September 18, 2013
Screens 3 for iOS ∞
Screens allows you to control your computer remotely from your iOS device. I’ve been using this app since it first came out and it just keeps getting better.
Eddie Van Halen talks to his girlfriend
If you know your Van Halen songs, you’ll like this.
September 17, 2013
Review: iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s
Shortly after Apple’s iPhone event ended on September 10, I walked into a room to speak with Apple executives about the new devices. During that meeting, I was also given a green iPhone 5c and a gold iPhone 5s to review, both running iOS 7—I’ve been using those two phones for the last week.
My iPhone serves a couple of purposes—obviously, it’s a communication device, but it also has to serve as an all purpose work device too. Those are the things that I focused on when using the two iPhones this week.
Making changes to help users
There are a couple of reasons a company makes changes to its products. One is to improve it, making it better for its users; the other is to give people the perception of change in hopes of selling something shiny and new, when it really isn’t.
I’m all for new features, but if they don’t actually help me get things done more efficiently, then you have to ask, “what’s the point?” I ask myself that question quite a bit when I’m looking at any new product, including the new iPhones.
I must say, I’m quite happy with the answers I’ve come up with.
iPhone 5s
The iPhone 5s is Apple’s new high-end model. If you’re the type of person that always has to have the latest and greatest gadget, then this is the device for you.
The 5s comes with Apple’s latest processor, updated still and video camera features and all the bells and whistles that you would expect to find in Apple’s newest product. However, the 5s also comes with a new fingerprint sensor to give the user easy access to the phone.
A fingerprint sensor could be one of those cool features that everyone talks about, but nobody ends up using in their day-to-day lives because it’s too much of a hassle. I’ll be honest, heading into the event, I was wondering if Apple’s implementation of the sensor would be good enough to actually make it useful. Not just for a demo to make people gasp and clap, but could I use it every day.
The answer is unequivocally yes.
As I mentioned, my iPhone is a communication device. I’m on Twitter all the time, I make and receive phone calls, I get emails all day long—I’m in and out of apps all day. Typing in my passcode every time I wanted to check email or respond to a tweet was a huge pain, but security is important. I needed to have that passcode just in case I lost my phone or it was stolen. This is one of those situations where you make a decision (to have a passcode), and even though it’s the right decision, you will be frustrated by continually typing it in.
The fingerprint sensor took all of that pain away. I still have the security I was looking for, but none of the frustration.
The way I expected a fingerprint sensor to work went something like this:
- Touch the Home button to wake up the phone…
- Phone recognizes that you want to open it with your fingerprint
- Phone reads your fingerprint
- Phone authenticates your fingerprint
- Phone unlocks
What I got was this:
- Touch the Home button to wake up the phone, fingerprint is read and phone unlocks.
It was almost immediate. It’s much quicker than entering in the passcode manually and all I have to do is rest my thumb on the Home button, which contains the fingerprint sensor.
In addition to the speed, the location of the sensor is key. There is no extra movement needed to activate fingerprint reading. That decision was vital in making the fingerprint sensor work for users—if you have to move to make it work, it may not be worth using.
Of course, you can still have a manual passcode. If you do, you are required to type this in the first time after you restart the device, and if something ever happened to your fingerprint, you have a way to access the phone.
Setting up a fingerprint is as easy as resting your finger on the Home button and following the onscreen instructions. The button will vibrate when it’s reading; lift your finger and rest it on the button again; and repeat until it’s done. Very simple.
You can add multiple fingerprints and you can even use your fingerprint to buy items from iTunes and App Store.
I did wonder about the security of having my fingerprint on the phone, but I’m satisfied with Apple’s explanation and I’m not at all concerned. According to Apple, the fingerprint is securely stored in a special section of the A7—nothing but the fingerprint sensor can access that portion of the chip. The fingerprint is not sent to iCloud or anywhere else for that matter—it’s only in that section of the chip.
It became very clear how much I used the fingerprint sensor when I would pick up the iPhone 5c and wonder why the sensor wasn’t working. Of course, only the 5s has the sensor, but that’s how quickly I became used to having that option.
The fingerprint sensor solved a problem and makes my handling of the iPhone more efficient. That’s what a feature should do.
Speed increases are something we expect with new Apple products, but the iPhone 5s goes above and beyond expectations. In addition to the faster processor, the iPhone 5s is also the world’s first 64-bit phone. These changes make the 5s up to twice as fast as the iPhone 5—that’s a significant increase.
