I’ve finally had the opportunity to spend some time with an iPhone 4. I’ve got some quick initial impressions on the device coming up after the break. (To find in-depth impressions and run-through of the software — iOS 4 — click here).
Back in August, I wrote a post that rounded up some of the easiest methods for getting around email attachment size limits. Lots of people run into these limits when trying to send large files over email — especially from corporate, school, or ISP provided email accounts — and it can be hard to know you’ve run up against it until the person you were sending the file to reports the email didn’t go through. Keep reading for an update and expansion on that original post — many of the services I originally wrote about have changed, and some new ones have come along.
Yesterday, I wrote an extensive run through of iOS 4 that was very positive about the new operating system. I found that my phone ran faster and could do more with the new software, and said so. My phone is still running smoothly, but now that the OS has been out there for a day and a half people are reporting issues, and some of the dark sides of iOS 4 are starting to emerge:
This morning, I downloaded the latest major software update for the iPhone and iPod Touch — iOS 4 (renamed from iPhone OS). I’ve been playing with it all day on my iPhone 3GS, testing the new features and exploring how it performs and what it can do. I have an extensive run though, some thoughts and impressions, and some useful tips.
iOS 4 is available now for all iPhone 3G and 3GS users, though original iPhone users have been left out and iPad users won’t get it for a few months. To get it, you just need to plug your iPhone into your computer and hit update, but if you don’t have iTunes 9.2 yet you’ll have to upgrade to that version first.
About a month ago, I posted my last ever article for the Occidental Weekly, a piece about the then unannounced iPhone 4. However, that wasn’t my original idea for my last college newspaper article ever–I had wanted to go out with a bang. My idea was to write a wide-spanning piece about where consumer technology is heading, and offer some concrete advice that readers could use going forward. Unfortunately, that article wasn’t able to get printed in the paper, but I did ultimately write it, and there’s no better place to publish it than right here. Here it is:
In the last four years, there have been astronomical changes in technology. Back in the stone age–2006–nobody had an iPhone, having a flat screen TV was a big deal, and if you used the word “tweet” people would have thought that you were crazy. The idea that you could browse the internet from your phone–or have your mom friend you on Facebook–seemed like a ridiculous impossibility.
Technology is going to keep on changing in new and hard to predict ways, but it is possible to look ahead at what’s coming down the pipeline, and to be ready to adopt or accommodate things as they come. This is my take on where things are trending, and what these changes will mean for consumers.
This is my last article for the Occidental Weekly, so it’s only fitting that it’s a Tyler the Tech Guy column. I discuss the forthcoming iPhone model, including the upcoming software (OS 4.0) and the leaked phone prototype.
Click here to read the story >>
A complete archive of all my writing for The Occidental Weekly, including past Tyler the Tech Guy articles, can be found here.
I wrote the following article for the April Fool’s edition of the Occidental Weekly, which, unfortunately, isn’t available online. However, if you are around Occidental be sure to pick up a copy — the entire thing is hilarious.
The Apple iPad comes out this Saturday, April 3, and I am bringing you the world’s first review of the device. No, I haven’t used it yet – nobody has. It doesn’t matter, you should go and buy one right now (or go start forming the line down at the Apple store).
It’s a magical device! Apple says so. There aren’t any other gadgets out there that let you perform actual supernatural feats.
Are students soon going to be carrying around all their textbooks on devices like the Kindle? In an article I wrote this week for the Occidental Weekly, I discuss the implications of textbooks as ebooks, and why I think e-textbooks aren’t yet ready for prime time.
Click here to read the whole story >>
Also check out what I’ve written about the pros and cons of electronic textbooks, and how publishers can make electronic textbooks successful.
A complete archive of all my writing for The Occidental Weekly, including past Tyler the Tech Guy articles, can be found here.
A few weeks ago, I gave my initial impressions of the iPad. To quickly sum up my view, I said that the iPad doesn’t make sense in its current incarnation — that it does less than an iPhone, costs more, and definitely can’t fit in a pocket. If you’re going to be carrying around a bag anyway, you might as well throw a netbook in there, since they are less expensive, more capable, and get equal (or better) battery life.
What I didn’t qualify in the article however was that “in its current incarnation” part. You see, I think that this first generation iPad is just the tip of the iceberg. Apple has some big, big plans for the iPad. Remember, they’re trying to create a whole new third category of computing. This is what I actually think is going to happen with the iPad over the long-term:
In an article for the Occidental Weekly, I look at Microsoft’s recently announced Windows Phone 7 Series, which does something unique — integrates Xbox Live into the cell phone. Here’s the article lead:
As a generation, we are fixated on “converged devices” such as iPhones and Blackberries that not only function as cell phones but as mp3 players, internet browsers and GPSs. In order to really succeed in the market, companies are constantly competing to create the phone with the most useful apps and most advanced features. In 2010, Microsoft is set to take phone utility and innovation to a whole new level. Last week in Barcelona at Mobile World Congress, the largest international trade show for cellular phones, Microsoft unveiled its plans for an unprecedented combination: a cell phone with Xbox gaming capabilities.
Click here to read the whole story >>
A complete archive of all my writing for The Occidental Weekly, including past Tyler the Tech Guy articles, can be found here.