylic nails. While this hopefully would not be an issue with my male readers, I think it might still be a bit difficult sans fingernails. I was surprised to find that there were no colour/contrast or brightness controls. The situation gets really bulky in the way the dongle connects to the video device. The connections required to use my iPod included composite video connectors with all their attendant bulk and colours. It would be difficult to gracefully hide these connectors and practically impossible in most gym clothing (dizzle doesn’t do fannypacks). Although this entire set-up is all around bulkier than the other video glasses I have used, the glasses themselves felt lighter and more balanced on my nose and head and thus more comfortable with no pinching. The claimed weight by the vendor is seventy grams without cables. Of course, being a Yankee, I have no idea what seventy grams should feel like. The battery life lived up to the vendor’s claimed six to eight hours of viewing time.

The video output is full VGA with 640×480 resolution, and the virtual image is surprisingly large which was a very pleasant surprise. I found the video quality viewing experience to be very good. At least for me (and possibly because I was able to wear my glasses which provide better vision correction in my case than contact lenses), the merge of the image from the left and right outputs was much smoother than other video eyewear I have reviewed to the point of giving a truly seamless experience. The image is slightly less clear due to the larger virtual screen. While the MyVu glasses gave a virtual experience of a 27-inch screen viewed at about eight feet distance, the Theatre Edition is advertised as providing a virtual experience of an “80-inch screen viewed at a distance of 2.5 metres” – the vendor used the mixed measurements, not me! I found this to be pretty accurate though I would put the screen size experience a bit smaller. With each media file I tested, the image always presented in full-screen and could not be placed into letterbox mode. Like the other viewers I have used, they do not perform well with dark scenes or in full sunlight, though these did perform better than others in the sunlit situations. I had watched several episodes of Xena: Warrior Princess which is a darkly themed show, and there were scenes where the video could barely be seen. However, with videos that use a more conventional lighting mode, the viewing quality was very good to great.

Unlike the other viewers I have used, the Theatre Edition does not allow as much peripheral and vertical outside view. This has its good and bad points. It is good in that it blocks out distraction and gives it better performance in brighter viewing situations. It is bad for the same reason it is good: it blocks out distractions. However, sometimes distractions are not mere nuisances but situations in which the user should be very aware of their surroundings. Thus, these might not be as suitable for the gym as it would be easy to mistep on a stair climber or similar cardio machine. It would be suitable for long bus rides, plane trips, or other mass transit unless in an enviroment where the user is vulnerable to theft or other criminal activity.

The vendor notes that this product is not suitable for children younger than seven as eyesight at that age is still maturing.

Pros: Impressively large virtual screen with full VGA resolution and very enjoyable high-quality viewing experience. Also, this viewer can be used while wearing eyeglasses which gives it a big thumbs up from me.

Cons: Bulky and inelegant cords as well as a visual design that would take a bit of courage to wear in public for most people. I have virtual no self-conscious inhibitions when it comes to odd clothing and accessories and would wear them in public in a heartbeat, but most people are more reserved. The price will be beyond the budget of an occasional user.

Verdict: Out of all the viewers I have tried thus far, if money were not an obstacle, I would purchase these and come up with some way to hide the bulky cables. I am a sewer and could probably create some kind of pouch as could any other “crafty” person. The large screen wowed me, and I love being able to wear my glasses. However, the price is a high for an occasional user and is not for the easily embarrassed if the intended use is outside the privacy of one’s home. Also, wearing these while using gym equipment would seem to be somewhat dangerous. I would love to have a pair for the plane trip to MacWorld in January.

The newest version of Toast is here! Read all the way through the review for a chance to win a free retail box copy of Toast Titanium 9! I have been using Roxio’s Toast CD/DVD burning software ever since my conversion to the Mac platform when I was searching for a replacement for the PC-only Nero software. So, when an invitation came in to World of Apple from Roxio to review the newest version, Toast Titanium 9, I jumped at the chance and was given a copy of the program gratis from the developer.

When doing a first impression of a product, I look for attention in the small details that define the Macintosh edge, even in items that might not directly concern everyone, as I believe that a developer who shows care in one area is more likely to show care in others. For example, the “About Toast” selection is a mini-production itself. Also, the reviewer’s kit that was sent by Roxio is the most comprehensive that I have seen to date. They care that accurate information is being published and that any potential reviewers are well-equipped to give an educated opinion to their readers. While this will never be seen by the typical end-user, it is indicative of the developer’s thoroughness. Roxio’s Toast has been providing media burning software for the Mac platform since 1994 in the Jobsian exile dark days.

Now after praising Roxio for their attention to detail, it appears that many users have had complaints that this version was quite not ready for prime-time in the Roxio Support Forums, yet I read very glowing reviews at some sites. I always check the thoughts of others after I form my own initial impressions to see if my thoughts are lining up with the experiences of other users. I was running into one particular audio problem (which will be detailed below), so I signed up at the Roxio Forum never noting in my post that I was writing a review. I point this out so that what I will say next will not be seen as Roxio simply wanting to receive good press. Soon after my post, I received an email from Roxio at my personal email address (i.e. not an @worldofapple.com address) sending me a new version of that particular component to test. My communications with Roxio both by email and by telephone thus far leave me confident that though I will be pointing out several problems I have experienced, Roxio is committed to fixing them. To my delight, when speaking to the developer’s representative on the phone (after the initial email, I disclosed that I was a reviewer), I mentioned one screen which had an interface that was very un-Mac-like, and he responded very positively that I had a very good point, and he would mention it to an engineer.

This is a richly multi-featured product that would be impossible to review in each of its details in depth in my review, so I will focus on some of the newest features as well as the ones that will be of interest to the broadest base of users. In that regard I will detail certain features that worked very well for me and ones that had difficulties. Unfortunately there are a few new features that I cannot directly test as they are specialty functions for which I do not have the requisite equipment such as a Blu-Ray capable disc player or TiVo. I do, however, own an EyeTV Hybrid which is designed to integrate seamlessly with Toast and is especially useful with the new “Streamer” feature.

