Simon OS

My Tumblog

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 12:05:46 +0100

Follow me also on simonbeckerman.tumblr.com.

Moving Blog

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 18:38:00 +0200

Hi everyone. I decided to blog all my stuff in one place so please read me through my selectism.com column. I won’t be blogging only about tech stuff over there so I hope you enjoy what I have to say.

~~http://selectism.com/columns/simonbeckerman/~~

~~Please follow me also on Twitter: http://twitter.com/simonbeckerman~~

Maybe I’ll continue to blog here but I’m not sure, thank you very much.

Simon

Paid updates

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 02:31:58 +0100

I have the feeling that together with subscriptions we will see the introduction of paid updates too

iMaps

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 15:18:00 +0100

When I saw Google’s Andy Rubin at the conference showing off the new Motorola Tablet running the new maps application I asked myself what happened to the maps company that Apple acquired a couple years ago.

This is why I’m starting to believe that one of the new big features in the iPhone 5 (or iOS 5) could be a proper maps application with real navigation.

Lets assume for a minute that I’m right and iMaps is coming. How will it be?

For a start it will be integrated with the address book and iCal.

Then it will have a proper bookmarking feature where we will be able to easily store all of our favorite places and also share them with our friends.

It could also integrate external places from services like Foursquare, and it will obviously be available for use by other applications that need to integrate maps in their systems.

I’m not sure if it will offer an internal rating/comment system for public places, but I think this could be something to consider. If an integrated places feature will be added it would be more like a directory service, where companies could add themselves in a very easy way and be found in a simple and clean apple-ish style.

I don’t think it will have any features similar to Google Latitude, street view or even 3D. Not at the beginning at least.

The design of the maps will be very nice and it will have a couple of visual gimmicks that we will love!

It will probably have only two voices, one male and one female an no option to install others (not useful).

What about Airplay? Could it transmit maps to a car’s screen? Remember the Apple/Volkswagen rumor?

Other features could be voice control, route bookmarks, traffic detection and a couple of others borrowed from dedicated navigation systems like TomTom.

Apple is a company that innovates (this is why Ping really doesn’t stick yet) and the maps application also needs to innovate for them to have a unique selling proposition. But they could be so far behind market that they may need to do a lot of work to catch up. This is why I don’t exclude the idea that they initially decide to just swap the google service with theirs, directly into the already installed maps application, and without marketing the change. Many people won’t even notice at first, but Apple could start developing on top of that, one feature at the time, probably starting from simple bookmark and routing features.

Dictionary language detection

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 08:31:54 +0100

A common problem for us international users is that we often write messages also in English. Unfortunately after nearly two years of iOs I still haven’t learned to remember to change the dictionary language before writing a message. The result is that I end up having the first sentence of the message all wrong and I have to go back and start again. This is why it would be nice if there were some kind of language auto detection exactly like the one in the google translation service.

What's the deal with the Beatles on iTunes?

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 18:03:00 +0100

Beatles on iTunes is a really important thing for the music business and this is why Apple dedicated their homepage and a series of tv ads. Last time they anticipated something on their homepage was in 2007 with the iPhone. Now that the Beatles are on iTunes there’s nothing one can really say anymore about digital downloads, it suddenly seems like the online music market has become more established, and I believe artists will think of it more like a place to be… I guess we’ll start to see indie bands releasing only on vinyl just to say they think different…

One little observation: for 12,99 euros per album I can buy 2 used cd copies at my local thrift shop…

Annoying

Sun, 14 Nov 2010 13:23:55 +0100

When I’m in the App or iTunes store and going through a long list, if I click inside an app or song (or even a ping) it often forgets the point I was in the list, and when I go back to it I have to start from the top again.

Come on! This should be programming abc… Even the worst twitter clients don’t have similar issues. I guess Apple store must load the interface from their servers every time so they can change stuff without requiring app updates (why?) but there must be another way to do it!

It makes the whole experience worse.

App store on Mac OS "Lion"

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 09:26:33 +0200

What about if Apple made an App store for the Mac? App store is what really makes the difference in an iOS device, more than it’s technical features or it’s innovative metaphors, and that is probably why most of their ads focus on apps more than anything else. More than it’s innovative user interface and new metaphors, and more than it’s technical achievements. So I believe that unless Apple decided that some sort of store on the Mac could slow down their diabolical secret plan of killing all desktop and laptop computers in the next years, we could see the app store or something similar in the Mac too.

The 7-inch iPad

Sun, 26 Sep 2010 14:05:00 +0200

It seems like 9to5mac and Gizmodo don’t believe a 7-inch iPad will ever be released. They say it’s too small to be useful and too large to fit in a pocket.

