Dial A For Apple

I’ve now had an iPhone for a week. This picture roughly shows how I feel. Admittedly, part of this is probably because my previous phone couldn’t even send text messages in capital letters, but it feels like it should come with a jetpack. It’s the future, right there in your hand. A communicator out of every science fiction movie, except this one screams “Yeah! Yeah!” every time somebody calls (Davo, Lolly, I’m truly sorry). It’s the Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, except it plays music whilst you’re checking to see if Earth is being demolished this week or next. Other phones are crammed with buttons; the iPhone makes them look as outmoded as a rotary dial; instead, your fingers swish over the screen and make it dance.

Shiny. But, just as with the jetpacks and lasers, it's not quite there just yet. There are a few things which make you remember that the future is still a little way off:

  • The camera. Actually, I don't mind the 2 megapixel aspect of the camera, as the sensor is small enough that cramming more pixels probably won't help improve the image quality too much. It is a shame that it doesn't allow you to record video clips, however. There's an application available for the jailbroken phone, so this seems to be an Apple restriction rather than a problem with the camera itself. It's also a bit awkward having to unlock the phone, press the camera icon, wait for it to power up, and then to take the picture, in comparison to a normal camera. But then normal cameras don't tag photos with GPS information and upload them to flickr.
  • I haven't hard too many problems with 3G/Edge connectivity problems, but did find that I couldn't get a signal in the middle of Oxford, which is a tad worrying (though that may have been down to me - I'll be trying it out again next week).
  • The keyboard does take quite a bit of getting used to, and it'll never be as comfortable as a proper set of buttons, I think. However, you do find yourself typing away quite happily most of the time with only a few errors. I've been answering work emails on it all week!
  • The App Store bothers me a little. It's very nice to have a central place to go and find all the interesting things people have written for the device (at the moment, I'm using Twinkle, Mobile Fotos, and LondonTube, as well as stalwarts like NetNewsWire, Facebook and Google), I find it disturbing that all this work exists solely at the pleasure of Apple. At any time, they can pull your application with no warning and no recourse. There's no way to put your program on anybody else's iPhone without going through iTunes. If Microsoft tried to pull this, we'd be up in arms, and rightly so.

No buyer's remorse yet, but the future still needs a little work.

The Campaign Starts Here.

David Tennant must light the Olympic flame in 2012. IT’S IN CONTINUITY, PEOPLE.

torchcarrieryi6.jpg

Welcome To Wal-Mart UK

The decision to alter the text came after supermarket chain Asda announced it would stop selling the book.

currently playing: Los Campesinos! – Clunk-Rewind-Clunk-Play-Clunk

Should We Be Worried?

The usual caveats apply: Zogby’s record isn’t great, and it’s only one poll. But last month ago, it looked as if all Obama had to do was show up in November, and now he’s on the wrong end of a five-point lead. Even worse is that people trust McCain more on the economy, despite him admitting that he knows little about the subject, and that his platform consists of continuing the last eight years of Bush’s policies. Ask Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac how that’s going. I’m just hoping that Obama’s vacation in Hawaii has more to do with this than any deeper problems in the Democrats’ campaign. It’s looking a bit too much like Kerry 2004 at the moment.

Meanwhile, next week is the beginning of convention season! Hurrah! (really, I have problems) Four years ago, I sat and watched both conventions from start to finish. Many, many problems. Today, I find myself gainfully employed, so I probably won't be able to do that this time around, but I am planning on watching the final night of the Democratic Convention. Monday at the RNC seems like a fun line-up: Bush, Cheney, and Lieberman! Together as you demanded! But perhaps not in a courtroom like you also demanded!

(seriously, guys, I think it's time you threw Lieberman out of your party. It's getting embarrassing now)

RSS Update!

For those of you who have been missing RSS updates over the past month, I think I’ve fixed the problems now. You may have to unsubscribe and resubscribe (click here!) to make the changes show up.

Making a Johnny Boy ringtone is all sorts of wrong, isn't it?

Futurephone Activate!

This can only end badly.

The North Will Rise Again

Inspired Casting #342

The Actor Kevin Eldon as an EVIL HYPNOTIST in New Tricks.Next week: INTERNATIONAL STARING!

Note To Eastern Europe

The USA may speak loftily of ideals, but you should know by now that they will not come to your aid in times of serious trouble. And it doesn’t help if you shoot first at an enemy that really wants to remind the world it’s a superpower.

(really, I know it's a complex situation and the Russians are no angels in this, but Georgia did start this off last week, so I'm wondering why it seems to be all Russia's fault in the eyes of the media?)

Dodospace

  • Photochromatic inks on postcards
  • Screen-printing chocolate with coloured white chocolate
  • Lilypads
  • Stealing the last bendy-bus in London and taking it on a tour of the UK...
  • What to do for Hallowe'en?
  • SexyRobot @ Franklin. Sometime after The Great Grits Getaway!
  • Job security in SF.