The question may be raised why such a product is necessary as burning capabilities are part of the native functionality within OSX. While this is true, Toast provides more features than the basic native functions which may be adequate for some casual media users but are not for the more sophisticated users. Further, the new features which bring in television integration make Toast very attractive for multi-media enthusiasts.

System Requirements

Toast version 9 Titanium requires OS X 10.4.x (Tiger) or 10.5.x (Leopard) as well as a PowerPC G4, PowerPC G5, or Intel Mac with QuickTime 7.1.3 or higher. The retail price point is $99.99 for first-time buyers and $79.99 for an upgrade (after a $20.00 rebate). The HD/DVD and Blu-Ray authoring functions require an additional add-on at a cost of $20.00.

General Interface

The program opens into a main workflow/content window and media browser which are simple and elegant with “drag and drop” functionality. The media browser, similar to the one found in GarageBand, opens in a separate floating pane which can be closed and re-opened easily with right-click contextual menus available for individual media files. The workplace is divided into category, project type/options, disc options, content, and recording areas. The type of projects supported are entitled “data,” “audio,” “video,” “copy,” and “convert.”

Basic disc creation involves selecting a category/project, setting disc options, dragging over content, and clicking record. Easy as apple pie. As I hope is obvious in my reviews, user-friendliness is one of my utmost concerns. I grow weary of wonderful programs that unnecessarily require a huge chunk of my limited time to learn or ones that have virtually nonexistent support materials. A hard copy user manual is provided with the retail box version of Toast and is provided as a .pdf document in the Help menu. While there is a video overview of the features, I would really like to see some video tutorials on the Roxio site. However, at each point of the workflow, most tools have an “i” icon which provide tool-tips with mouse-over. There is also Growl notification support which I have grown to rely upon. For former users of Toast, yes, right-clicking on a supported file and selecting “Toast It” will open Toast with the file in the content area under the appropriate project type. I note that when this was initially not functioning properly in the first release, a user reported it in the forums, and Roxio fixed it promptly.

In testing Toast on two Macs (one MacBook and one Mac Pro tower), I ran into inconsistent stability issues. At times, when the help menu was accessed on the Mac Pro, Toast would freeze and require a force quit. After restarting the Mac Pro, the issue would clear up. This was never replicated on the MacBook and has since ceased happening. Since I started writing this review over the period of several months, it is difficult to determine whether this was something with Toast or a conflict with another process. At this point, with the Mac Pro, I am inclined to blame the issue on some issue other than Toast since it has not recurred, and I have an over-fondness for downloading various and sundry programs that bat their eyelashes at me. However, I experienced (and still do) a fairly frequent grey screen of death (kernel panic) on the MacBook when working with EyeTV files, and Roxio has acknowledged awareness of issues with EyeTV on the support forums. There have been several times though when my MacBook grey-screened when working with more typical media. Unlike my Mac Pro, I am not inclined to blame anything else installed on the machine as it is new, and I have kept it quite vanilla unlike my Mac Pro which is my download playground.

DVD/CD Creation

Video Content

DVD authoring is very simple and straightforward, and the informational mouse-overs will guide even inexperienced users in selecting the proper tool. For example, you have VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folders – does Toast want both folders or just the video folder? Toast tells you. Do you have an .mp4 file and are unsure what selection to use for burning? Toast tells you. The same holds true when creating data and music files, including music DVDs. Cross-fades and creative mixes can also easily be created. I found the DVD menu options easy to navigate, but there were not enough stock templates in my opinion, though any image may be dragged in as a background for further customization.

The following video discs can be created: Video CDs; Super Video CDs; DVD-Video Discs; DVD-Video Discs from VIDEO_TS folders; DivX Discs; HD DVD Video Discs (including HDDVD_TS Folders); and Blu-Ray Video Discs (including BDMV Folders). The Blu-Ray and HD-DVD features require the purchase of an additional plug-in, and the Toast materials state that original HD material can be burned onto a traditional DVD disc which can then be played on a HD-DVD or Blu-ray player. This simply requires selecting the proper project type when burning the disc (i.e. Blu-ray Video or HD DVD Video). Again, as this is a fairly new media area, and I do not have the requisite hardware or media, those features were not tested. Supported video formats include DV, AVI, MOV, HDV, MPEG-4, iMovie HD Projects, MPEG-2, DivX, EyeTV, and TiVoToGo. I also tested it with an iMovie 08 “event,” and Toast was able to work with those files as well.

For lengthy video files, Toast supports “fit to DVD compression” and allows the deselection of sub-portions of files in order to reduce the file size such as “extras” or certain shows of a multi-episode DVD. There is instantaneous preview available so that the video quality settings can be assessed prior to burning, and helpfully, there is a built-in edit function (the same as in EyeTV – please see the EyeTV section of this review for a helpful hint on the editing portion) to remove unwanted portions of video such as commercials and allows the button image to be set when appropriate. This editing is non-destructive in nature so that your original media remains unmodified. I would love to see a commercial auto-detect feature such as is available in some PC software I used to use heavily such as Video ReDo. If another task is needed to be done while a project is burning, Toast allows projects to be paused and restarted to temporarily free up system resources. I tested this feature which worked precisely as it should.

