Ok, I’ve sorted out all the pictures from the past couple of weeks into a collection on Flickr which you can see here. Alternatively you can view my favourites in the slideshow below (Flash)

would appreciate some feedback – as always good or bad…

What seems to be a reoccurring trend it was a beautiful day when it was time to end my holiday.

It was the last day, and I thought I’d take one of the MP3 walking tours that you can download from the Visit Bristol website, which started at Temple Meads Station.

… a short walking to St. Mary Redcliffe

… from there, a walk back to the docks for an ice cream outside Arnolfini it boasts “In a fantastic waterside location at the heart of Bristol’s harbourside, Arnolfini is one of Europe’s leading centres for the contemporary arts.“

Walking along the harbour, you get at great view of Cabot Tower.

… another short walk through Underfall Yard a historic boatyard on Spike Island serving Bristol Harbour.

The Cumberland Basin – “The River Avon never flowed through the Cumberland Basin. Before the 19th century improvements and the construction of the non-tidal Floating Harbour, the Avon flowed through the tidal harbour and out through the future location of the basin.”

… a nice shot of the Clifton Suspension Bridge…

… it was a hot day, so rather than walking back I took a river taxi – glad I did the views were great.

… and then off home, would I visit again? I would! amazing place.

Returned to SS Great Britain today, just to get some pictures with the camera (I’ll put them on Flickr when I return), but I’ll post a couple here for now..

… the renovation of the interior is amazing considering when it was returned to Bristol it was just an empty shell.

The replica of the 1,000HP engine was very realistic and I wondered how they got the huge gear in the ship!

… from Brunel’s SS Great Britain it was off to the Clifton Suspension Bridge another truly amazing feat of Victorian engineering; first of its kind in the world!

… from the bridge it was just a quick trip to Bristol City Zoo…

.. yes, its the ass of the very rare red panda…

… awww, little baby Meercats, they were tiny.

… view from the pub… nice eh?

… finally a view from the hotel room; end of a perfect day.

Firstly I’m really annoyed at myself – I forgot to charge my camera last night and the battery ran out when I got to the SS Great Britain, so all the remaining pictures were taken with the trusty iPhone.

Breakfast at dawn? hardly! I got an ‘urgent’ update from one of my clients so the working was taken up looking after that!

Arrived at the restaurant at about 10am this morning, as you can see the weather wasn’t great!

The weather forced me inside for the morning and to get away from all the rain – you guessed it, I went to the Aquarium?! If you’re in Bristol I recommend the Blue Reef Aquarium and iMAX Theatre (included in the price), its one of the best exhibits I’ve seen!

… I think that’s a very pregnant Sea Horse!

From the Aquarium, I walked along the floating harbour wall to the amazing SS Great Britain, one of Isambard Kingdom Brunel greatest creations.

Arrived in Bristol about 2pm for a 4 day break. I’m staying at ‘The Bristol’ hotel, although the staff are very helpful the rooms are not designed for a long stay; there are no chest of draws for clothes just a small closet. Needless to say I’ve progressed from living out of my suitcase and have now stuffed my clothes into the draws of the desk.

Decided to take a MP3 tour from the Visit Bristol website, first one was; The Bristol Quayside Adventure.

Discover Bristol’s pirate past with a tour around the city’s ancient harbour. Discover Bristol’s famous people, places and buildings which are said to have inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to pen his classic tale Treasure Island.

Here are some pictures from the tour;

… were some great pubs on route, it was all very social and you can tell the roots of the city lay in the sea and trading.

Many of the quayside warehouses have been converted into offices and apartments.

Queen’s Square just across from the hotel seemed a local social area for football and picnic’s. The square was flanked on each side by what was originally merchant’s housing.

Along the quayside by the Industrial Museum were some impressive cranes.

To transport goods in the 1800’s was the job of the Harbour Railway, still in use as the weekends and Bank holidays but only for moving around tourists now.

This is the planetarium, can you see me in the reflection?

(Image courtesy of AppleInsider)

A lot of the excitement about the iPad after its unveiling at in late January had to do with its custom, Apple-designed A4 processor — but a new report says that the chip may in reality be nothing “to write home about.”

AppleInsider is reporting on the new findings by Jon Stokes of Ars Technica, who wrote over the weekend that Apple’s custom 1GHz system on a chip for the iPad is really just a single Cortex-A8 CPU with a PowerVR SGX GPU. If that sounds familiar, it’s because the Cortex-A8 CPU is the same chip used in the current iPhone 3GS — although the handset is clocked at 600MHz, while the iPad’s Apple A4 is reportedly 1GHz.

