FaceTime with @Bennycrime

I got hold of the iPhone 4 today. I checked the O2 website for stock and saw three phones listed in Western Favell in Northamptonshire. By the time I got there there was one left.

I really did not fancy renewing my O2 contract as I get through way more than the limited 500mb monthly data allowance and already have a really good contract with Vodafone.

Still, i figured as this was the last phone in Northamptonshire and I have 7 days to in which I can take this back I would bite the bullet and fork out the £300 cash and renew an 18 month contract.

The more I think about it the more I feel queasy. 18 months at £30/month is a bloody rip off considering the £19 unlimited data contract I have with Vodafone.

Still, I have it now and although this feels like a painfully expensive handful of tech, it's fully loaded & ready to go.

So far I have only had a chance to use FaceTime with @BennyCrime and it does feel more than just Skype video.

Some folk have been video calling for ages and will wonder what all the fuss is about, especially original subscribers to 3 Mobile. I could never afford the data.

Tomorrow I will have a play with the camera and see if all the hype is deserved.

So far, i think it certainly has a great screen resolution and FaceTime could be really handy. It could also be the beginning of the end for the humble phone call. Imagine every call you got was a video call. Nightmare.

Anyway I'm sat outside watching the sun go down and have a beer to finish. More on the iPhone 4 later no doubt.

I'm @Documentally on Twitter and a little skinter than I was this morning.

Sent from my iPhone4 (but you already know that)

[I must remember to delete that stealth ad.]

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The iPad - Initial thoughts

Thanks firstly to @Ilicco for despite being trapped in New York for a week due to a certain cloud of volcanic dust, he managed to get back to the UK in pretty good time to deliver me a 64gb iPad.

The very same iPad I'm writing on now, as I sit as a passenger in the car with my MiFi on the dashboard providing my Internet connection.

I just wanted to jot a few first thoughts down in a blog post as I have had lots of DM's from enquiring minds asking me what I think of the iPad as a device.

So in a nut..

> I am reading more
> I am charging less
> I am listening more
> I am carrying less
> I am spending a shedload on apps
> I am waiting for more tools to be available
> I am looking forward to the next iPhone and OS

I love browsing news, comics and blogs on the iPad. I am finding the Read Later app indispensable as when on the mac and the iPhone I find myself bookmarking articles for later as the iPad is a pleasure to read from.

I can use the iPad for a whole day and still have power for the next. This is pretty liberating when you think I may have to charge my iPhone at 11am after heavy use.

I am certainly finding it easier to soak up content from friends in my networks as well. As a listening/monitoring tool it's second to none.

The photo above shows you the bag (on the left) I have to carry when 'fully loaded' with MacBook pro etc and on the right, the new bag I carry when travelling light. In the small bag I have my iPad, iPhone 3GS, MiFi, Minigorilla & charge cables, mains charger and a Canon Ixus 120is incase I want to shoot HD for later editing.

If you are a media maker then the iPhone and iPad should be all you need and not having the ability to edit raw files or HD video may actually be a blessing as you may not be tempted when all you have to supply is content for the web. I often over shoot in quality and 'dial it down' for the web. With just an iPhone and iPad you have no choice but to shoot lo-Fi and get innovative.

As far as apps go I resisted signing up for the US iTunes account as there seem to be a few apps in the UK store to keep me going and all I have to do is sync to the mac to install. I am waiting patiently for the app explosion in a few weeks. I did buy my most expensive app yet.. 'Things'. It has a great interface and is a really handy tool. £10,99.

I feel I really need a decent case and screen protector.. Also, just in case I do need decent photos or video or audio, the sd card interface looks like a handy purchase. As i am now, I snap a photo on the iPhone and email it to myself. I do have an app that enables me to live sync my phone camera with the iPad but it's not all that. There will be better options soon.. At least I hope so.

When the new iPhone comes out with it's front facing camera and higher quality photos and video, I feel there won't be a need for me to carry a compact camera at all.

Do I pine for a camera in the iPad? In the front yes. I can see how a camera in the back could come in handy for Augmented Reality and overlaying of info on street views etc but for me as a content creator, I really miss recording video to upload straight into my iSight camera on my mac. There are work-a-rounds with the iPhone but ease of use and accessibility is key here.

The next version of the operation system OS4 is really going to shine. Having already had a play on @Computid's phone I can see how it will really assist ease of mobile computing.

I have yet to see just how mobile this is as I am keen to test the iPad with the Solargorilla and Powertraveller mobile power solutions. Having a MiFi has proven so far to be invaluable even if the wifi signal seems to drop out more than normal. I don't know if having a 3G iPad is going to help with connectivity across all your devices unless some killer 3G sharing apps are released.

So, on the whole I am pretty pleased with the direction Apple-shaped mobile computing is going. This is still really early days and in a way it is fun trying to find file sharing, mobile media making work arounds so I can still move about unhindered by a massive bag of tech. I am certainly liking leaving the house with just a small satchel.

As far as writing this blog post in an email went.. I am still not sure how I make a word into a link. (I had to go in and edit later on the Mac.). I can type as fast as I do on a 'normal' keyboard but I am finding the spacebar getting miss hit more than normal.

Cheers for reading this far and as ever, there are more tests to come.

I am @Documentally on Twitter. http://Twitter.com/Documentally

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Nokia Booklet 3G on Mac OSX

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Panasonic Lumix GH1 (Quick Test)

This is a small test with the Lumix GH1. It's a 'hybrid' camera I have only just bought, initially with the intention to videoblog with.

I know this may seem like a bit of overkill but as I normally take a pro SLR and a video camera out on assignments I was thinking that this may finally be the device that takes decent photos and video while at the same time is reasonably compact. By consolidating my kit I have fewer cables accessories and can travel lighter. there is no reason why with the additional microphone I cannot use the GH1 for pro audio, video and stills. As it records to an SD card I can pop that in the side of my mac and do away with a card reader too.

I am still getting me head around the AVCHD format. Files have to be imported and not simply dragged and dropped, but it is a sacrifice I am willing to take for the extra quality.

As well as being able to auto focus the Panasonic will of course record video at 1080p but in this test I wanted to have a quick look at what 720p 50 fps looks like at half speed (25fps).

The camera was set to intelligent auto (IA) and continuous auto focus.

Please keep in mind that this was filmed indoors, with little window light, in one take, using the internal microphone. I edited it in iMovie in about 5 minutes.

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From my iPhone 3gs

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