When creating a DVD from a VIDEO_TS file which contains multiple episodes and extras, I note that menus are only available if the entire contents are burned – if any of the content, such as the extras are excluded, menus are not available. VIDEO_TS files can be lined up for batch recording and compilations which also worked precisely as they should. The VIDEO_TS recording offers a “custom” setting which provides the greatest options for languages and subtitles and allows menus as long as the entire disk contents with extras are selected. While I note complaints in the Roxio User Forums about failed recordings which resulted in wasted discs, I found write failures to occur less than 5% in my testing, and some of those could be easily be due to defects in the original material as some were “ripped” from DRM-cracked commercial DVDs using Mac the Ripper and Hand Brake, which I and World of Apple absolutely do not condone, but I tested this material as I was being realistic as to what the average user will be doing with their owned DVD collections that they wish to back-up unto discs in order to preserve the originals. I also used various brands of media. I did not have any burning issues with material that was initially non-protected, with the exception of the EyeTV problems that will be mentioned below and the occasional grey-screening I experienced on my MacBook mentioned above.

There are several ways to assess video quality prior to committing to burn to disc. First, for most projects there is a quick preview window, or alternatively disc images can also be created to assess video quality prior to burning to DVD. The video from the disc image may be previewed through the Mac’s built-in DVD player and then, if acceptable, may be burned to DVD from within Toast.

Data and Photo Content

Data DVDs and CDs can be spanned across multiple discs, and Toast does allow some customization on where it will choose to split the files. This too was tested without any problems noted. One niggling problem I have noticed is that there are situations in which Toast does not prompt the user for a disc name such as when making multiple discs (but different projects) from within the same program function area (i.e. never leaving the DVD creation area for example). Additionally when producing data discs, Toast assumes that the user wants to title the disc with the name of the first folder dragged into the content pane. In short, even though there is a user preference setting to always ask for “missing” disc names, it doesn’t prompt for names in situations where the disk name is simply “assumed” by Toast, and I don’t think that the program should assume that a copied folder name will be the disc name, or that the disc name of a previous project in the same pane will be the same – especially when the content is different, but it does. It is not difficult to change an assumed name, just click and change like any Mac file (or utilize the “more” panel in the workspace), but it is something that is very easy to forget – especially when you hit forty, like me. In speaking with the Roxio representative, he appreciated the possible difficulty and stated that it might be considered in future revisions.

Data discs can be created in Mac-only formats or Mac/PC formats, both of which I tested with perfect success. The encryption feature was also without fault and rated the strength of the password selected and gave the option to remember the password in the keychain. Using compression, 693mb of data was brought down to around 600mb. However, spanning is not an option if either encryption or compression is selected. Leaving a session “open” so that further data can be added at a later time creates two actual volumes that the Finder treats as two separate discs which is typical OSX behaviour as I understand.

Photo discs are created with automatic slide show functionality as well as a helpful “add to iPhoto” Applescript option when mounted. The slide show program is actually quite nice, and I spent some pleasant time viewing collections of Biblical art images.

Audio Content

Audio discs can be created using any non-protected files in at least the following formats: AIFF, MP3, WAV, AAC, AC3, OGG, FLAC, and even MOV. Audio unit effects, trimming, pauses and various cross-fading options can be applied individually to each track. Each track can also be previewed from within the content area workspace. Music CDs and DVDs can be created with multiple playing options including shuffle, continuous play, and smart playlists which can be combined with data, video, and photo content. Album artwork and music DVD buttons are customizable. As with the video templates, I found the stock selection to be limited – but again, custom backgrounds can be dragged over.

Quick Look Support

While in the media browser in any of the authoring panes, highlighting a file and pressing the space bar or eye-shaped icon brings up full Quick Look functionality so that nearly any media can be previewed from within Toast directly. Roxio notes that the following files are accessing with the integrated Quick Look:

• Most music, pictures, and video files
• Text, PDF, and Word documents
• Keynote and PowerPoint presentations
• Excel spreadsheets
• Mail attachments

I personally tried some unlisted applications such as Pages and Numbers which also opened fine via Quick Look.

Custom Icons and Backgrounds

I had quite a bit of fun with this feature. Instead of settling for the boring disc icon to show up in the Finder, a custom icon can be easily dragged into the “more” options as well as custom background colours or images for when the disc items are accessed (the custom backgrounds only appear when viewed on a Mac).

Disc Artwork

Toast 9 supports LightScribe and LabelFlash; however, I do not have any such enabled drives and could not test these features. I have used LightScribe technology in the past on PCs and though the “burned” disc labelling isn’t anywhere near professional level, it is a pretty neat technology – and as I have seen it integrate very well with PC programs, I am confident that it works very well with Toast. I have no experience with LabelFlash and can thus offer no comment in that regard. There is also an added function to create disc inserts and covers to be printed. I played around with various designs and found it to be competitive with similar programs; however, I did not print out any of the designs as I am currently not on speaking terms with my HP printer (on a side rant, I will never buy an HP product for a Mac again). Google searches for missing artwork can be initiated from directly within the program.

File Copy

This function in the workspace allows discs and disc images to be copied/burned as well as supporting the merging of disc image files – for instance when one disc will contain a Mac version of an item as well as a Windows version for distribution.

File Conversion

A new “convert” category has been added which also allows automatic import into iTunes after conversion of audio and video files into different formats. I have found this handy, and it has worked without problems. Of course, Toast will not copy or import discs or files with DRM encryption.

Plug & Burn

This feature allows the importation of video from a DV camcorder through a firewire connection. I used a Sony HandyCam TRV480. To go on a bit of a tangent, while this camera certainly is not a high video quality camcorder, it offers backward compatibility with older 8mm tapes which, if you have a great many, is much cheaper than paying a service to convert them for you. Once the camera is turned on and put into play mode, a camera icon appears in the content area with basic video controls. At this point, the footage may be forwarded or reversed to choose the starting point for the video disc to be created. However, unlike the editing options for a DVD video, the ending point cannot be chosen in this manner – only a certain set number of minutes past the selected starting point which might not be at a convenient or appropriate point. I do see this as a deficiency that seems to be easy for Roxio to change, so I am unsure why they chose this route.