… read the full post at Mac|Life

Wheels have been turning in the world of iTunes, subtle ones.

With Apples purchase of web streaming service LaLa, is iTunes preparing to move from your desktop to the web?

Its not a secret that parts of iTunes have already raised their heads on the web, already you can view music and apps with no reason why video content won’t appear soon.

Is this Apple beta testing the new environment? Its quite possible, many will remember the release of mobileme website a while ago and agree that the site was released way to early and damaged Apples reputation.

So with the prospect of an online version of Apple iTunes, what could be expect so see?

I’ve put together some ideas, all are possible, some are already implemented but will we see them in iTunes-X ?

• Web based iTunes, that sync’s to your desktop client.
• With your library sync’d online (purchased content only), you can manage/create your playlists online and have them pushed to your mobile device.
• Streaming already purchased content directly from iTunes-X online.
• Microsoft have been doing it for ages, sync’ing your mobile device wirelessly. Knows your home WIFI, and will sync with iTunes in the background.
• Content purchased from iTunes-X online can be streamed immediately and sync’d to client.
• Purchased content “backup up” on iTunes-X local library failure means it can be restored at any time.

Its all speculation but very possible, with the release of OS4.0 for the iPhone, iPod Touch and the iPad devices a new release of iTunes is guaranteed. The purchase of LaLa with the recent releases of music & app previews on the web suggest this is becoming more and more likely.

What do you think? Are there other services you’d like to see that I haven’t mentioned?

Let us know…

**UPDATE

Apple Wants To Store Your Video in The Cloud, Too

Speculation ran rampant after Apple’s acquisition of Lala.com that Cupertino was planning to store your music library in the cloud. But a recent report finds that they don’t plan to stop there, with Hollywood and video being the next targets.  …read more

Ok, we have heard a lot about the Apple iPad quite a lot over the past to month or so, but now the dust has settled a bit…

So I’ve decided to have a look at the product and all the murmurs from other publications in an attempt to speculate what Apple plans for this “new” device.

What?

From what we’ve seen it’s a “iPod/iPhone” like device with 9.7in display. The press have been quite harsh describing it as an “iPhone” without the phone and too big for the pocket.

We know for a fact that the inside the device very different, definitely not a device we are familiar with. The iPad utilises a new multi-processor called the A4. It’s a 1GHz processor developed my Apples recently purchased PA Semiconductor division. The chip not only looks after the maths but also the graphics processing amongst other things, which reduced the chip count and the power requirements pushing Apples power estimates to 10 hours of surfing or watching movies – there is no mention if this refers to the WIFI or 3G version though.

Who?

Let’s look at the device; a slate, tablet keyboardless device – Who does Steve see using this?

I thought about it and here are some possible scenarios;

• Scholar/Education; of course its new eBook functionality and iTunes U links suggests that this would be an excellent supplementary tool, study tool in schools as well?
• Hospitals/Surgery; I could see this being an extremely useful tool in hospitals for doctors, nurses and the pharmacy.
• Museums; what an excellent interactive guidebook for a city or a museum, a fully interactive guide for the Louvre for example – imagine that.
• Business; with the introduction of Works for iPad it’s obvious that Steve has his eye on the business market. But I believe people are assuming its being aimed at the office, but we need to remember that business stretches further. A possible scenario for business could be for the urban warriors, checking stock, billing and creating quotes for example.

Why?

From the information we seen already, many questions have been raised. Here are a few of mine;

• With up to 64GB of memory surely iTunes can’t be the only way to get information on the iPad? For this to be a useful device the iPad needs to cut its apparently total dependence on iTunes. It should be able to download files, connect to network shares etc to save and load files.
• This could be such an amazing tool for photographers, it’s rumoured a USB adapter will be available to connect to cameras but for goodness sake why not include a SD card reader?
• With the new Apple A4 processor running the show at a speedy 1Ghz why is the device still unable to multitask applications?
• With the new A4 processor, why can’t the iPad use handwriting recognition as well as having a virtual keyboard?
• We’ve seen the generous customisation that we now have; yes we can change the background image! I want to see more! When the device is locked how about some installable widgets for mail, next appointment, weather?
• A recent discovery from one of the iPad maintenance parts suppliers suggest the supplied frame already has a space for a forward facing camera. The module space has been designed to fit the existing iSight cameras. Why build the space into the frame at this point without providing the device?
• It’s been suggested that although video content on the iPad is shown on-screen at HD (720px) output from the iPad will not be at HD?

