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MP3 Players Reviews: Apple iPod nano 16 GB Pink NEWEST MODEL …

I previously owned a Nano 3rd Gen, and liked it well enough. My only major complaints were Itunes (buggy and annoying interface) and the 8 GB limit. I have quite a large music library and was constantly juggling it trying to fit everything I wanted to carry around. otherwise, I liked the Touch 3rd Gen, and liked the compact form factor. I liked the video ability too, which I found astonishigly useful. Alas, somehow it was lost/stolen.

Ipods are enough of a luxury for me that I didn’t replace it immediately. The 4th Gen Nano was an improvement (except for the forrm factor — I’m one of the few who liked the more compact form of the 3rd gen). The 5th gen Nano finally sucked me in with amazing new features and teriffic design. Below are the things I really liked and which caused me to shell out for the latest version:

1. Better screen. sure the screen is tiny, but I can see it very clearly with my glasses off, I’m nearsighted, but have good closeup vision.

2. FM radio – this is something available in other mp3 players, but finally Apple has decided to join the world on this feature. It works pretty well. as noted, the radio uses the earbuds cord as an antenna. while that is a problem for some, it is actually a plus for me, as my office is in the center of a large building and FM reception is iffy. I can position the cord in such a way that I get better reception than my table radio. YMMV.

3. Video – It’s amazingly decent for such a tiny device. I don’t need video — at least at present, but adding features like this inspires new uses that no one ever predicted (SEE UPDATE BELOW).

4. 16 GB. I can fit more stuff in it now (yes, this was available in the 4th gen, but it is a big plus for me — I did not want to buy another 8 GB ipod.) Additionally, I really don’t care about the unavailability of still pictures. I have a Blackberry that takes fairly good pictures already, and I can send them via email immediately — much more useful than if I relied on the Nano.

5. External Speaker – very useful, enough said.

6. Voice recording — I understand that you can add a decent directional mike, but haven’t explored this yet. If it works, it’s a real plus, digital recorders are expensive and carrying them is a PITA.

Things I don’t much care for –

1. Itunes continues to be basically proprietary, although I actually like the good integration with the Apple Store. I always have the feeling that Itunes is doing something with my music and data that is for Apple’s benefit, not mine (the Genius feature is interesting, but I’m certain that Apple is doing something profitable with the “non-identifiable” data it collects). I know there’s no more privacy on the net, but that doesn’t mean I like the trend. If I’m going to be part of someone’s business model, I’d like to be able to opt out or receive some share of the dough from the data harvesting. this is not an Apple-specific complaint — they all do it. in addition, when Itunes works, it’s fine, but when you have a problem with it, you better be have a black belt in Google searches for the answer. The Apple support site requires much more time and trouble than it should.

2. I have damaged hearing in one ear. The quick fix would be for me to adjust the right/left balance in the equalizer, but Apple has never put such an adjustment in, and the Apple store personnel were surprised by this. I sent in a suggestion to Apple. no response. this is an issue I do not understand. why hasn’t Apple fixed this 5 years ago?

UPDATE 10/19/2009: I am surprised by how much I enjoy the Genius feature on this thing. one of the minor “problems” on .mp3 players is the time it takes to program in a playlist of favorites — alternatively you can simply randomly listen to everything. Genius will look at any song selection you make, and construct its own playlist (which you can save if you like it) based upon some kind of criteria (not sure), but I think it includes data from user selections. this is remarkably like litening to a very good radio station with good programming, no commercials and no DJ blab. of course, you have to own the music first (you did BUY all the music in your library, right?) but if you have a large music library, you’d be surprised how much of it you’ve forgotten you owned. Unlike many groovy dudes and dudettes, I don’t have the time or inclination to put together a lot of mixes and Genius is in some ways better, as you won’t know what’s being played or in what sequence.

Additionally, I have found that nano video is better than I thought it would be. I have video on the Blackberry, but it is encoded in some kind of horrible lossy format that looks like mush when you enlarge it (.3GP, I think). Nano’s video looks good even when enlarged full screen on the desktop. The only issue I’ve seen is that while the microphone is quite sensitive, it is not buffered against wind noise. I am still looking for a good external mike and if I find a fix for this, I’ll update.
Rating: 5 / 5

MP3 Players Reviews: Apple iPod nano 16 GB Pink NEWEST MODEL …


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Posted by - June 24, 2010 at 6:00 am

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Random Acts Of Creativity: When Apps Think Harder

Once again my phone home screens runneth over. As I researched and programmed the may 12 OMMA Mobile, which is focusing on apps and the developing platform wars among Google, Apple and the mobile Web, I have been burning up the 3G and Wi-Fi channel with downloads.