It is at this point that I found the interface potentially confusing. After choosing import, there are multiple options which include a “start from beginning of tape” that over-rides the earlier designated starting point – something that can easily be done unawares as I did. Perhaps a tool-tip at that point would be useful to remind the user that this will reset the starting point to the beginning of the tape, or maybe I am just being a bit dense. I can see that this may be of use to people who want to simply import entire videos to disc (or certain timed segments) without much concern for bad shots, ackward silences, and the other demons which plaque home video. In fact, after playing with it a bit, I think that is precisely what I am going to do. However, I think that most users who want watchable home movie footage (i.e. interesting and not tortuously boring) would opt to import into a video editing program such as iMovie ‘08, iMovie HD, or Final Cut Express to do at least some minor editing before recording, and at least some of the usual video editing programs offer a burning option, and Final Cut Express includes a sophisticated DVD menu creation feature. So in short, this feature worked though the interface is at some points confusing, and there is very little control on the precise footage imported unless the file is imported in full. I am planning on using this feature to do a down and dirty all out conversion of my Sony HandyCam 8mm and Hi8 tapes into a digital format for possible later manipulation if desired. Quite frankly, most of the family footage will simply remain as originally shot in perpetuity.

I did work with the Roxio representative regarding these concerns, and a good workaround is to import the full video onto the computer outside of Toast and treating that file as any other that can be edited with more precision.

Streamer

The feature I was most looking forward to worked perfectly for me – Streamer. With Streamer, the user imports video files into a designated Streamer folder, registers at the Roxio Streamer site, and is given a unique URL from which their videos can be viewed from the Internet anywhere. One snag I experienced, and this is unrelated to Roxio, but instead to AT&T’s terrible DSL customer service (especially when you tell them you are on a Mac), but the designated URL may not work within your own home network, and in that case you simply need to directly access the host computer’s IP and identify the port number assigned to Streamer. The on-screen instructions are very clear as to what settings must be enabled on the network router for Streamer to work properly. Also, despite the very firm assertion by the AT&T technician, you can have Streamer running on multiple computers by simply assigning it to a different port number. So on my system, the default port of 10080 was assigned to my MacPro and 10081 was assigned to my MacBook. Streamer videos can be viewed from any Mac, PC (as if), iPod touch (when connected to WiFi), and iPhone.

CD Spin Doctor

This feature allows the user to hijack sounds from their computer such as Internet streaming radio. I tested this extensively with Pandora. However, this is where I started running into glitches which prompted the Roxio technician to contact me. The audio recorded, but unfortunately there were intermittent bursts of distortion in the recording that will have to be corrected before this feature will be at all useable. An additional issue persisted only with the MacBook – that being that the CD Spin Capture support which is required in order to hijack audio simply refused to “stick.” It went through the installation process normally, but refused to appear where it should. I trashed and reinstalled this program as part of a trouble-shooting process, but the capture support still failed to take. Lastly, on my Mac Pro, there were intermittent issues with switching between headphones and line-out, but I have a suspicion that this might be a Mac Pro-only issue since its audio settings do not behave like the rest of the Mac line. Additionally, I have SoundSource installed on both machines which I informed Roxio in the possible case that there were possible conflicts there.

On a more practical note, I do not understand why Spin Capture support is a separate process that the user must install after CD Spin Doctor is installed rather than having it install automatically.

With any segment of hijacked audio, CD Spin Doctor can auto-detect the separate tracks, and the integrated Grace Note technology can automatically identify the song which then can all be imported into iTunes. I have used various auto-identification music programs in the past, and this one so far is the most accurate, and I was pleased with the results.

This program also features resources to convert analog tapes and actual albums into digital form directly from a turntable or cassette player as well as hiss and noise removal. I no longer have any of this type of media and was not able to test these features. CD Spin Doctor supports importing and editing MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless and AIFF formats.

EyeTV/Tivo Integration

I do not have Tivo, so I have no comment on that portion. However, I do have EyeTV which does send the recorded files directly into Toast with the click of a button or by navigation through the media browser. I regularly experienced problems burning the EyeTV files into DVDs (the disc could not record because of a Mac OS Error Result code = – 39). On the Roxio User Forums, it was suggested to convert the EyeTV files into a disc image and then burn the image unto a DVD as a temporary work-around until the problem is addressed which has been acknowledged by Roxio as an issue needing to be addressed. That workaround apparently worked for some users, but I received the same error mentioned above when I attempted it. Oddly, there were EyeTV files that burned successfully every time, some that never burned successfully, and some that burned when they felt like it. This is another area in which I have been in active contact with Roxio’s representative who has provided beta versions for me to try in order to fix this known issue. Obviously, Toast does support the necessary Turbo.264 video encoder. As mentioned above, these files can be edited directly from within Toast or EyeTV. That being said, having worked with multiple pro-sumer level video programs, the editing interface is not intuitive or maybe I am just too spoiled by the wonderful tool-tips in other parts of this product. I would strongly suggest watching this video from ScreenCasts Online on EyeTV as he covers a lot of basics, including editing, which I found very helpful (though please note that this is a UK screencast, and there are some differences in the EyeTV hardware and software between the UK and the US versions). Also, from what I understand, a World of Apple review of EyeTV is planned for the future.

ToastAnywhere Recorder Sharing

I was able to test this across my home network sharing my DVD recorder on each of my machines with each other, and it worked flawlessly. This will be very appealing to those with a MacBook Air of whose number I wish I was. I note that this feature boasts the ability to share recorders over the Internet as well, but at this point in time, that function is not working and is acknowledged as a known problem by Roxio.

Get Back-Up RE

I perused and tested some of the basic functionality of this back-up utility. It would be useful for planned back-ups of particular files such as an iTunes library, but for my own purposes, will not be a feature that I will use as I have a three-tier full back-up strategy (Time Machine, Mozy, and Carbon Copy Cloner). Yes, I am paranoid about losing data.

