As I talk to my friend, Michael on Skype for Mac, I love the fact i can browse the web, blog, facebook etc at the same time. Soon, the iPhone 3Gs/4G will be able to multi-task and more.

Yes, Im talking about iPhone OS 4.0. The latest OS for the iPhone. Im still currently testing out and having a good play around with the beta versions (that may or may not exist) #nda

But for now my impressions are good ones. The new UI for MT and the wallpaper look really flash (probably not the right word to use). I have to say this could be one of the best updates for the iPhone ever.

As a developer, I also love the new APIs avaliable to us, and when I get the chance, i’d like to whip up and app or two that harnesses these new APIs.

But what do I really think?

To be honest, I think we should have seen this years ago. Multi-tasking should have been on the iPhone from day one. No, there were only 11 apps for it, not the 200,000 + there are now, but still, its what consumers demanded, and Apple did just not provide.

Hopefully in this release, we also see some better battery life. This is another thing consumers have demanded, yet have not been appeased. My phone might last a day and a half, but i’ve been forced into the habit for charging it whilst I sleep at night.

Its also clear that flash is not going to be on it, as Jobs hates it.

So overall, this scores a 1/3 for consumers. Hopefully, we get over battery life, and the rest of the webmasters out there learn html 5 and css 3.

Be safe, click away, have fun.

Sam

PS – I have also passed 1500 followers on twitter! yay for me. I’m @samjarman on twitter.

As you might well know, my iPhone app Memory has been in sneak preview/alpha stage for quite a while now.

Well the last few nights ive been busy on it, and i’ve have some screenshots to release{

They are below. Now that you can see what it is all about – please leave a comment on tweet me (@samjarman) with suggestions or feedback.

Cheers Guys

Be safe, click away, have fun.

Sam

Tonight I’ve been hacking around with the theme of my wordpress blog. I went with the new NotePad theme – inspired by the Notes App for iDevices. I might start to change my theme more often, i’ll just have to see.

I quite like it, It now has links above to my twitter and facebook, and a button to easily subscribe to the RSS feed.

In the near future, my whole site will be re-done. I am in the process of getting some hosting and a domain name. I will of course let you all know when this is done.

For now i’m just on a wordpress.com account, and this is fine. I am however, trying to figure out how to put in multiple blogs on the one page. Perhaps each stored in pages. i.e I’d like a Home page, About me page, a Samstrix apps page, a school life page etc, each with its own blog.

Any ideas/suggestions let me know. Or on anything that you would like to see here. Eg, Widgets, links, features, please let me know!

Cheers

Be safe, click away, have fun.

Sam

Just quick note to say, I have 15 wave invites to give away.

All you need to do is in the comments of this post, answer the question; What has been Apples best product so far? , and your gmail address then I will invite you.

This is an opinion question, so there are no wrong or right answers.

Cheers

Be safe, click away, have fun.

Sam

First of all I would like to offer my congratulations to Telecom New Zealand for their latest ridiculous blunder.

You see, today Telecom canceled its “Big Time” plan. The “Big Time” plan was probably THE best home data plan in NZ. It was unlimited data, at $60 a month, but the ‘downside’  was that it was traffic managed, so as more people jumped on, it slowed down. However, it always keep a minimum speed far about dial up speed.

Now I didn’t have the plan myself, as we are too rural for it. However, the plan was purchased by two of my friends. They of course, being streaming/downloading/computer nerds like me loved it.

Below is the press release from Telecom;

We’re sorry, Telecom’s Big Time broadband plan was removed from our broadband line-up on the 20th of May 2010.

Although we would have liked to continue providing this option for customers, there are a number of challenges to delivering a plan with no set monthly data allowance. The management of traffic on the plan has become particularly difficult, meaning Big Time has been removed from sale.

I’m a Big Time customer – when will I find out more?

We are conscious we have a number of customers who are on the Big Time plan. You will receive a letter from us in the coming months with your options and giving you advanced notice before we need to move you to another broadband plan.

If you would like to make a change of plan today, or disconnect your broadband service, we recommend you call us on 0800 22 55 98 to discuss your options. Otherwise you can remain on the Big Time plan until you receive our letter explaining your options.

This is a joke. What they are saying is that they can’t handle people using the internet to its full potential. They can’t actually offer a unlimited network without issues, that people are paying for. Any of the thousands of customers could sue Telecom straight up for not being able to provide their side of the contract. If they offer this, then they should be able to manage it, no matter how hard it is on their servers. Ass as I cover below, how did they expect people to use an unlimited plan?

I think this is a real big let down from Telecom. Knowing that a network can not support traffic like this is devastating. Will we ever get an unlimited plan in NZ? I don’t really know, and I’m quite worried.