It is time to do a brain dump of observations that occur to me as I spend more time with mobile apps than a grown man probably should.

Is this a magazine medium? the phone and iPad iterations of print magazines gushed on the platform in recent months, and I am not even remotely convinced that most people really want their magazines in full on a phone. the iPhone versions of GQ and Esquire are interesting interface experiments, but the basic flow of a magazine (front matter, feature well, end matter, full page ad bridges) just doesn’t translate effectively to a small screen. there is just too much content in there, and I have yet to see an interface that doesn’t lose me at some point.

The jury is still out for me on magazines on the iPad. the screen does recreate the feel of print more effectively than anything I have seen. I am not sure the use case of sinking into a magazine is the same. Which is why I am most enthused by Entertainment Weekly‘s “Must List” iPad app. This magazine has simple scraped the best stuff, the reviews and must-see items from its front matter, and put it into an interface that isn’t trying to be a magazine. Just tap one of the ten items on the splash page, and the app gives you content and links into tickets, songs and TV episode purchases. it creates a virtuous circle of reader inspiration, exploration and purchase. and every Friday it is refreshed with the latest issue’s content. For publishers, this model is going somewhere.

The reemergence of voice as an element in mobile is encouraging. For some strange reason, the first generations of mobile content forgot entirely that the phone is a voice-centric device, treating it instead as the Web extended. Now we are seeing smarter examples of reintroducing the voice as an interface. A new app from TV chef Nigella Lawson smartly uses voice controls to advance items in a recipe. the idea of course is that you want hands-free navigation when your fingers are thick with dough. also the truly inspired iPhone and iPad apps for the TV program “Glee” uses voice synthesis to “reform” your singing pitch for better harmonizing with the cast. This is a territory ripe with creative possibilities.

Speaking of audio, I still don’t get why more consumer and media brands aren’t making better use of the “radio” dimension of the smart phone. Didn’t Pandora prove this case? or NPR? both apps demonstrate how a rich stream of content doesn’t require video. I am not sure why brands aren’t using streaming audio more. it is more accessible to more users in more situations, and it makes nearly as compelling an experience. and once we get the iPhone 4.0 multitasking in place, a brand will be able to stick with the user while he is in other apps.

We are only still fumbling toward effective touch-screen interfaces. there are some companies that just can’t leave the swiping and the panning alone. the Gap’s 1969 app is pushing the boundaries with its wonder-wall approach, free-floating us across a sea of images and icons to press. This reminds us that pages and display boundaries are a nice organizing principle and generally prevent that queasy sensation, which you don’t really want to induce in consumers.

More sensible but creative uses of the swipe interface are in the Disney iPhone app. the main sections whirl by like a slot machine wheel, but the landing pages tend to float on the main screen rather than drop you into a new area. the effect keeps you visually oriented despite the novel interface.

There is a tendency to overuse the x and y axes in touch-screen interfaces, so that you end up with horizontal menus on top and bottom and vertical scrolls in the center. less is more and designers have to remember the basics of interactive design. Always have consistent touchstones in the interface telling users where they are and how to get back.

If you are going to play, then play to win. everyone wants a piece of the mobile gaming craze. all of those brand managers and agencies are seeing how well games do on the app charts, and so a new wave of advergames is coming, if not already upon us. Except for brands with big budgets, the basic advergaming approach reskinned a third-party title with their branding message and everyone went out for a drink. Done. the results were mixed at best. Let’s not forget that as we see the same model reenacted on mobile.

Ben and Jerry’s Chuck-a-Chunk game for iPhone is an example of being stuck between low production values and a creative idea. it is a simple variation on the paper toss game where a finger swipe sends your object toward a wastebasket, usually fighting against fan wind. in this case you are tossing chocolate-chip cookies into a glass of milk, all to promote B&J’s Milk & Cookies ice-cream flavor. by putting the game into a college dorm room with cackling students cheering and jeering, the app shows its creative spark. and then it fails to execute. the brand shows its awareness of its audience and the idea is clever. But, the animations and illustrations are crude — and not in a successfully ironic way — and the challenge in the end is not varied or rich enough to communicate value. it is a creative spark that never quite ignited.

