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.