Disc Catalog Maker

As this was a feature for which I had limited interest, I gave it a very brief glance over. It automatically catalogs data discs made so that disc backups could be easily identified and cataloged. As I am not a fan of backing up to disc, this would be of limited usefulness to me. However, I see how it could be very useful to those who find it productive to use discs as part of their back-up plans.

Conclusion

This review, while lengthy, still only touched upon wide swathes of the program’s nuances and should not be taken as an exhaustive analysis, though I did strive for thoroughness in the areas in which I focused. I almost feel compelled to post an image of the dog-eared and marked-up Reviewer’s Guide and User Manual that I have been pouring over in order to put the program through its paces.

• Pros: The developer has a basic video presentation on the product. There are more features than ever before, including streaming video which I found to be a real treat and seamless. The interface is inuitive with plenty of helpful information boxes along the way. The excellent authoring functionality that Toast is known for remains and is expanded for greater customization. I now use it exclusively and have it set as default for burning on both of my machines, no longer using the built-in burning functionality of Leopard. Additionally, I have found Roxio to be very responsive to its users and their suggestions and definitely committed to the Mac platform and community.
• Cons: The support site does not have thorough step by step tutorials which are becoming something that is expected among consumers and would be especially helpful for switchers who are already a bit lost with a new OS. The HD/DVD Blu Ray functionality is a plug-in at an extra cost rather than being included with a program of this price point. There are still consistency problems with some of the new features such as CD Spin Doctor, sharing recorders over the internet, and EyeTV file DVD authoring which have caused many users to consider this more of a beta release rather than a final release.
• Verdict: I have a mixed verdict. If you have Toast 8, it may be worthwhile to wait for bug fixes unless some of the new features are things that are very compelling to you. For more assistance in this decision, read Roxio’s feature comparison of the two versions. Personally, Streamer, Quick Look, on-the-fly preview/editing, and CD Spin Doctor (once fixed) would be compelling to me. If you don’t need or want any of the new features, you will want to stick with Toast 8 until all of the bugs are worked out. So Toast 9 Titanium gets a split review – 4 1/2 stars on the typical authoring features that most users will use with the added functions for editing, preview, Quick Look, and Streamer. Three stars for the EyeTV support and integration due to its inconsistency, and 1 star for CD Spin Doctor until the audio quality issues are resolved.

Roxio is working on resolving the problems noted within this review, and I will post an updated review when these items are addressed.

GIVEAWAY: Post in the comments and you will be entered into a random drawing to win a retail box copy of Toast 9 Titanium PLUS the added HD DVD and Blu-Ray plug-in. You will only be entered once, so multiple comments will not provide more chances. The winner will be announced on August 4. The software is the retail box version, so the winner will need to provide their address to me, and I will forward it to the Roxio representative. If you are uncomfortable giving your address if you win, but still wish to comment, just note in the comments that you do not wish to enter the giveaway drawing.

The product comes very nicely packaged and includes a pair of glasses with attached earbuds; carrying pouch; power, picture, and volume control dongle; and charging cable. The previous models did not include volume control on the dongle so now most aspects of the viewing experience can be controlled without having to reach for the iPod. The picture controls remain disappointing as they offer only three different “steps” for colour and contrast. The finish and quality of the unit are flattering and have undergone design changes from the previously reviewed models which are an improvement from the previous “Cylon” look to a more traditional eyeglass look. Additionally, a magnetic clip has been added so that the cables can be clasped behind the head which I found to be helpful in avoiding awkward tangles. There are two colour options: amber and black. The black version was provided for my review which I found to be attractive, and judging only by images of the amber version, I think I would prefer the black look as the sleeker of the two. As before, the product comes with several sizes of earbuds, but instead of various nose clip sizes, the attached nose clip is malleable to customize fit. In both of my prior reviews I had complained that the nose clip definitely needed more padding, but I am glad to report that this model is much more comfortable so that is no longer a negative.

There are two versions of this product: the “Made for iPod” edition which is compatible with the video nano, touch, classic, and 5th generation video iPods, and the “Universal Edition” which is compatible with most portable video devices with video out. The FAQ page states: “Myvu has not yet been certified “Works With iPhone”. However, Myvu “Made for iPod” versions, like many iPod accessories, will work well with the iPhone when the iPhone is set to Airplane mode.” The glasses are lightweight and fold compactly into its carrying pouch which is a good feature for travel. The battery will last for about two movies (four hours) with a fully charged unit and iPod. The included documentation consisted of a four-step quick start guide which was slickly produced and easy to follow. A full user manual can be found at the vendor’s website. The deficiency I noted in the prior quick start guides has been corrected in this version, i.e. it explicitly states that the unit must be individually charged and does not draw power from the iPod. Also, I have noticed a marked improvement since my first review in the professionalism of the vendor and in the quality of its website.

Like the other models, there is full visibility above and below the low profile glasses; however, the Crystal also has semi-transparent “panels” to the left and right of the viewing screen so that there is peripheral visibility as well. Personally, I did not like this addition as the glow from the viewing image seemed to reflect off on both sides creating an undesirable mirror effect. This might be a matter of personal preference in a trade-off between peripheral visibility and a less distracting viewing experience. I experimented with the unit by placing black electrical tape over those side panels which greatly improved my viewing experience. If I purchased a pair, I would cover those panels permanently as I find the over and under visibility more than adequate. On its website, MyVu has an “Experience” page which has some pretty clever and accurate video simulations of the viewing experience including the peripheral semi-transparency. Though I did not find this stated on the MyVu site itself, another reviewer noted that the amber version of the Crystal allows more peripheral light than the black version. If that is indeed true, I would definitely recommend the black unit as my experience would lead to the conclusion that even more peripheral light would not be desirable.