Random Acts Of Creativity: When Apps Think Harder


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Posted by - April 23, 2010 at 5:00 am

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[FF] Agora (2009) 720p BluRay x264-BestHD – x264-BB

300 MB LINKS (SHOULD MAKE IT a QUICKER DOWNLOAD FOR FREE USERS).

WHY UPLOAD TO FILEFACTORY?


FREE USERS ARE ABLE TO REMOTE UPLOAD FROM SITES LIKE RS AND MU TO THEIR FILEFACTORY FILE MANAGER (WITH GREAT SPEED..I.E.IT TYPICALLY ONLY TAKES a MINUTE TO TRANSFER 20 100MB FILES FROM RS TO FILEFACTORY.

THE INTERFACE AND FUNCTIONALITY OF FILEFACTORY’S REMOTE UPLOAD SERVICE IS THE EASIEST AND MOST EFFICIENT OF ALL THE FILE HOSTING SITES I’VE USED.

PREMIUM MEMBERS CAN UPLOAD TORRENT FILES VIA P2P NETWORKS TO THEIR ACCOUNT AND FF AUTOMATICALLY COMPRESSES (WINRAR) THEM TO THE SIZE OF YOUR CHOOSING. I’VE TRANSFERRED TORRENT FILES (BIGGIES LIKE 1080p MOVIES)INTO MY ACCOUNT AT SPEEDS EXCEEDING 9MB/SEC.

THE MORE SEEDS a TORRENT HAS THE FASTER THE TRANSFER ( THE BETTER THE SEED/PEER RATIO ).

THIS IS JUST a SMALL TASTE OF WHAT FF HAS TO OFFER. BUT DON’T TAKE MY OR FF’S WORD FOR IT. TRY IT YOURSELF FOR FREE. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN GOING PREMIUM PLEASE USE ONE OF MY DOWNLOAD LINKS TO DO SO. IT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED AND I WOULDN’T MIND RETURNING THE FAVOR WHEN THE TIME COMES TO RENEW MY SUBSCRIPTION.

[FF] Agora (2009) 720p BluRay x264-BestHD – x264-BB


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Posted by - April 18, 2010 at 8:00 pm

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In a Nutshell: Palm Pre vs. iPhone vs. G1

CES 2009 brought us a new player in the smartphone upper-echelon. Let’s drill down and see how the Palm Pre compares with the iPhone and Android’s G1.

1. Multitouch touchscreen/gesture control: All three are capacitive, only the Pre and iPhone have multitouch. The Pre’s glowy little “gesture area” has dropped the touchable real estate all the way down tto the bottom of the phone, which is great for being able to navigate with one hand and not interfere with the screen at all. The wavey dock you bring up from the bottom looks awesome, but can you use it out of the box without a second thought or page through the manual? That’s my question. Advantage: iPhone/Pre tossup.

2. Multitasking: One of the beefiest of our beefs with the iPhone SDK is its insistence on Apps running one at a time. The G1′s notifications drawer was definitely a step in the right direction, but the Pre’s interface is the first smartphone OS that was built with multitasking as a core design element. Resembling the Xbox’s old Blades, or a less-jarring OS X Expose even, the Pre’s “Cards” interface always places you in the context of every app running for fast switching, and notifications from other apps don’t pull you away completely from the task at hand. Multitasking is hugely important on a phone, and it’s a good sign that Palm recognizes. Advantage: Pre

3. Hardware: Adrian says:

While the hardware is definitely high quality, I’m not entirely blown away by the design. it looks really nice, and original, but it’s a little too cutesy in shape and kind of reminds me of an oversized pebble. A slightly larger screen could have definitely been put to good use, and I really don’t like the black space on the sides of the screen.

A phone with a built-in QWERTY still hasn’t touched the iPhone in terms of sleekness and pure sex. and it might still be a while. Advantage: iPhone

4. Development platform: The Pre’s “Web OS” sure sounds nice—all developers need to know is JavaScript, HTML and CSS? Sounds good in theory, but building a mobile app will never be as easy as cranking out a new theme for your Tumblr. Palm’s stressing ease of development, though, so it will be interesting to see how it stacks up against Apple’s solid, familiar-to-devs OS X-based SDK and Android’s fully open source approach. Advantage: Pre? if it’s straight-up JavaScript, that’s a lot of programmers ready to go. Note: we had iPhone here before, but we’ve switched with a qualification. Developer community still goes to iPhone for volume.