Of course this is all speculation; on the 27^th Jan we saw a number of working devices running OS3.4, a tweaked version of the same OS running on the iPhone and iPod Touch.

It’s quite possible the much rumoured OS4.0 (which is long overdue) for the devices mentioned above will include the software omissions mentioned. With the new Windows Mobile 7 shown for the first time in February the OS3.x is certainly looking very dated; hardly changed since the OS was first released in 2008.

When?

With the announcement on the 27^th January, Steve told us that the WIFI version would be available in 60 days and the 3G version within 90 days, so not long now.

There seems a lot of disappointment when it was announced, always a problem with so much hype but I don’t believe we saw the iPad’s final configuration on either software or hardware.

If course it would be a big hit for Steve to release the iPad with a full multi-tasking OS4.0 and maybe a camera?

As a footnote, in the next couple of months an upgrade to the iPhone is expected. Perhaps the iPhone 4G will be release using the new A4 CPU and a true multi-tasking OS4.0.

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.

The Tablet

Of course, I think this will be announced on the day, although not immediately available it will come in a number of form factors. All will have wireless and 3G connectivity initially at 7″ display, and later in the year a 10″ version.

It will be running the new OS4.0 which is going to be announced for the iPhone 3G, 3Gs and iPod Touch but will make use of the additional features within the tablet device. Expected retail prices are £400 for 7″ model and £600 for 10″ model.

3G partnerships will be announced; in the UK “Three” will be the initial provider.

Additional functionality will be provided by “Cloud” based applications mentioned later.

iPhone 4G

The new device will support all GSM bands, enabling it to be a truly global use device. Processor will be upgraded again to a dual core CPU and internal memory increased to 64GB. With the introduction of OS4.0 new multi-touch gestures can be expected across the applications.

RFID scanner will also be included, but will have limited support initially. The camera once again will be upgraded to a 5MP autofocus sensor with the addition of an LED flash. The increased camera resolution will also enable the recording of HD (720p) movies. Battery life will be extended using a new larger OLED display, although the physical size of the iPhone remains unchanged.

Newly added will be the ability to sync to the new version of iTunes using WIFI, once the device connects/finds the home WIFI the sync will start as a background task – notification optional.

iPods

The iPod Touch will have its memory upgraded to 128GB, and the iPod Classic will be retired. The iPod Touch will also now include the same camera sensor as the iPhone 4G, enjoying the 5MP resolution and built-in flash.

iTunes

Apple iTunes v10. will be released soon after the 27th Jan as it will be required to upgrade and support the OS4.0 mentioned above. The iTunes Store will upgraded to support eBooks that can be downloaded and sync’d onto the new tablet device.

In addition to the locally installed iTunes client, Apple will also announce the release of an on-line version of the store allowing registered users to purchase media and listen/watch on-line using the new streaming service.

Using the Genius information collected from locally installed iTunes, users can opt in to allow streaming of previously purchased media via the on-line store, this maybe offered via a paid subscription through the me.com service.

Apple TV

The device is due for an upgrade and we’ll see it here – the device will have updated hardware and OS and will be shrunk a little to the same dimensions at the mac-mini.

Working with both the locally installed iTunes and the new on-line iTunes service the device will be able to support streamed  content from either. Although offered initially in the US the device will also support a TV guide facility to allow recording of user selected programs which as stored within the iTunes/Apple cloud and streamed to the Apple TV upon demand, again this is a subscription service.

iWork

Apple has spent a lot of time on the application and its making its mark, the latest incarnation will be moved into the cloud as a suite of business tools to compete directly with Google Docs. The cloud application is an important facet to the Apple Tablet device mentioned above as it will provide essential business tools to the tablet without impacting processing or storage on the device, as this is performed remotely within the cloud.

iLife

Apple iLife 10 will be announced, iDVD and iWeb will be dropped from the suite with iDVD being intergraded into iMovie. Significant changes will also be announced for iPhoto.

MacBook Pro

Hardware upgrades all round, pro range will now support the new Intel i5 & i7 CPUs as use within the current range of iMac’s.

Conclusion

There is a lot of information, none of it impossible – I would like to hear your thoughts do you have anything that can be added? Drop up a comment below;

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.

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.