Having a 64-bit architecture will give Apple and its developers a significant advantage in the market. It’s more efficient in many ways that will show in the quality and complexity of what we see for years to come.
The cameras in the iPhone have also been updated, which is great for people like me. I’m not a very good photographer, so I rely on my camera to do all of the work for me. For years now, I’ve only carried the camera that comes with my iPhone. Even on vacation, I only have my iPhone and so far I’ve been very happy with the results.
If I had one wish for the camera it would be better night and low-light pictures. I always find them to be grainy, which makes taking pictures at concerts and other events problematic.
Photography for me is about capturing a moment in time in the most convenient way possible. Mostly those moments are spontaneous, not staged. I’ll just take my iPhone out, snap a picture and I’m done. If the camera sucks, so does my picture. Luckily, the iPhone camera keeps getting better, so my pictures do too.
The video camera is better as well. One of the new features, Slo-Mo is brilliant for me. I like to take videos of my dogs playing—I don’t always post them, but it’s nice to have those memories. You can see how much fun my two Border Collies, Harold (the one jumping) and Ozzy have playing frisbee.
[wpvideo wwajI6fT]
[wpvideo GiLOUIXA]
[wpvideo BRmxFLTx]
After taking a video, you just adjust the in and out points where you want the slow motion effect to happen and you’re done. It was really easy to do, even for me.
The iPhone 5s is a brilliant phone with some great new features that help you in work and play. The fingerprint sensor, camera, and improved speed and architecture, make the 5s my favorite iPhone to date.
iPhone 5c
The iPhone 5c is Apple’s mid-range iPhone model that comes in a variety of colors including blue, green, pink, white and yellow. It’s clear that the iPhone 5c is going after a different crowd than the 5s, but it would be wrong to think of this as a cheap iPhone.
The construction of the iPhone 5c was something that concerned me going into the event. I’ve touched plastic phones and tablets before and they were awful. There is give in the devices when you press on them, giving you the feeling you could poke a hole in them at any time. Would Apple really do that? I just couldn’t imagine it—they’re better than that, right?
Turns out Apple is better than that. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the 5c when the event ended—I had to touch it. I was pleasantly surprised with how tough it was.
There is absolutely no give to this phone at all. It doesn’t bend or buckle anywhere in the casing, which is what you want, obviously. It feels as solid as the 5s.
The iPhone 5c doesn’t actually feel like plastic. It’s strange when you first pick it up, but it almost feels like ceramic or a similar material that is glossy and hard. The manufacturing process that Apple used to make this phone and the metal reinforcement it used in the plastic casing certainly worked on making this phone tough.
The iPhone 5c takes over from the iPhone 5, filling that spot in the product line-up. In fact, the 5c is basically the iPhone 5 with some updated components like a new FaceTime HD Camera and colors.
That’s not a bad thing either. The iPhone 5 was a great selling phone for Apple and I believe the 5c will be even better. It hits the sweet spot of having a powerful device with fun colors, at an affordable price-point. That’s not an easy thing to do.
I wondered how Apple would bring a lower-end iPhone to market without removing any features and still keep the costs down. They ended up adding features and still keeping the price down—no matter how you look at it, that is impressive.
I believe what we’ll see in the coming months is that customers who would have purchased an Android phone will buy the iPhone 5c instead. The draw of the iPhone at an affordable price will be too much for many to resist, especially with this kind of power.
While many of us love having features like a fingerprint sensor, it’s not that important for all users. Some people are price conscious and will want to check out all the options available to them. I think the iPhone 5c will win out in this type of head-to-head comparison.
Apple has a one-two punch of iPhones like they’ve never had before. The iPhone 5c sales will be huge.
iOS 7
I have been using iOS 7 for the last month or so as my full time operating system. Not only have I gotten used to it, I quickly came to prefer it over iOS 6.
iOS 7 isn’t a big change functionally from what we’re all used to with iOS 6. Apple kept most of things we know about how to use the operating system and integrated them with the design.
Of course, that is the big change with the new iOS—the look and feel are newer, some would say flatter. While we were all a bit shocked with the look when it was first introduced, it doesn’t take long to adapt. In fact, there are many things I like better.
The dynamics of the OS and the way the backgrounds move as you tilt the phone are very cool. They aren’t just cool, to me they show that Apple still cares about those little details that we count on them for. The transitions in apps and changing to the multitasking screen are all things that make iOS 7 a visually pleasing operating system.
