The tiniest little note-taker

Since the release of iOS 4.0, iPhone and iPod touch users have been able to use their bluetooth keyboards with their iOS devices for text entry. I was very intrigued by this, as it was one step closer to using the iPhone as a mobile note-taking device, and perhaps eventually as a replacement for my Dell Mini 10V for taking notes in classes. One thing that was holding me back was the fact that there did not seem to be many apps which would let you read and edit Dropbox files, or at least free apps. A few weeks ago, I heard about Plaintext, which is a free app that lets you create and edit basic text files within your Dropbox folders. It does not work with .doc files, but I figured that it would suffice for basic note-taking. (There is an option to purchase an ad-free version, but I have yet to encounter any ads during use).

I put it to the test tonight by bringing my bluetooth keyboard to class, and using it with my iPhone and Plaintext. Here's a photo of the setup.

On the whole, the experience was pretty good. The keyboard works really well with iOS, even letting you control screen brightness and speaker volume with the keyboard. In addition, the “eject” key hides or brings up the on-screen keyboard as well.

I used this setup for a 3-hour class, and was able to take notes on it quickly and comfortably. The only caveat was that the small screen size meant I was not able to refer to notes I had taken without a fair amount of scrolling. The other thing was that it doesn't allow me to toggle between apps as easily as the 10V would, due in part to the processor speed, as well as the screen size. Is it a deal breaker? I guess that depends on how often you need to switch apps. In some ways, it discourages you from getting distracted with web-surfing and other apps while in class.

Of course, if I were to use the iPad with a bluetooth keyboard, along with apps such as Quickoffice or Documents to Go, that would be even better. Both these apps allow for read-write access to Dropbox documents, and support most office document formats. The larger screen would also allow me to view documents more easily. Until then, I will continue to use this setup for basic note-taking, alternating with my 10V for greater productivity.

Apple Event: Back to the Mac

Next week is going to be a very exciting week! Apple is going to tell everyone how well they're doing on Monday. And then this! Back to the Mac! Next Wednesday. Is that a lion peeping? So maybe Apple isn't jumping to Mac OS 11.0...

VLC for iPad

What a godsend! Now I don't have to run those full length AVI clips through Handbrake just to watch them on my iPad.

Think there's a bug of some sort though... I have to make sure that all the videos in the VLC library are loaded, that is to say that the thumbnails must be showing first, before I can tap on one and watch.

If I were impatient and went ahead with tapping on the first thumbnail that appears, the app will crash. I'm sure it'll be ironed out in the next version but even then, I'm already saving myself the time taken to encode the videos into a format iTunes can accept.

The advent of mobile apps

While recently looking for a map of Boston University, I found that they actually had an iPhone app, which contains a variety of resources for their students, including the latest news and press releases, videos, campus maps, event calendars, course catalogs and a phone directory. It turns out that several other universities all have similar apps which have similar categories such as the ones mentioned, as well as access to their library catalogs. One of the more unique ones was from the University of Virginia, which includes an augmented-reality guide to their campus, providing users with historical information on various buildings on campus, depending on where they point their iPhone's camera. Some others, such as the ones for Northwestern and University of Texas allow users to track the locations of campus shuttle buses using GPS. At Stanford University, one of the components of their app that they are working on allows for integration of social networking: users can use the app to locate other users who have chosen to share their current locations. Clearly, many of the larger universities are jumping on the mobile app bandwagon, and the numbers only seem to be increasing. In fact, Stanford University even offers mobile app programing courses to encourage their students to develop apps to be shared. One of the potential benefits would be distinctively unique apps which cater to the student experience from an insider perspective.

One question that immediately came to mind was whether these mobile apps serve a special purpose, or if they are just empty shells designed to pull information from websites. After all, all the content on these apps is available on their websites, and can be easily accessed on a desktop or notebook computer. Another category of such apps that comes to mind is those of news websites, such as CNN, New York Times, ABC, Engadget, and Appshopper. While these make content more easily accessible and are a great convenience for users, it seems to me that they ultimately filter content from a website into a mobile format. Do they really add any value to the user experience via the mobile app as compared to using the website on a computer? How do these compare with websites which detect the type of browser being used, and then format their content accordingly for the small screens? Are mobile apps the new bookmark?

