Too Many iOS Camera Apps?

A lot of photo apps, right?

Seems like I’ve bought a ton of iPhone camera apps. But there are so much more. The latest one I have been using is called Pris. I must admit, though, I more often then not just use the normal camera app.

Not Disappointed

I’m fairly pleased with the iPhone 4S announcement the other day. It hit all the points I was looking for on a new iPhone. Granted, my points weren’t really that lofty. I hoped for, at the least:

  • A screen as good as the iPhone 4 (e.g. retina display).
  • The same or better camera.
  • More powerful, processor-wise.
  • More memory for less.

What was shown was:

  • Yup, retina display. No change in screen size or resolution
  • A better 8MP camera with an aperture of 2.4 (good for low light).
  • Dual-core A5 chip = faster!
  • Now offering it in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB. It meets my more memory for less criteria.

I wasn’t expecting or waiting for an iPhone 5. It seems to fit with the pattern or releases (e.g. iPhone 3 to iPhone 3GS). And since I’m on a broken down iPhone 3GS anything would be much better. Now, what size and color should I get?

Just Annouce It Already!

Apple can announce anything today. Just as long as it’s a new iPhone. I so desperately need a new phone. 

  • The headphone jack is broken.
  • The physical volume buttons are broken.
  • The side with the volume buttons is starting t split.
  • The top power button, when pressed does nothing. This means I can’t power off my iPhone

I could have gone with an iPhone 4, but I held off for two reasons. The first, was to uphold a pledge to skip every-other-version of the iPhone. We had the First Gen, skipped the iPhone 3G, and got the iPhone 3GS. The second reason I waited was when my iPhone truly started to become unusable as a music device, it happened during that weird window where you know you need a new iPhone, so why get one. Why not wait?

I do hope the new iPhone is better than the iPhone 4, which was something I lusted after for some time. What I hope for in a new iPhone is:

  • A screen as good as the iPhone 4 (e.g. retina display).
  • The same or better camera.
  • More powerful, processor-wise.
  • More memory for less.

All that I ask above is doable, very doable. We’ll see what happens later on this morning. All I know is that by the end of the month I should have a new phone.

My Short Review of iPhone 3GS

I’ve had the iPhone 3GS for over a week. Here are a few thoughts on how I feel about the phone.

Background

I bought the iPhone 2G back in September 2007, just after the price drop was announced. I was on Verizon, a carrier I much enjoyed being on. But the last phone I had Verizon was an LG Chocolate, a phone that didn’t live up to expectations. I was hoping it would turn out to be a good music playing phone because I was tired of lugging my iPod and phone around in my pocket. All it ended up being was a frustrating piece of equipment.

I figured a smartphone would be a good choice, but Blackberry phones seemed a bit too much.  The only other phone Verizon offered was the Motorola Q. A friend of mine had the Motorola Q. All she could say is it would crash often, even while on a call. Nice.

Now, I count myself as one of those people who are part of the halo effect. I received an iPod as a gift in 2005. Later that year I bought a 12” PowerBook. After few more iPod upgrades I bought an iMac.  Why not an iPhone?Initially I balked at the price.  It was way too much for a phone.  But when it dropped a couple of hundred dollars, well, I got the go ahead to get it.

My Thoughts on the iPhone 3GS

I was able to use the phone out of the box as it was fully charged.  Compared to the 2G, the phone feels smaller and lighter. The infamous oleophobic polymer screen adds to the experience.  Your finger seems to glide across the screen.

The recent OS upgrade to 3.0 has made the phone even better.  I don’t think I’ve ever owned a phone where the upgrades have made the phone more useful.  Sure, some of the features were available on other phones long ago (e.g. voice commands), but they are now on the iPhone and they are even more useful.  For example, the voice commands can control the music player.

It’s nice to have GPS, and coupled with the compass and Google Maps, for me it’s a killer combination.  I was able to use this in San Francisco this past weekend.  It helped me navigate around the city when I was unsure how to get to several places.  I can’t wait for easier turn-by-turn, such as that to be offered by TomTom.