The unit is advertised to be viewable in full light, but as before, I did not find that to be accurate in my experience. However, adding a visor or brimmed hat did greatly improve the viewing quality. In my use, the ideal viewing situation was in a semi-dark enviroment or at least out of direct lighting. The viewing experience consists of a floating image with the illusion of a 27-inch screen viewed at about eight feet distance. The sound quality was also improved in comparison with the prior products. The vendor identifies the earbuds as “from Ultimate Ears® for enhanced comfort, extended bass, and sound isolation.” In my experience with the prior models, most videos can be viewed in letterbox or full screen mode, though the instructions do not explain how. I discovered this by playing with the video settings on my touch. If video mode is set to “widescreen – off,” it will letterbox the image, and if it is set to “widescreen – on,” the image will fill the whole screen. However, on this model, it did not appear that there was any way to achieve the letterbox effect, but this may be due to my choice of videos, and some other media may behave as described above.

The $100 higher price point is primarily due to the tremendous increase in video quality in comparison to the less expensive units. Instead of a quarter VGA resolution (320X240), the Crystal boasts full VGA resolution (640X480). I was completely pleased with the viewing quality which lacked the graininess in the prior models with my only complaint being the lack of fine-tuning for contrast and colour as mentioned above. MyVu also states that the field of view is 33% wider than other models.

Pros:

• High quality video with full VGA resolution (640×480)
• Easy access to volume and picture controls on dongle
• More attractive design
• Perfect for use at the gym and during long commutes
• Lightweight and portable (under 3 ounces)

Cons:

• The contrast and brightness controls only offer three different gradations
• The $299.95 price point will be out of range for many users, but it is commensurate with the video quality
• Not suitable for eyeglass wearers though a prescription lens insert can be obtained for an additional cost from MyVu

Verdict:

• I love it. I want one. Badly. It would have received five stars if the contrast and brightness control allowed for more precise fine-tuning.

I also wanted to note that I spoke with each of the 3 developers and they all have plans to release native iPhone versions of their applications. For those of you with iPhones and one of these apps, be sure to keep an eye on the App Store!

Now, without further ado, our winners:
For Cha-Ching: Congrats to Rebecca. You commented curious to know about the stability of these programs and we’d like to give you the chance to see first-hand with your own copy of Cha-Ching! And with version 2.0 coming soon as a free upgrade, we’re sure you’ll find numerous enhancements.
For iBank: Congrats to Danny Greg. We hope you find your new iBank license helpful in meeting your need for a more powerful banking app.
For MoneyWell: Congrats to Cameron Williams. We’re glad that MoneyWell reflects how you work and happy to be able to provide you with a license you weren’t otherwise able to afford right now!

For our 3 winners, I have sent your information to the respective developers and they should be e-mailing you soon! For everyone, thank you for the great comments and be sure to come back often for Apple news and even more reviews and giveaways (much like one coming soon that will have the photographers out there interested!).

Be sure to check out the review to find out what my top pick is and be sure to comment with a suggestion for your favorite application and you’ll be entered to win a license for that application! Hurry though, the giveaway is on June 27th!

In this special 3-in-1 review, I will look at the pros and cons of each (while focusing on the unique factors between them, as all 3 programs have similar, basic functions that you’d expect from a piece of banking software) and decide a winner. Note that in the end, my choice will reflect the software that I feel meets my needs best and I’d encourage you to try all 3 to see what works best for you. Hopefully my review will help guide you in your decision. As with my past reviews, the developers of these three programs have generously offered to give away 1 license to a lucky reader. That means we will have 3 total winners this time. Since this is a special review, I’m asking for some special comments. I’d like you, the reader, to try out these programs and come back to comment stating which of these 3 programs is your favorite, why it is your favorite, and at least one thing you’d like to see improved. 3 lucky readers will receive a license for the program they stated as their favorite! So without further ado, my review!

Cha-Ching:
Of the 3 programs, Cha-Ching has the cleanest interface. It’s easy to clutter the window of banking software with options and features. While these features are desired, and often necessary, the interface can easily become quite cluttered. With Cha-Ching, that’s not the case. They have managed to maintain a solid feature set while at the same time providing a very clean and smooth interface. The result is a window that’s informative and easy to look at. It’s also very Mac-like in its theming. The main, and only, window looks very much like iTunes and getting around the program is quite clear and intuitive. However, Cha-Ching lacks a good way to visually represent your finances. Personally, I like to see a chart laying out exactly where my money is going. With Cha-Ching, I could not find a very good way to do that.

Cha-Ching also offers a unique way to view your online banking information with a built in browser of sorts. It’s not a browser you’d use to replace Safari by any means, but it’s a great way to quickly and easily access your online bank account to verify or download your latest transactions. With the integration of smart folders, a scheduler, budgets, and accounts, Cha-Ching allows you to take your banking information and organize how you prefer. It even allows you to attach pictures or files to your transactions. Here’s a quick example of how this could work for you: You snap a photo of the new iMac you just bought (lucky you!) and scan the receipt for your purchase. You attach a PDF version of your receipt to the transaction and drop the photo in. Now, when you are looking through your transactions, you can see photos of exactly what you bought, as well as check the receipt. Cha-Ching also supports tagging, which makes finding past transactions even easier. If you stay current and diligent putting your financial information in, Cha-Ching makes it extremely easy to keep track of your financial history.

iBank:
What drew me to iBank initially was the unique viewing options it offered. The main, and again only, window has a very Mac-like interface. What’s unique about iBank is that it offers 3 ways to view your entries – a small and standard ledger view, a larger ledger view with pictures, and a coverflow view with pictures. The small standard ledger view is as you’d expect. It’s straightforward, shows the needed information, and is very professional. The larger ledger view supports pictures, much like Cha-Ching. However, iBank has a built in set of clipart so when you say that you just bought groceries you can easily select a grocery bag to represent this. It allows for a more uniform way to manage the photos, whereas with Cha-Ching, I’d find myself having to repeatedly search Google if I wanted to add clipart.

iBank also allows for managing portfolios – a great tool for investors, adding charts – which provides a great way to view a breakdown of your spending habits, budgets, smart import rules (in conjunction with the capacity to download your transactions) – great for making future imports easy, and more. Overall, iBank is a fairly powerful tool for managing finances and it allows you to tweak just how you want to view your finances. On the downside, however, all these options also make iBank feel more cluttered than the other 2 programs.