What did they expect when people signed up for an all you can eat plan? For them to use the computer to load one page a month? Of course not.. they’ll be raping they connection for all its worth. Sharing large files, downloading big lectures, and other activities which I couldn’t possibly comment on. If they weren’t ready for this, what does it say about them? It says their idiots.

In my books, Telecom is terrible. They are a internet and phone company, that have issues with both. XT we all no is notoriously un-realiable, and now this. Go ahead and translate this to any other context. A School with no teachers. A suit maker makes you a suit with holes in it. A brdige builder leaves a gap. A computer company that sells hard to use computers. *cough Microsoft cough*

Telecom needs to get their mindset right. What do you offer? what do you? What do you know how to do? What can you get working? What can you charge for?

In the US they sell unlimited plans from any provider. You can easily go through 4-500 GBs without so much as a slap on the wrist. I myself use about 500-2 gigs a day according to the ICT staff.

Telecom – PLEASE SORT THIS OUT AND BRING BACK THE PLAN.

Anyway.. thats my rant for today. Im off to watch the new Chuck and Big Bang Theory.

Please, i’d love to see your comments below.

Be safe, click away, have fun.

Sam

All the hype about the new iPhone has got me thinking lately. You see, all the hype states a better camera as part of the upgrade, but I dont think so. The iPhone is only a phone. If Apple were to make any improvements, they should be to the processor, radio and capacity.

There are a couple of reasons why Apple would not put a new/better camera in the iPhone.

1) Camera + Phone avenue is still pretty well dominated by sony erikson, who have up to 12mpx cameras on the back of their phones. WOW!

2) The small image size the camera produces is of good enough quality, but yet still small enough to efficiently upload to the web. (twitpic, etc)

3)A bigger camera means a bulkier phone, and that does not fit in with Apple’s funk.

Next, we expected to see a camera on the latest iPod touch, didn’t happen. Then we expected to see it on the iPad, surprise surprise, it didn’t happen, much to the child below’s disappointment.

(skip to 0:28)

“I want the one that takes the picture.

I’m going to have to conclude that a better camera will not be coming to the iPhone 4G/HD anytime soon. So thats my take on the quality of cameras on Apple products. However, i’m not going to get comment on the quantity… thats for another post.

Till then,

Be safe, click away, have fun.

Sam:P

Thought I’d do a quick post here about what I think about the leaked iPhone 4G/HD.

First of all, I think its god ugly. The button are round, and the exterior is boxy.. very un apple like.

As for the tech specs, I don’t know them, but its not really a concern. Yes, we would like to see a better camera, Yes we want a removeable battery, yes we want more ‘grunt’, yes we want more storage.

Overall, if this is the design of the new iPhone, I dont like it.

I really hope this is some conspiracy by Apple, testing the water. Or, what I have heard from an Ex-Apple employee, is that Apple often has Clip on cases, that they can change. They also try and test with a case as far away as the final product as necessary. I hope this is in fact the case, and the god-aweful design is just a put off, and not the final design. If so, It might have to get Brian Tong’s “Bad Apple”!

Anyway, thats all for now.

Coming up on DevieTech is A post about Apple and Cameras, and later, One about Telecom’s XT network.

Thanks for reading,

Be safe, click away, have fun.

Sam

A few of you have been asking “What new app is coming out next?”

So the other day I launched a sneak preview of a new app that is coming out soon, Memory.

Memory is really cool, its an iPhone app that is not only a game, but an effective tool for improving your short term memory. The idea is simple, match up the tiles. Problem : you can only see tiles two at a time….

Some stuff that has been a challenge to program but have done is sending scores to twitter, and making a suggestion box, that emails me without the user having emails set up on their phone… weather this is approved by apple, is a different thing.

So, in terms of progress its about 70% done – I still have to get the graphics from my designer, and squash the last few bugs, but when I release it, my readers and over 1000 twitter followers will be the first to know.

Till then,

be safe, click away, have fun!

Sam

Everyone is excited about the new iPhone leaks… but lets take a step back here.

Do you even like it? (feel free to write a comment below)

I don’t like the design really. I like the smooth, curvy feel of my iPhone 3GS in my hand. This new one, is too boxy for my liking, and would not really have the same feel. The tech specs are impressive, yes, 80GB, front facing camera, etc… but the fact of the matter is.. it looks terrible.

What I really want to happen now is Apple to spend another couple of months re-doing the look of it – this way… they’ll regain their secret, and make a more jaw dropping launch. If this is the new iPhone – and they release it – I think it will fizz out. Im sorry Apple, but you’ve blown it.

The next few days of news will stories talking about the same as I have above… And I look forward to reading them.

Till then,

Be safe, click away, have fun.

Sam