Video on the iPhone 3GS is fair, better in bright light then in dim.  But it’s pretty neat when you can edit video on the phone and upload it right to YouTube.  They should add direct upload to other services, such as Flickr.

Battery life is good.  I average about a day-and-a-half.  The battery meter is now includes a percentage measurement.  I use the iPhone mostly like this:

  • 40% iPod
  • 30% web surfing (including accessing apps such as Facebook, Yelp, etc.)
  • 20% checking and reading email
  • 5% taking photos or video
  • 5% GPS and maps

My only negatives about the iPhone is with AT&T.  Do I regret the move to AT&T? No, not really.  Coverage is decent where I am at.  Oh, yeah, a few calls are dropped in some areas, but for the most part it’s good.  The only complaint I have about AT&T is the apparent charge for everything under the sun (e.g. text messages, data plan). But it’s part of the package, so it’s part of the pain to put up with.  The data plan for 3G and 3GS is $30. If you want 200 text messages it’s another $5.

Overall, I am happy to still be using an iPhone.

(Considering an iPhone?  You may want to read the Techcrunch article The iPhone 3GS: Should You Get It? It’s a good read.)

Will You Upgrade?

Are you going to get the iPhone 2.0?

I have been asked that several times the past few days.  As Friday fast approaches the answer is still the same, no I won’t be upgrading.

My three reasons why I won’t be upgrading:

  1. I don’t want to pay AT&T the $18 for the privilege of changing phones.
  2. The fact that the data plan cost slightly more, though understandably with the 3G speed and GPS included.
  3. The fact that you have to pay so much extra for text messages, which I have been doing more of since getting the iPhone.

The iPhone App Store will still work with my current iPhone when it goes online.  The only applications I won’t be able to take advantage of – that I can foresee – are those using GPS.  I haven’t really played with GPS enough to say I need it.  Goggle Maps have worked very well for my current purposes.

A year from now when my AT&T plan is up I will consider whatever version of the iPhone is available.  I think I’ll consider upgrading then.

Two Weeks with an iPhone

If you haven’t heard, I have dumped my problematic LG-VX8500 (aka The Chocolate) and moved onto an iPhone. The recent price cut, coupled with the frustration with my possessed Chocolate auto dialing, helped make my decision easier.

So what do I think of the iPhone?

What I Like:

My primary concern was that the phone, as well as the AT & T service, would provide a horrible experience. Up to this point, the phone use has been a pleasant experience. Call quality is good both on a headset and the iPhone directly. I haven’t had a dropped call or weak signal through my routine travel and use.

My Last Three Cell Phones

I love that my contacts and calendar is managed from my iMac. The interface to the iPhone address book makes looking for and dialing a phone number an enjoyable experience – except when you need to do it quickly (see below). Syncing is a breeze for these two applications. I love being able to make edits to a contact or calendar entry and having complete faith it will sync properly. No issues as of yet.

The Mail application is also very well done. I am able to access an account I setup specifically for the iPhone – a Yahoo! account since it does push mail – with ease. I filter/forward email to that single account to retrieve while mobile. No issue accessing over WiFi or on The Edge Network.

The iPod part of the phone is great. Listen to music and viewing videos has been a joy with this device. The memory space is just enough to fit plenty of music and videos to last a weekend trip.

What I Don’t Like:

The major complaint I have is the inability to make a call quickly – e.g. one touch dialing. It takes a minimum of three contacts (e.g. press, slide, touch) if you have your iPhone setup correctly to make a quick call. But I rarely need to make a quick call.

I’m not missing voice dialing (I didn’t use it much), GPS (never had it), or a 3G Network (never used it). Larger memory than 8 GB would be nice, but it’s not a deal breaker. Plus, from what I have read, 8 GB is the largest memory available for any smart phone.

Good phone, great iPod! It was worth the (lower) price of the iPhone.