MoneyWell:
MoneyWell takes an interesting approach to managing finances – buckets. Well, let me explain. Perhaps you’ve heard of the classic “envelope budget.” MoneyWell follows this concept, but instead applies a more aquatic feel. Your income is divided into various buckets, depending on how many sources of income you have. Then, each of these buckets gets “poured” into your various expense buckets (again, all determined by your specific setup). Once setup is complete, you can see at a glance what you have left to allocate and how much you have left to spend in each bucket. As you buy groceries, for example, your “food” bucket depletes in value and you can see exactly what’s left. Out of the three programs, I found this approach to give the quickest and easiest at-a-glance summary of where I was at in the month.

All that said, it’s easier said than done. MoneyWell has a bit more of a learning curve to it and I found that it took me longer to set up everything as I wanted it in MoneyWell than it did in the other 2 programs. Still, once set up I found MoneyWell to be the easiest way to view my finances. What it lacks in power (i.e. no portfolio accounts, customizable charts, or alternate views) and in design (not as cluttered as iBank, but still more cluttered than Cha-Ching) it makes up for in its straightforward nature, that is once it’s set up.

The Breakdown:
So what does this all mean? I skipped all that stuff up above, just give me the pros and cons of each! When it comes down to it, which one is best? After playing around with the programs for a few weeks and without further ado…

Cha-Ching:
Pros: Clean interface, feels very “Mac-like,” easy to learn and use, it has many features, but contains them all well within its one window.
Cons: Clipart is more of a chore than it should be, lacks any real charts for viewing a breakdown of spending, no way to manage investments/stocks.
The Verdict: Out of the three programs, I’d have to say Cha-Ching is my favorite and the one I’d use. It’s clean, straightforward, and doesn’t have more features than I need. It’s easy to learn, easy to use, and feels very much like a native Mac app. In the end, I’d like to see some more features for breaking down my spending (i.e. Please give me charts!), but with 2.0 on the horizon I’m sure we’ll see some improvements!
Cha-Ching is available from MidnightApps for $40. If you buy Cha-Ching today, you’re eligable for a free upgrade to Cha-Ching 2.0 – coming soon.

iBank:
Pros: Powerful, a variety of views, professional account management (stocks/investments), built in clipart library, easy import functions.
Cons: Cluttered interface, alternate views are cool but can be impractical, feels too much like Quicken (which may be a good thing for you, but was more of a con for me)
The Verdict: I’d have to rank iBank as my least likely choice of the three. It’s a great program, it’s just not for me. I’d still encourage you to try it as I really believe that for many out there, this can be the perfect banking solution.
iBank is available from IGG Software for $59.99 (uprades to iBank 3 from previous versions are $29.99)

MoneyWell:
Pros: Unique approach to money management, fairly straightforward once set up, fairly clean interface
Cons: Much more of a learning curve, lacks strong charts, set up takes a while and can be confusing to some.
The Verdict: Personally, I like MoneyWell. I even wanted it to be my first choice. I just couldn’t justify ranking it above Cha-Ching, however. The level of work it took me to get MoneyWell up and running was just too much more than Cha-Ching. Still, it’s a close 2nd for me and I’ll be keeping my eye on its development.
MoneyWell is available from No Thirst Software for a special price of $39.99, but only for a limited time. The price will then be set at $49.99

So in the end, Cha-Ching works best for me, and it just happens to be the least expensive as well. But we’re all different in how we manage our finances and I’d encourage you to visit each website, to play around with all 3 of these great programs, and see what works best for you. Do that now and comment back here about your favorite and you’ll be entered to win a copy of that respective license! Winners will be announced on June 27th. Happy banking!

Once again, the product was kindly provided to me by the vendor on a review-copy basis. The price point remains the same at $199.95. There are two versions of this product: the “Made for iPod” edition which is compatible with the video nano, touch, classic, and 5th Generation Video iPod, and the “Universal Edition” which is compatible with most portable video devices with video out. The MyVu site is silent on whether the Shades 301 will work with the iPhone but does state in a FAQ regarding the MyVu Solo Plus Edition that “Myvu has not been certified through the ‘Works with iPhone’ licensing program. However, Myvu Made for iPod versions, like many iPod accessories, will work with the iPhone when the iPhone is set to Airplane mode.” I do not have an iPhone to test whether this would hold true for this particular product but rather tested it using my iPod touch.

Like the Solo Plus, MyVu does advertise that the image quality is comparable to an iPod screen; however, my experience has been that it is far grainier and less clear. With that being said, I believe that the quality is a good value for the reasonable price point which must always be a consideration. The video specifications are stated by MyVu as a quarter VGA resolution (320X240).

This model differed in several respects from the MyVu Solo Plus. First, I found the angle of the glasses as worn with the “shade” affixed at the top created a more pleasing viewing enviroment while still allowing full visibility around the glasses. The shades serve to relieve the eyes of two competing outside views (above and below the glasses) and instead direct them more downwards without sacrificing full visibility. However, while I found that the affixed shades did provide some additional viewing clarity in bright light situations, at times, the picture was completely unviewable and obscured. I did not attempt the use of a sun visor or hat to determine if this would alleviate this situation as suggested by the website because I do not find it reasonable to expect the typical consumer to be likely to appreciate the requirement of wearing such headgear in order to have an adequate viewing experience. I wouldn’t. Second, I found the nose-rest to be much more comfortable; however, I would recommend still more padding. One criticism that I have of the Shades 301 that I did not have with the Solo Plus might not be inherent in the product, but rather due to the multi-person usage of a review unit – that being that the glasses felt loose around my head although they did not appear to be stretched at the joints in any fashion. Due to this, I would state that these would definitely not be suitable for smaller adults or children. I am of a somewhat small frame, and the looseness was enough to be a bit bothersome. The major difference between the Shades and the Solo Plus appears in the expected battery life. The MyVu Solo Plus provides four hours of viewing time with a fully charged viewer and a fully charged player while the Shades 301 provides ten hours of viewing time with initially fully-charged devices. However, my iPod touch only provides a maximum of five hours of viewing time which effectively caps my portable viewing time at that limit rather than the higher capacity of the viewer.