I mentioned to a friend last week that I still thought that the Calendar and Contacts apps were still a bit too stark for me. He pointed out that both apps were now much easier to read and navigate. I thought about that for a while and he’s right, they are. It still feels like they went too far to me.
There are a lot of features that I can pick out in iOS 7 that I really like: Control Center, Notification Center, Multitasking, Camera app, and iTunes Radio—I love iTunes Radio. The accuracy of the songs it chooses is amazing. However, I would be hard pressed to pick out anything in iOS 7 that I just don’t like at all.
Nobody likes change, but sometimes change is for the best. iOS 7 is one of those changes.
Perfect Weather for iPhone ∞
Great looking new app from David Barnard.
Guy finds his house plumbed with beer
This guy has some good friends.
This is Canada ∞
This is so funny. And all of it is absolutely true.
Bluegrass version of “Enter Sandman” ∞
Some talented guys.
iPhone 5s & iPhone 5c Arrive on Friday, September 20 ∞
Apple today announced that iPhone 5s, the most forward-thinking smartphone in the world and iPhone 5c, the most colorful iPhone yet, will be available to customers on Friday, September 20 at 8:00 a.m. local time at Apple retail stores and at 12:01 a.m. PDT at the Apple Online Store. iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c will be available in the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the UK.
Gold is best!
Related: I totally want to dress up like Raffi for Halloween.
September 16, 2013
PDFpen: the powerful, all-purpose PDF editing tool from Smile [Sponsor] ∞
If you need to do anything with PDFs, you need PDFpen. You can add a signature, make changes, correct typos–and that’s only the beginning.
Got a scanned document? PDFpen includes OCR so you can convert that scan into text that can be searched, copied, and corrected. Concerned about sharing sensitive info such as tax ID numbers? PDFpen can perform redaction, removing the stuff you want to keep private. You can even export your PDFs to Microsoft Word format for sharing or editing.
Buy PDFpen for $60 in the Mac App Store or directly from Smile. If you need advanced features, such as auto form creation or document permission settings, get PDFpenPro. Find out more.
More useless features don’t make for a better smartphone, Samsung ∞
Interesting article from Ross Rubin on how focusing can help a company more than throwing features into your product.
The iPhone 5c/5s crossover point ∞
John Gruber:
One interesting note: the 5C and 5S have a price overlap at $199. At that price, you can get either a 32 GB 5C or a 16 GB 5S. For those who don’t care about technical specs, I think the $199 5C is going to win.
I agree with John on this. Generally, I feel the people that would have purchased a new iPhone anyway will get the 5s, but at this price point, you may see some people switch for the colors.
Typ.io: A catalog of web typography ∞
Very cool.
USB condom ∞
When you plug your smart phone into a USB cable, your device will try to pair with the device on the other end of the cable. If the only thing on the other end of the line is your personally owned USB charger, no worries. But if you plug into a public charging station or a stranger’s USB charger, you are opening yourself up to malware. The device on the other end can pair with your phone and cause all sorts of mischief.
The soon-to-be-released USB condom is a dongle that sits on the end of your USB cable and prevents data transfer, meaning you can safely charge your device without fear of contracting malware.
I like the idea of the device, though I think a better answer is a USB cable with a switch built in, to toggle between data and charge-only modes.
I need compliments
Heh.
Dungeons and developers ∞
Have you ever wanted to learn web development or just refine your webdev skills? Dungeons and Developers gives your quest for knowledge a role playing twist. When you get to the page, click the Open the talent tree button to get started.
Raising the Costa Concordia ∞
Today is a big day for the Italian cruise ship that ran aground and tipped over in January 2012. The so-called Parbuckling Project, with the goal of tipping the Concordia upright and refloating it, is now underway. The engineering involved is massive and fascinating. Should take about two days.
September 15, 2013
Touch ID may have Fifth Amendment consequences, says lawyer ∞
Because the constitutional protection of the Fifth Amendment, which guarantees that “no person shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself,” may not apply when it comes to biometric-based fingerprints (things that reflect who we are) as opposed to memory-based passwords and PINs (things we need to know and remember).
While IANAL, Marcia Hoffman certainly is. She has her own law practice, was senior staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and is an adjunct professor at U.C. Hastings College of the Law.
Netflix, world-wide expansion, and pirate guidance ∞
Netflix is a fantastic story. They started by shipping physical DVDs about 15 years ago, then moved heavily into streaming. Over the past few years, Netflix has moved into more than 40 countries, sometimes building custom content for a specific region (Norway’s Lilyhammer is a good example). How do they make the decision on what content to purchase?
