Slice of Apple, iTunes online and more
Posted by martin newham in Apple, Musings on January 21, 2010
Well, the world is waiting for the Apple announcements due next week on the 27th January 2010. There has been a lot of speculation, and the tablet device having the highest profile in all the media. Of course this isn’t Apples first attempt at a tablet device, the first being the Apple Newton; check it out on the Wiki.
But let me share my thoughts on the up an coming events and what we might expect; this of course is all speculation based upon news from may sources, and my own personal “wish list”, but I’ll think you’ll find it interesting.
Best Camera.. Bridging App, Web & Print
Posted by martin newham in Apple, Web/Tech on December 17, 2009
Its not often I rant about how great an application for the iPhone is, but I have to say that “The Best Camera Is The One That’s With You™” by Chase Jarvis is an amazing concept.
The application itself is easy to use, and produces amazing images from a very average camera, the built in filters are simple to use and easy to remove if you wish. The sharing options allow you to easily send your creations to a number of social media services including Twitter and Facebook, posting links to the bestc.am website where the images are stored. What is surprising with this concept is its taken one step further and selected images from around the world are commited to print in the form of a amazing 250+ page book.
Check out my Flickr set of all the snaps I’ve taken in the slideshow below;
Apple Fix; 3 inches added | Updated
Posted by martin newham in Apple, Musings, Web/Tech on October 25, 2009
UPDATE 18th Dec 2009:
Today I picked up my brand new 27″ iMac with its i7 processor and 16GB of memory. I would like to personally thank the guys at the Apple Store in Kinston Upon Thames who worked this out for me; read the story below for the full details; but to offer an exchange for a computer over a month old for a brand new one without any questions was and amazing feat of customer service – something we rarely see in the commercial world now days.
I of course will have no problems singing the praise of Apple, their stores and especially their staff for going that little bit extra to to make this Christmas very special to me.
Just a little story that renewed my confidence in retail stores.
You may have seen my tweets that I had purchased my new iMac in late September, I was well chuffed with it, 24″ screen, aluminium chassis, 3.06GHz CPU and 8GB RAM – storming! It was a match made in heaven; but then on the 20th October my heart hit the floor, Apple announced their new iMac range including the new 27″ 16:9 quad core model - gutted! As you can imagine it wasn’t a great day.
Much love
I was in the Apple today, trying out all the new toys; no sign of the new “Magic Mouse” when I was approached by a friendly specialist – he asked if he could help and I mentioned that I was unhappy about the release of the new iMac so soon after the purchase of my current iMac. I expected an “Oh sorry, but there is nothing we can do about that…” but he said to my surprise; “I’ll see what I can do for you…”
He disappeared off and after a couple of minutes he took me over to see the “Returns Specialist”. He searched, and found my purchase in September from the Apple Store in Bluewater, and very much to my surprise he told me he could exchange the iMac for a new one if I wanted. At the time the new Quad Core iMac are not available; not a problem – he told me to give him a ring in a couple of weeks.
I would seem that Apple are a lot more understanding than other retailers I’ve had the misfortune to deal with.
Exchange Criteria
It would seem that there is a 1 month return/exchange policy on Apple goods, but there is additional criteria that you may not be aware of. I would suggest you visit a Apple store and discuss your plight with one of the guys there especially if your purchase falls within the points below;
- Price has changed on the item that you have purchased
- The specifications of the device you have purchased
I have to say, that you should talk with the specialists in the store – they really wanted to help.
So BIG THANKS to the Apple Store, they really made my weekend.
Scan barcodes with your iPhone!
Posted by martin newham in Apple, Musings, Web/Tech on October 13, 2009
Its something in human nature, we like to browse – looking in windows at all the shinny stuff. Of course we all love a bargain and feel really pleased with ourselves when we get something cheap, but there its always something else nagging in the back of our minds; that little voice saying “but I want it now!”
But hey! we can help you out with at least one of those little voices; check out this great little iPhone app that will scrape the net for the best prices.
RedLaser; scanning the safe way
I was testing out a new application for the iPhone called “RedLaser” (£1.19 from the iTunes App Store).
The developer says “The RedLaser app lets you search for online prices using Google product search. You can also keep a list of products and send them to yourself or a friend (because sometimes you just need to check things out on a bigger screen.)”