There are brightness, contrast, and volume controls on the pendant sitting between the glasses and the video player such as the iPod. If my memory serves me correctly, this configuration is a bit different from the MyVu Solo Plus which did not provide volume control. I was a bit disappointed with the lack of more precise fine-tuning for the brightness and contrast but found the easy access to volume control to be quite useful.

I note that MyVu has also announced another addition to their product line: the MyVu Crystal. This product sells at a $299.95 price point and is advertised to deliver full VGA resolution (640X480) as opposed to the quarter VGA resolution (320X240) offered by the MyVu Solo Plus and the MyVu Shades 301. I will be requesting a review copy of this product in order to offer a comparison and opinion on whether the higher priced product might be the better choice and for which consumers. Between the Shades 301 and the MyVu Solo Plus, I would choose the Shades as they have a better balance between the “geek” and “dork” factors, and the affixed shades do provide a less distracting viewing experience.

Pros:

• Reasonable price point
• High “geek” factor, perfect for private viewing in public situations such as mass transmit or the gym
• Easy to operate

Cons:

• Grainy video as compared to viewing directly on the iPod and not suitable for use in bright light situations
• The contrast and brightness controls do not offer more than three different gradations

Verdict: If you are a person who uses mass transit frequently or works out regularly at a public gym, then this is a highly recommended product at a reasonable price point. For a niche product, it serves its purpose well. Higher quality resolution video eyewear is available, but the price points for such are expectedly higher.

The MacBook Air was long rumoured prior to its release to be an “ultra-portable”, but when Jobs finally showed off the Air at Macworld it became clear that Apple avoided the niche market of ultra-portables and instead headed for the ultra-thin notebook market. The Air lacks the power of the MacBook, has no optical drive and doesn’t contain a removable battery but instead is incredibly thin, features long battery life and has a full-size keyboard.

Read more…

MemoryMiner is a photo management tool that allows you to categorize your photos in two specific ways: by people and by places. Adding photos is as easy as choosing to have your iPhoto library imported, adding selected photos from the media browser, or dragging and dropping from the desktop or a folder.

Organizing your photos by people is achieved by a method similar to “tagging” people in Facebook photos. You simply select the person with a resizable box and then tag them apporiately. This is great for photos of family and friends as it allows you to keep track of who is in what picture. Then, you can choose through the list of people you’ve input and see all the photos that they appear in. What’s more, you can categorize people by family, friends, and more and even tag them across stages of their life! Looking for that photo of grandma when she was your age? It’s as easy as choosing grandma from your “People” list and checking it out.

Getting the people into MemoryMiner is another story. It takes a bit of time up front to popularize the list with all the people you’d like to include. Adding the initial name/photo is easy if you’ve got everyone in your Address Book – just drag them from Address Book over (though some form of importing within the program would have been nice). Once there, add some additional details if you please and you’re ready to go.

Organizing your photos by place is just as easy. Create the location by entering the specific address or general area and MemoryMiner’s integration with Google Maps instantly finds the place and you’re ready to tag. Drag the place onto the photo(s) you want and there you have it. Now, you are able to filter you photos by people, location, or both. The integration between the two is nice. For example, I can click on my friend Ben who I’ve labeled in several pictures across my collection. A quick click later and I’m presented with a map showing flags of all the locations that Ben is tagged in. Pretty cool.

So there you have it. Your photos can now be organized by people, place, and time in a more intuitive fashion than possible with iPhoto. It’s difficult to describe everything MemoryMiner does in just words. I could use pictures and videos of my own, but there is a great collection of videos over at MemoryMiner’s video gallery. I strongly recommend checking those out to get a bigger grasp on what MemoryMiner can do for you. Overall, MemoryMiner can be quite useful. It’s a very powerful application and I cannot give justice to all of its features in this brief review. To explore all it has to offer, I strongly suggest watching the videos and downloading it and giving it a try. You can try it out for 15 days to see what it can do for you. All in all, I like MemoryMiner. I like what it does and I like the idea that it strives to fulfill. I do, however, think it falls short in being easily used. I’m not quite sure what it is about it, but I think I’d like to see an updated interface that comes closer to that of iPhoto. It’s a great tool with powerful sorting options, but I found in using it that I wish it had a cleaner overall look to it. At this point I’m indecisive at best on whether or not I’d find MemoryMiner more useful than iPhoto at this point. A more streamlined interface could do a lot for me though.

MemoryMiner can be purchased for $45 from http://www.memoryminer.com/. And, of course, the gracious folks over at MemoryMiner have donated a license to give away to one lucky reader who comments on this post with some feedback, positive or negative, on MemoryMiner. Winners will be announced on May 16. [Winner announced]

The Breakdown:

Pro’s: Great management software for pictures. Allows for easy categorization of pictures by people, places, and times. Allows you to create a story surrounding your pictures and gives them more meaning and context

Con’s: Interface isn’t as clean and intuitive as it could be. I feel that an updated interface is needed.

The Verdict: If you’ve got a lot of pictures and need more/easier organization than iPhoto allows then MemoryMiner is for you. The price is worth it for those who like to keep their pictures organized, but it may be a bit expensive for the casual user.