This week Netflix rolled out its service in the Netherlands and the company’s Vice President of Content Acquisition, Kelly Merryman, says that their offering is partly based on what shows do well on BitTorrent networks and other pirate sites.
“With the purchase of series, we look at what does well on piracy sites,” Merryman told Tweakers.
One of the shows that Netflix acquired the rights to in the Netherlands is Prison Break, since it is heavily pirated locally. “Prison Break is exceptionally popular on piracy sites,” Merryman says.
Here’s an interview with Reed Hastings. It’s from a Dutch site, but the interview is in English. To skip the intro, jump to :30.
John Cleese on creativity ∞
Cleese digs into the creative process as only he can. What a brilliant mind.
Want an NSA.org email address? $100 please. ∞
Silly rabbit.
September 14, 2013
Little kid sings with Godsmack then stage dives
This kid is fucking ME-TAL. His parents must be proud! Rock on, little man. Rock on.
[via Loudwire]
Voila Screen Capture Tool for Mac ∞
I’d like to thank Voila – Screen Capture Tool from Global Delight for sponsoring this week’s RSS feed on The Loop. Capture your Mac screen, create amazing demos and tutorials and upload them with Voila.
With Voila, you can easily take different types of screenshots, edit and share images, webpages or notes on your Mac.
Organize your captures in smart collection folders or access it from multiple devices using your Dropbox or Evernote account. Record screencasts, webinars and videos for your project or store them for future reference. You can also mail your captures directly from the app with just a few clicks.
Global Delight is running a ‘Back To School’ campaign ’til end of September where Voila is available for 50% discount. You can grab a copy for just $14.99 which is otherwise $29.99
Give it a Try! Download the app now and enjoy 15 day Free Trial.
The Feynman Lectures on Physics ∞
Richard Feynman is the master of all explainers. He takes incredibly complex concepts and break them down to make them more easily digested. Professor Feynman gave a series of seminal lectures at Caltech in the early 1960s that were transcribed and edited, evolving into a book that became the definitive introduction to physics. Now those lectures are available online, for free. Here’s an example:
To illustrate the power of the atomic idea, suppose that we have a drop of water a quarter of an inch on the side. If we look at it very closely we see nothing but water—smooth, continuous water. Even if we magnify it with the best optical microscope available—roughly two thousand times—then the water drop will be roughly forty feet across, about as big as a large room, and if we looked rather closely, we would still see relatively smooth water—but here and there small football-shaped things swimming back and forth. Very interesting. These are paramecia. You may stop at this point and get so curious about the paramecia with their wiggling cilia and twisting bodies that you go no further, except perhaps to magnify the paramecia still more and see inside.
This is an incredible gift to the world.
Breaking Bad, outside the US ∞
Click the image for a full size version. Scorching.
September 13, 2013
Amplified: Manatee Gray ∞
Jim and Dan discuss the Apple event, and Jim’s hands-on experience with the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s.
Sponsored by Hover (use code DANSENTME for 10% off), Shutterstock (use code DANSENTME9 for 25% off), and Squarespace (use code DANSENTME9 for 20% off).
PCalc 3.0 designed for iOS 7 ∞
James Thomson updated his calculator apps, adding a lot of new iOS 7 support.
64-bit confusion ∞
There is a bit of a misconception out there regarding 64-bit processors. This is from the linked BBC News article:
However, bearing in mind there will remain many iOS and Android handsets on the market that still rely on 32-bit chips, this may deter developers from taking advantage of the switch in the short-term.
“People who have the old 32-bit processors will not be able to run software that is built specifically for the 64-bit processors because the latter uses a different instruction set,” explained Prof Alan Woodward, from the University of Surrey’s computing department.
“However, if people write in 32-bit, it will run on many of the 64-bit processors because they still support the old instruction set.
“So, you can get the whole market by writing the app in 32-bits, but you can only get a very small part of the market if you write specifically for 64-bits.”
This is a bit misleading. Apple’s developer tools make it reasonably easy to create a build that supports multiple architectures, say a 64-bit iPhone 5S as well as a 32-bit iPhone 5. If the app is built properly, it will work on both architectures.
In other words, it just works.
iPhone 5C available for pre-order ∞
Currently, pre-orders are scheduled for delivery one week from today. Will be interesting to see the pre-order numbers.