5. Web Integration: The Pre subtly integrates the internet into the phone at every opportunity, and it’s awesome. Contacts get pulled in from Facebook, Gmail, IM and and scanned for dupes; the messaging app shows your last several emails, IMs and SMS with that contact in a single window. Really, really smart stuff. Advantage: Pre

6. App Store/developer community: A smartphone is only as good as the software it runs. On the Pre, Palm is still keeping application delivery details like pricing behind the curtain, but they did say the app delivery will be entirely handled by the phone (without a desktop app), which is a shame. They’re saying that they’re not going to duplicate Apple’s Hobbesian app approval black box mistake, which Android has also hasn’t fallen for, but there will be an approval process based on “security and stability.” But as we know with Android, a dev community needs enough devices in the hands of consumers to reach critical mass, which the Pre will have to match. Advantage: iPhone, even with the black box, but Android and Pre’s more open stances are reassuring.

7. Wireless charger: We’ve seen wireless charger tech for years at CES, but it’s taken this long for a major consumer gadget to come bundled with its own wireless charger in the box. Whoops, it’s not in the box, sold separately for unknown $$. But still: Bravo. Advantage: Pre

8. The Network: Dan Hesse, Sprint’s CEO, gave our coast-to-coast 3G test a shout out in his press conference. of course he did: Sprint won (in download speeds). Sprint was the only major carrier without a powerful, hype-catching smartphone choice, and now they have one. The Pre is a data-centric phone with a network we’ve proven to be strong in a large swatch of the country—that’s a good combo. But would you switch to Sprint for the Pre? Ugh. Advantage: not cut and dry for everyone, but we stand by our numbers: Sprint is the best 3G network in our tests.

9. Physical keyboard: It’s preference, but one held by a large swathe of the gadget buying public: physical QWERTY keypads are still the mainstream input of choice. Touch is getting better all the time, but a lot of people still want physical keyboards. But better yet is the ability to choose; unfortunately, the Pre doesn’t have a soft onscreen keyboard, and its slide-out is the same meh QWERTY from the Treo Pro. Advantage: It’s preference, but on me, the iPhone’s soft keyboard can’t be beat.

10. Camera: The Pre has an LED Flash for its 3MP camera, something both the iPhone and G1 lack. Flash cellphone photos are ugly, but for a lot of people, they’re good enough. So credit for throwing it in. Advantage: Pre

11. Battery: Apple’s still an outlier with their non-removable battery; like the G1′s, the Pre’s comes out for a spare swap too. We’ve heard Apple’s reasons for this a million times, we know the drill, but removable batteries will never stop being handy. Advantage: Pre

12. Copy & Paste: Yep, Pre’s got it. iPhone still doesn’t. Advantage: Pre/G1

13. Browser: All three use a browser based on WebKit, which has become the standard for the mobile web. we couldn’t put it through our Mobile Browser Battlemodo ringer obviously, but what we saw looked great, and it’s the only other mobile browser besides the iPhone that supports multitouch zooming. Advantage: iPhone/Pre

So there you have it. We’re excited. Are you?

Contact information for this author is not available.

In a Nutshell: Palm Pre vs. iPhone vs. G1


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Posted by - March 15, 2010 at 6:00 pm

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XDA Orbit or HTC Touch?

I’ve been looking into getting my first smartphone as the features and look are far better than a normal cell phone. At first, their prices made me think twice until I found a HTC touch for £150 and the orbit for near the same price.

I want a smartphone just for general use, not for business but would love a phone with wifi, maybe gps and a nice interface with a touch screen. At first, the touch drew me in and I thought I would buy this as i’m not too bothered with inbuilt gps, but the xda orbit seems to be very similar in it’s features but with the added bonus of gps at a similar price. Admittedly, I liked the Touch due it’s looks but looks obviously aren’t everything. as you can see, I am torn between these two budget smartphones so any help with a comparison would be helpful or any feedback from someone who has had experience of either/both smartphones. thanks in advance.

XDA Orbit or HTC Touch?

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Posted by - February 16, 2010 at 6:00 pm

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