Therein lies the rub. It seems that these apps are indicative of the significant change in the manner which people consume their internet content. Where this was once primarily done through their computers, more and more people are now accessing information on their mobile devices. This allows more users to receive information from these sources which may not have been as convenient before. The idea is for these content providers to connect with as many users as possible, which means they have to go where the demand lies. I remain unsure as to whether these apps provide a sufficiently unique experience to differentiate them from the website, but perhaps the main fact is that that these apps allow the content to be formatted for greater ease of use on these devices' smaller screens, and thereby enhances the user experience.

Look who's here!

Yes it took me this long...

Took the plunge and got the iPhone 4. Impatience came at a price because I couldn't bear to wait 3 weeks just to get one from the Apple Store online.

The only reason I didn't jump on the bandwagon right at the outset is because iPhone 4 didn't represent a big enough leap from the 3GS for me. The 3GS was by any measure a very speedy machine, although there were some stutters here and there ever since I installed iOS4. More importantly, I was quite sure I wouldn't need a better screen. Until I got hold of a demo unit up close over the weekend. Those few moments sealed the deal and I decided to get one.

I had all the features of the iPhone 4 at the back of my head. But when I first turned on the phone, the Retina Display still managed to take my breath away. It's like bracing oneself at the crest of a roller coaster ride, anticipating the impending free fall, yet no amount of preparation would stem the subsequent adrenaline rush. The Retina Display is that good.

One other pleasant surprise was the responsiveness. iPhone 4 definitely enjoys the benefits of the A4 processor under its hood. Typing on it, multitasking with it, taking photos, surfing the web, you name it - it's all a breeze.

And how can I even neglect the topic of the dreaded "Antennagate". And who else better to talk about it that yours truly who happens to be left-handed and also suffers from very sweaty palms. Well, the sad part is that the signal bars do drop when my sweaty palm rests on "X" (where X marks the spot). As a test, I dried my palm with a napkin and true enough the signal bars remained almost constant. I must say that it is a matter of time before I get used to wrapping only my fingers around the frame of the iPhone. It's not that inconvenient although it requires one to be conscious of that act. (Of course, I'm in time for the Free Case program)

Definitely, I'll put the phone through its paces and update with more posts.

The Things Dropbox Can Do...

Ever since I started using Dropbox about a year ago, it has continued to prove highly useful in various ways, from work to play and other areas as well. The best part is that the basic service is free, which allows you to store up to 2GB of files. This is more than sufficient for my usage, which is primarily text documents, or as of late, address book and game databases, which are also primarily text-based.

When I first started using Dropbox, it was because I had seen many users on the MyDellMini forums rave about it. Since I had just started using a Dell Mini 10V to supplement my desktop at the time, this made perfect sense. It allowed me to keep selected files synchronized across both machines without the need for constant file transfers or emailed files.

In addition, I had just started taking part-time classes, so this was especially helpful for keeping my assignments and class-related documents synchronized. I would use the Mini 10V for taking notes during classes, and when I got home and turned on my desktop, the files were already there and ready to be used. At other times, I would complete assignments on my desktop, and when I got to class, I could review them on my Mini 10V. The web interface is also very easy to use, and can be particularly useful for accessing your Dropbox files on a friend's or school computer. I also used this option when I was traveling by saving my certain documents in the Dropbox folder, then accessing it from the hotel's business center for printing as needed.

A few weeks ago, some friends came to visit me, and I took them around town to show them the sights in town. After compiling a list of places to go, along with some interesting facts about each location, I chose not to print out the list. Instead, I saved it to my Dropbox folder, and then used the iPhone Dropbox app to view the file. There is even an option to save certain files within the app for offline use, so you don't need to have a constant data connection.

Another option allows you to create shared folders between users. This can be very convenient for people who need to collaborate on shared files, or with whom you would like to share certain files. In that sense, it can function as a online photo storage system, although there are many other services that provide similar functionality, such as Picasa or Mediafire.