With this little app you can scan a barcode for a album, DVD, camera or a book and moments later results from Amazon (in your country) and a Google search showing the best prices.
In HMV (a well known music store in the UK) I decided to perform some price checks using the new app. The first image shows the shop price, second the barcode snapped from the application, the third shows the results and in this case the fourth shows the cost of the album from iTunes. Check out the screen shots below; Read the rest of this entry »
iTunes Play Count: Don’t judge me!
Posted by martin newham in Musings on September 18, 2009
Was playing around on iTunes sorting out some songs & playlists and I thought Id create the following “Smart Playlist” just to see what I got out;
I was a little surprised; so here is the tops 20 list created using the “Smart Playlist” …
… try out the playlist yourself, see what you’ve got.
Holiday Essentials: Digital Pocket Guides
Posted by martin newham in Apple, Holidays, Web/Tech on September 14, 2009
Yeah, before you tell me I know the holiday season is almost over – but hey, there’s always next year!
But I digress; regular viewers will no doubt have seen by expliots in Paris in early September this year. So whats the post about? Well its an overview of some of the applications I used during the break.
The holiday was in two parts; first in Disneyland Paris and the second part exploring the City itself, for a bit of culture. Before hand I bought some travel guides, which I hope would aid the adventure – but they were bulky and although they had a useful map in the back, they were hardly 21st centry.
So I dipped into the iTunes store to see what was avaliable for both the iPod Touch and the iPhone; all the applications mentioned will work on either, but the running on the iPhone will utilise the built in GPS functionality. If you are using an iPhone, make sure you look out for off-line applications – these require no data connection to operate. Remember if you’re outside your country or data area covered by your service provider data costs are heavy. To give you an example O2 in the UK charge £3 (about 5 USD) per MB of data while roaming.
Paris Day7: Say Goodbye
Posted by martin newham in Holidays, Travel on September 5, 2009
After another great breakfast to keep me going throughout the day – I sadly packed my case and ordered my taxi to the station for 2:30pm
Doing the tourist thing I hadn’t finished; I was only able to work half way through Rick Steves’ Historic Paris Walk that I mentioned yesterday – so it was back on the Metro and out to Notre-Dame again to pick up the rest of the tour.
Below you can see the Conciergerie, not to be confused with the guy that helps you out at the front desk of a hotel 
The Conciergerie is a gloomy prison famous as the last stop for 2,780 victims of the guillotine including Marie-Antoinette. Previously the building had be used to torture and execution of failed assassins.
Paris Day6: Culture Crazy
Posted by martin newham in Holidays, Travel on September 4, 2009
Throughout my holiday in central Paris, I’ve been using my technology. I’ve been using a number of iPhone applications which use local databases and GPS to route you around the city, find the nearest metro’s etc. There have been a number of digital guides I’ve used as well, later I’ll post some of the ones I’ve used and how to reduce data charges and increase battery time.
After a great breakfast; thanks Sofitel – I was ready to go…
The day started of dark and threatening but I was determined to get out… using Rick Steves’ Historic Paris Walk for the iPhone and Touch was the walk around the Notre-Dame area…
Paris Day5: Culture Shock
Posted by martin newham in Holidays, Travel on September 3, 2009
Well what a day! Slept well, left the hotel about 10am, visited the Arc de Triomphe at the end of the road…
… and caught the metro. Arrived at walked to Eiffel Tower; got some great pictures it’s an amazing structure built to celebrate the turn of the century in the 1900’s and its still as strong as ever.
Paris Day4: Chalk & Fromage
Posted by martin newham in Holidays, Travel on September 2, 2009
Dear readers, you will remember that I was enjoying the new room at Disney Newport Bay Club hotel yesterday; well last night at 3am the balcony door opened and refused to close! Lucky it wasn’t wet of cold but after 20 minutes of trying to stop it banging on the stop, I just jammed it open with a chair for the rest of the night – needless to say the interruption ruined my sleep for the rest of the night and I woke up like a bear with a sore head.
Needless to say the “cast members” were as always very helpful and fixed the door around 8am; at which point I went back sleep.
I packed again and distributed my various belongings with the concierge for a half day in the Disneyland Park. I must admit the cast members are great in the hotel, although in my opinion my whole hotel experience with Disney was let down by the physical hotel – however grand it looked.
