Breaking free from the iPhone

Yes, I've done it at last. I've got so bored with Apple's pace of innovation and their inability to get the iPhone to where it should be after 6 iterations that I decided to jump ship and go swimming in the Android market instead. And I have to say what was waiting for me there was a pleasant surprise.



I opted for the Google edition of the Samsung S4. And while I have to admit that it took me a couple of days to get use to the interface, I was pretty much blown away with what I found. Everything that Apple has locked down on their iPhones is open on Android. I can download launchers and change the themes on the phone in seconds. I can create my own notification bar and decide what toggles and even application shortcuts I want in there as well (yes application shortcuts in the notification bar). I am free to design and build my own interface and put widgets on any page I want and more, much more in fact.

I upgraded the Chrome browser and ran into errors and at the touch of a button was able to roll back to the previous version. That alone is an awesome ability. I can set and tweak so many things at an individual application level it's unreal.

Yes it is a little more technical I guess, but you know what that's not a bad thing as for the first time in years I am in charge of my phone and not the other way round. And the surprising reality of that simple statement is I hadn't realised it until I had made the switch to Android.

Freedom!

Yes I am at last free from the stupid restrictions that Apple build into the iPhone iOS that has millions of people jailbreaking their phones to add all of the tweaks that they want to have on there to make their phone do what they want it to do.

Freedom!

I can't believe how blind I had become to the Apple iPhone release cycle, eagerly waiting for the next iPhone to hit the market like so many others. Even now people are starting to talk about what new trend the iPhone 5S is going to bring such as fingerprint identification (something thats been tried and failed in the laptop market years ago, so much for innovation). And for the first time in years I find myself not caring in the slightest.

Freedom!

Yes, my contacts, itunes library and photo's have already been synced to my new Samsung S4 google edition phone and I'm loving it. And since this particular model has a built in infra-red port I've also thrown away pretty much all of my remote controls and use my phone to control everything in my home now (yes that's right, my phone is now my remote for all my home devices, you did read it correctly)

In my opinion I have to say that I firmly believe that Android has pulled ahead of the iPhone in several areas already and that iPhone is starting (and struggling) to play catchup to the Android market (something I'm equally sure many Android fans will say was always the case)

Yes, in your face Apple ...... I'm free of the iPhone at last.

The Apple Watch (or not)

I have to admit that I've been waiting for Apple to get their act together and produce a wearable device. The closest they came to that was the iPod Nano 6th generation, although the 7th generation totally closed that chapter which was a real shame.



Still, if the many concept art works to be found online are anything to go by, what Apple are supposedly working on could look rather damn cool. Of course, since it's Apple I really am expecting it to lack all of the functionality that I personally would want in a wearable device. And since it's Apple I'm pretty sure that I won't be disappointed in my assumption. Lets face it, its taken them nearly 5 generations of the iPhone and 7 core releases of their iOS to get even close to what people want, and even still it's not there yet.

So what can we expect. Well, I'm guessing (assuming the rumours are true of course) it will have a bluetooth link to your iPhone and if they do it right (which of course is going to be debatable) then anything that can appear in your notification centre on your iPhone should appear on the watch display. Of course that's what I expect, so chances are there will be some limitations in the 1st generation (sic) watch as its rushed to market and no doubt users of applications other than the default SMS app could be left out in the cold as a result. Total speculation on my part of course, and I'd love to be proven wrong.

But personally what I want is for the Apple watch to be able to connect to my iPhone and a pair of bluetooth headsets (i.e. for the Apple watch to allow 2 simultaneous bluetooth connections) with a pass through so that I can listen to music at the same time without the need for cables. Without that functionality, it's just really a watch and regardless of what pops up on its display you are still going to have to take your iPhone out of your pocket to respond (or to answer a call for that matter), well unless they build in a earphone jack which would look totally stupid and defeat the purpose of a wearable device to be begin with.

This one piece of functionality is the one that would set it apart from the other wearable watch devices out there (make no mistake there are several of them out there already) and make it a must have gadget at least for me. That would be the only reason for me NOT to switch from the iPhone to an Android device.

Of course since I'm ready to be disappointed I doubt I will be greeting the eventual release of any watch from Apple with any fanfare.

Instead, let me just say that my Samsung S4 Google edition is already on order.

iPod Nano 7th Generation - Epic Fail!

After waiting to see what many people have had to say online about Apple's latest releases it's no surprise to find so many articles with the word "disappointing" in them. They are of course referring to Apple's decision to go back to the candy bar format for the iPod Nano, a direction that many (including yours truly) is not impressed with at all.


It seems as far as the iPod Nano is concerned that Apple have totally lost the plot. The 6th generation of the iPod Nano had become a wrist accessory, loved and worn by many. For the 7th generation expectations where high that it would have bluetooth capability and tight integration with the iPhone for displaying things like caller ID and SMS etc.

But no ..... Apple decided that they would take something innovative with stacks of potential and go backwards instead. Steve Jobs is rumoured to have once joked that soon everyone will wear one in reference to the iPod Nano 6th generation. It seems like the everyone heard him expect the people at Apple because for the iPod Nano 7th generation they have got it so very very ..... very wrong.

They could have taken the 6th generation iPod Nano, made it slimmer, added bluetooth, integrated it with the iPhone for things like Caller ID and SMS. They could even have gone a step further and tightly integrated it specifically with the iPhone 5. Given an estimated 263 million iPhone 5's will be sold the revenue potential was huge. And lets also not mention how perfect an iPod Nano on the wrist with bluetooth capability would have been for the gym and joggers among us. But no, Apple instead went backwards on the form factor and gave us something that we left behind more than a generation ago. Disappointing is almost too mild a word to use.

Apple have really missed the boat on this one not only on the potential revenue side but on the ability to move away from a phone war and starting to sell a "lifestyle". It could have set itself so far apart from its competitors. Instead however, we get a retro iPod Nano that is disappointing beyond belief. In my own personal opinion I believe that the cracks in Apple's ability to innovate are starting to appear.

I've already sent an email to Tim Cook on the above (no doubt it was a bogus email address) but it felt good to vent. For now I'm off out to snap up a couple of iPod Nano 6th generation models while I still can!


Update
And now it looks like the iPad mini is going to hit the shelves after all. Another Apple product that I've been waiting for, and yet another offering from Apple thats set to be an epic fail as well.

And why is that you wonder?

Well if rumours are to be believed the LCD screen is going to be a step backwards in terms of resolution and quality from the current new iPad (or iPad 3 as many refer to it).

Now .... WHAT is the point of that .... I hear you all cry.

Indeed, I couldn't agree more!. Apple you are starting to fail to impress!