When I recently installed Plants vs. Zombies on my desktop machine, I wondered if there was a way I could keep my saved game synchronized across both machines, since I figured I would occasionally be away from my desktop and want to play it on my Mini 10V as well. The idea of having to start a new game from scratch and have 2 versions of my saved game didn't appeal to me, so I looked around online. Sure enough, there were others who were in the same situation, and used Dropbox to solve this problem. By moving the saved game to the Dropbox folder, and then creating a symbolic link of that folder and placing it in the file's original location, the application was then able to save the game data to the Dropbox folder. All it then took was to do the same thing on the second machine, and both machines were able to use the same game data.

It turns out that others were also using this functionality for their contacts and calendars, maintaining a single copy of their database in the Dropbox folder. I've since added my address book to Dropbox, which allows me to have my contacts synced across both machines. I no longer have to make changes to both address books, since they are now effectively saving all the data to one location. This allows for consistency of information, and is also useful when I travel for extended periods and either need more information than I would normally carry on my Mini 10V, or allow me to make multiple changes or additions with no need to worry about updating my desktop upon my return.

The great thing about this system is that if anything should happen to either of my computers, the data is saved in the cloud so I can always access it from another machine. Of course, there is the possibility that the Dropbox service may be unavailable or the files may be lost, although since I have the folder synchronized on both my machines, and backed up on Time Machine, I think I should be fairly safe for now.

How do you use Dropbox?

No iPhone 4 reception issues in Singapore

The people I know who have iPhone 4's do not have the Antennagate issues. As a matter of fact, I tried a couple of demo units in Hong Kong and in Singapore and, even with my sweaty palms, was not able to bring the bars down at all.

Perhaps it is true that Antennagate exists only when signal is poor.

Location:Airport Rd,,Singapore

Shopping on the other side

A friend of mine was recently telling me about her vacation in Japan, and one of the things she saw was a game for the Wii called Taiko no Tatsujin. It's basically a rhythm game similar to many others which are popular these days such as Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Tap Tap Revenge, and so on. What makes this one unique is that the instrument used is the traditional Japanese drum called the Taiko, so it combines popular culture with a traditional instrument.

After some research, I found out that the wii version is exclusive to Japan, and there are currently no plans for an American release. There is also a version for iOS, but this is also restricted to the Japanese iTunes store. I really wanted to try this game on iOS, and it turns out that there are many others outside Japan in the same situation. In fact, there is even a website, jbox.com, that sells Japanese iTunes gift cards to those who want to download music and apps from outside Japan. The product listing even includes instructions on how to set up and activate a Japanese iTunes account with the gift card.

The iTunes store has localized versions for many countries, but I always thought that the American store was the one with the largest selection of music, movies, TV shows, apps and podcasts. In stark contrast, the Singapore iTunes store only has iOS apps and podcasts; no music, videos, TV shows or movies. However, in the case of the Japanese store, there is a large variety of music, videos and apps unique to that store. This time, the tables had been turned: instead of the American iTunes store being the place to be, it was instead the Japanese version!

I followed the instructions for setting up a Japanese iTunes account, which basically involves entering user information, including an address and phone number in Japan. For the payment method option, I selected the “none” option. This limits you to free content, but for the purpose of trying out the app, this was sufficient. After the download is complete, you can log of out the account, and then sync your iOS device. I was then able to install the game on my iPhone. Score!

Although the instructions are all in Japanese, I was able to figure out how to adjust the settings and some of the basic options.The game itself is very straightforward: you follow the music and tap on either the drum or rim depending on the color of the cue. At the same time, there are characters on either side of the screen dancing to the music, and as your score increases, more and more dancing characters appear. It's silly and whimsical, but it's funny and entertaining. At the higher levels, the game gets really challenging, and you really need to have a good sense of rhythm to be able to keep up.

The game has been pretty fun, and I will probably get tired of playing the same demo songs over and over. I may eventually be sufficiently tempted to actually buy the Japanese iTunes gift card, or perhaps see if I can pick one up at the Tokyo airport the next time I transit there. We'll see...

Buy a MiFi and maximize your mobile data plan

Starhub recently revamped their broadband plans such that everyone gets faster download speeds. I was on their MaxOnline Premium Plus plan which originally gave me up to 12Mbps download speeds as well as a 1Mbps mobile broadband subscription. Since June, for the same price, I now get 30Mbps download speeds at home whereas the mobile portion remains status quo.

Still, I felt that the mobile broadband plan wasn’t fully utilized. I used to have an iPad Wifi (before I traded it up for an iPad with Wifi + 3G) and I wasn’t able to plug the USB Mobile Broadband stick to the iPad because, well, the silly thing doesn’t have a USB port. This made me heavily reliant on Wireless@SG hotspots and some places like the National Library HQ at Bugis has spotty connection at best.

At this point in time, I recalled an episode at Macbreak Weekly hosted by the legendary Leo Laporte (pardon the alliteration) wherein Andy Ihnatko had a friend who had sewn a DIY case for his iPad with a pocket for this thing called a MiFi by Novatel. It’s a device that generates a bubble of mobile hotspot for up to 5 devices - on demand. It’s how Andy avoids the need to get a 3G iPad and consequently relieves himself of an additional monthly data plan with AT&T.

This is something Singaporeans are mostly oblivious to. A trip to Sim Lim Square reveals this. No one carries this device. Not even its Huawei counterpart . This post is definitely not a review of the two devices. It’s about how to make full use of that data plan you have with the telco, be it a mobile broadband subscription that came with your primary home broadband plan, or a data plan that comes with your mobile phone.

Here’s the plan: get the MiFi (I got mine from Amazon) and then insert a SIM card into the device and that’s it. (The setup is pretty straightforward).

Where does one get the SIM card? For those with the USB sticks, you just need to strip it of their SIM card and insert it into the MiFi. Or, do you feel that the 12GB data that comes with your iPhone subscription is underutilized? Pay an additional $5 per month and subscribe to a MultiSIM, and then use that with the MiFi.

Immediately, when you’re out and about, you get about 4hours of internet connectivity through the mobile hotspot. You can hook up your netbook, iPad, iPod Touch, whatever. Heck, for a time I even thought of just using the MiFi as an alternative to home broadband. (I gave up after 3 days. I’m too hooked on fast connection speeds.)

Well then, that’s how I thought I put my mobile data plan to way better use. Of course, the MiFi 2352 (this is the model that works with GSM networks in Europe and Asia) will set you back by about US$280 including shipping but for the advantages it brings, I think it’s totally worth it.

Fun with iPhone photography!

Following my previous post, I thought I would write about something a little lighter this week. Ever since I started using the iPhone 3G, it has been a great addition to my daily routine: checking emails, reading news articles or Twitter updates, etc. While it was possible to do all these on my previous smartphone, the experience on the iPhone has just been much easier and more integrated. I can easily copy and paste links across apps; my contacts, calendar and music are seamlessly synced and updated each time I connect my iPhone to my computer; and I recently discovered the joy of using the iPhone as a casual camera. Even thought my iPhone 3G is two generations behind the latest model, it's still my first iPhone, and many features are new and exciting for me.

When I first bought it, I didn’t think that the iPhone camera would be much to write about since I knew it was a 2.0 megapixel camera. However, in my experience so far, I’ve found that photos taken using it turned out to be pretty good, especially with sufficient lighting. In fact, the team at Fstoppers recently used an iPhone 3GS, with its 3.2 mega-pixel camera, for a professional fashion shoot. The point of this was to prove how it is not always about pixel count or camera quality. With plenty of good lighting, they showed how it was possible to take some really stunning photos, and no one could tell that they were taken with an iPhone camera.

I downloaded some filters and lens effects, and have been having great fun taking photos with them. These include a series of Vintage iPhone filters, as well as Classic Toy Camera. Both were free apps, although the additional lens pack for the Classic Toy Camera was $0.99. What truly makes the experience so unique is how well the apps work with the iPhone camera to create a variety of effects. There is no need for a computer for post-editing, or any fancy equipment, and I can create various types of film and lens effects on the go. These apps are much easier and cheaper to use than a conventional camera, and have the added benefit of being integrated with the iPhone so it's always with me.

The iPhone camera is not a serious photographer's camera, but that's not what this is about. Many of these effects are intended to create a vintage or slightly imperfect look, so they work really well this way. With these apps, everything happens instantly, and within a single device. How's that for convergence?

Here are some samples of photos I have taken so far. The first was taken with the Vint Shift filter, which blurs the surrounding area around the middle.

This creates a somewhat dreamy effect, and is great for bringing attention to the main subject.

In this second picture, I used the vintage film effect from Classic Toy Camera, which incorporates a slightly grainy, scratched look to the picture.

Instant time travel!

With the “Sabinne Edition” quad-lens effects of the Classic Toy Camera, I can create photos similar to those of an Lomographic Action Sampler camera. I remember seeing these cameras many years ago, and was always curious to try one out. These pictures are similar to a storyboard and convey more movement and action than a standard single frame.

I've been having a lot of fun with this lens, and this can also be combined with film effects, such as vintage or black and white.

Although the camera on the iPhone 3G is not one of its highlights, it has proven to be very competent for casual photos, especially if they are intended for viewing on the iPhone or computer screens. In fact, the quality of some of these photos are quite comparable with those taken with my dedicated Olympus 3-megapixel camera! With the addition of various special effects, the iPhone camera has taken on the functionality of a more specialized camera, all within a single device, and for a fraction of the price.

iPhone 4 in Singapore sells out within hours

There wasn't a need for me to reserve a spot in a queue at Marina Bay Sands to get my hands on a Singtel iPhone 4. The server was down yesterday (Wed, 29 Jul) and by the time it was up again, I was told to wait for the second batch.

The same story played out for the other two telcos, Starhub and M1. For a while, you could have M1 deliver an iPhone to you the following day if you ordered it through their online store. A check just minutes ago shows that avenue is also now closed.

Now, the Apple Online Store is dishing out unlocked iPhone 4s for S$888 and $1,048 for the 16GB and 32GB versions respectively. To me, this is a pretty good deal because the unlocked 16GB 3GS was selling at S$1,040 (the 32GB 3GS at S$1,240) at Epicentre. I don't know if Epicentre is selling the unlocked iPhone 4; I will have to check. The only problem with getting the phone from Apple is the 3-week waiting time. Then again, the telcos may take that long to get their second shipment anyway.

Of course, there's always a black market for hit products like the iPhone. A seller on Phing is will hand you his iPhone 4 immediately upon collection at the Marina Bay Sands venue. The price is firm at S$1,300... for the 16GB version. Chew on it.

It's time, AT&T...

It's been 4 years since the launch of the original iPhone, and since then, subsequent versions have been launched in many countries all around the world. Some of these countries have adopted a single-carrier model such as in America, while others offer multiple carriers. Many of these countries with multiple carriers have a much smaller iPhone user base as compared to America. However, despite the large number of users here, there is only 1 official carrier: AT&T. They have benefited from the significant increase in their number of subscribers due to the iPhone, but the large amounts of data used by iPhone users has put a strain on their network, causing both iPhone users and others on AT&T to suffer from slow data transmission and frequently dropped calls as well. If there were multiple carriers, this would benefit both the providers as well as customers: the customers would be able to choose from more than one provider, and the presence of multiple providers would likely bring about more competitive pricing for customers. Although it might not seem ideal to share iPhone users with other networks, the providers would benefit from being able to spread out subscriber usage across networks. While AT&T may enjoy the monopoly on the iPhone as it currently exists, they are clearly struggling to keep up with their network to support demand.

When it was first released, the iPhone was revolutionary because it was the first phone with an array of features that elicited such great interest and desire from consumers. Users would normally pick the carrier they wanted to use, and then select a phone from whatever was available from the carrier. Now, the binding relationship between carriers and their phones became very apparent: if they wanted to use the iPhone, they all had only one choice: switch to AT&T. From the perspective of AT&T, this was great news, because everyone suddenly wanted to join their network. Several million users have since signed contracts with AT&T because of the iPhone.

This has resulted in a huge shift of cellular phone users migrating to AT&T, increasing their subscriber base by as much as 40%. One of the downsides to this is that AT&T's network has struggled to keep up with user demand, since iPhone users have been shown to consume significantly larger amounts of data as compared to other smartphone users. Despite investing millions of dollars in upgrading their network, many users still experience problems with the AT&T network, with frequent dropped calls and slow data transmission. One of the reasons why the iPhone is not available on more carriers in America is because of the 2 different types of networks used by the major carriers (GSM vs CDMA), which means that Apple would have to create 2 different types of iPhones if they were to switch to other carriers. In addition, although T-Mobile also uses a GSM network, its 3G frequency is different from that of AT&T, and as a result, is not fully compatible with the iPhone.

If the iPhone were available on multiple carriers, it would help to ease the burden on a single network, and would also result in greater carrier choice for those looking to buy the iPhone. Based on existing network infrastructure, it would be impractical to manufacture multiple types of iPhones to work with the different networks: there would be one for AT&T, T-Mobile, and then Verizon/Sprint. Furthermore, these multiple types of handsets would be primarily for the American market since most other countries use GSM networks. It is uncertain if the potential profit from the additional subscribers would outweigh the cost of producing two different types of handsets.

Apart from providing consumers with greater choices for service providers, this would also benefit the providers. By allowing multiple carriers to share the burden, each of them would not have to shoulder as much subscriber data usage. Right now, AT&T is under immense pressure to upgrade their network as quickly as possible, especially in densely populated areas where there are many users. The result of this is that AT&T has had to spend huge amounts of money to upgrade their network. This has likely affected their profits earned in recent years from the increase in iPhone subscribers. Another example of how AT&T is struggling to keep up with user demand is when iOS 3 when released, which introduced features such as MMS and data tethering. However, both of these features were not available for American users, despite international users being able to use them on launch day. The reason for this? It was because these features would strain AT&T's data network further, and they had to upgrade their network to support these features. It was finally available to American users, but only a year after it was officially announced.

The first iPhone may have been launched on a single network to ensure a more consistent user experience, as well as to introduce unique marquee features such as “visual voicemail,” which Apple worked on with AT&T to create. A single-carrier model would allow Apple to monitor network service and performance more easily as compared to if it were on multiple networks. However, the iPhone has since been launched in many countries where it is offered by multiple carriers, and this has ultimately allowed a greater number of consumers to jump on the iPhone bandwagon. It is also interesting to note that many of these multi-carrier countries often do not offer visual voicemail on the iPhone. Although novel at first, visual voicemail is usually not considered the most outstanding feature available on an iPhone, and has not slowed the iPhone from being widely adopted in these countries. When was the last time you heard an iPhone user gush about visual voicemail? Ultimately, Apple benefits from having multiple carriers because it basically means that they sell more iPhones, and more consumers are able to enjoy the iPhone without being limited to specific carriers.

Here is a breakdown of the number of countries which offer the iPhone on multiple carriers.

Europe: 18 of 34 countries
Asia-Pacific: 8 of 16 countries
Latin America: 11 of 18
Africa: 2 of 15
Canada: 5 carriers

And yet, here in America, there is only 1 carrier. While this may be largely due to the restrictions of the different types of networks, I am really looking forward to the day when this will change with phone networks adopting 4G standards. By moving to the next generation of cellular technology, there would no longer be separate GSM and CDMA networks. Only then would we be able to have the option of iPhones which would work on more than 1 of the 4 major carriers in America.

iPads show up in Singapore, disappear shortly...

Well, sort of... If you're in the market for a 16GB iPad (WIFI or 3G), I think you might still be in luck. My friend got hers at Multimedia Integrated at Funan Centre at about 7pm yesterday (Friday, 23 July).

Once again, I have paid an early adoption fee for the 64GB iPad 3G+WIFI. Got it for CAD879. After taxes, it came up to about SGD1,450 (turns out the opportunists weren't selling it for too much of a profit!). Looks like the iPad prices in Singapore are very competitive.

One big question mark lingers: why isn't the online Apple Store in Singapore selling the iPad? Is the deal exclusively for the resellers to distribute it? And looking at the way iPads are sold here, it seems that Apple had intended for the iPad to be sold independently of telcos (same case in Australia, too) unlike the AT&T tie-up in the US.

For me, I am sharing my iPhone's data plan with my iPad via a MultiSim arrangement. Works like a charm.