I disagree and think it would sell more than current iPads.

I first realized this during my trip in Turkey this summer. My girlfreind and I both had a copy of the Lonely Planet Istanbul guide, but I had the app version in my iPhone and she had the pocket version of the printed edition which happens to be around 7-inch in size. One day we both consulted ours simultaneously and when I saw her putting it back in her handbag I asked her: what if they made a 7-inch version of the iPad/iPhone that you could carry around in your bag? She told me she would buy one immediately.

Digital Paper

The iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone actually should be considered in many aspects the new digital paper. An iOs device is a book, magazine, guide, agenda, address book, moleskine, sketchbook ecc, and exactly as it’s real paper counterparts I don’t see why the 3-size line-up couldn’t work. iPhone is too small for a certain kind of reading. It’s good for quick reference and many other things but there’s some applications that would be much better in a bigger size, like on a 7-inch screen. Sure 10-inch is better but I think it’s just good to stay at home, on my coffee table, or to keep in the meeting room of my office, to use on any meeting occasion. But for carry around, even if both don’t fit in my pocket I would use a 7-inch.

Girls

They have handbags and they would know for sure how to carry a smaller iPad with them. In fact it occurs to me that the current iPad is not a very “girl” device. I don’t know many girls who own one. And in the paper world girls always loved mid sized books and also magazines - for handbag reasons…

Blackberry

I have many friends who use a blackberry and I had one too for three years. I understand the thinking behind a blackberry user, because the iPhone is such a different experience from any other phone of the past, you must actually own one to understand it. Blackberry is still very popular and in two things it still beats the iphone: typing and battery, the two typical primary needs for a bb user, so if you have a blackberry you don’t think you will need an iPhone soon. Some people with blackberries I’ve talked to about the 7-inch ipad (my girlfriend included) said they would buy one as soon as it becomes available for sale, as a companion for their bb’s. I actually have a coulpe friends who would actually diss their iphone to buy a blackberry and a small iPad…

Apple Television

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:43:00 +0200

I Just read this post on 9to5mac.com and thought: what if Apple introduced a television with integrated iOs and a Retina display? Or as I said in my recent post on iTV, controlled by an iPod or iPhone?

I don't like the iPhone 4

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:48:00 +0200

The first time I saw the iPhone 4 I thought it was an incredible design. Very clean, symmetrical, and easy to understand. It immediately reminded me of a beautiful luxury appliance from the past.

And it looks as if it’s improved from the old phone. The square sides make it much easier to hold and type when laying down and also finally no more “soap bar” design which caused the previous one to slip from my hands everytime I held it.

In fact, it’s weird how apple sometimes decides to give form priority over function, like the slippery material on the back of the 3GS, or in the past with products like the round mouse or the touch sensitive button to power the cube which made it power on and off simply by breathing on it… (the same ones on the second generation iPod), and now partly the external antenna on the iPhone (in part because it wasn’t only a design reason). Actually everytime Apple made these decisions it bit back in one way or another.

Anyway, speaking of the iPhone 4, after having it for a while I seem to have some weird impressions:

1. It’s more slippery than the old one because of the glass on the back.

2. The glass on the back also makes it more fragile, and everytime I lay it on the table I must pay attention if there’s any dust that could scratch it. Nevermind that it’s a special resistant glass… It just doesn’t give me this feeling, and this is important in design. It reminds me of a topic called ergonomy which is the study of the relation between people and the objects they interact with. It’s relevant to anything, hardware or software, cars or furniture… Apple sometimes seems to forget to study this area properly and other times they are the best, like with iOs.

3. To feel comfortable with it I need to put a bumper or a case of some kind which will never make the phone prettier… It makes it bigger and uglier… which pretty much kills all the design work behind it. The phone in fact should be studied to function as is.

4. After using it for a while, the iPhone 4 reminded me of why the 3GS probably has rounded edges: because it just feels good in my hands and also in my pocket (especially the front one), where it stays half of the time. The 4 feels bad in it because of it’s square sides, or at least it feels worse than the old one.

5. It’s got the infamous antenna problem which you actually notice. Not so often as one could think after reading all the bad press but you do. Yes every phone has this problem if you hold it tight… but the iPhone 4 shows it just by touching the bad spot. The first time Steve Jobs talked about this feature in his keynote I was puzzled. How can they put an antenna outside a phone where people can touch it and not have any problems with it? I thought about this because when I was a kid I had fun playing with Motorola Micro tac phones, short circuiting it’s radio signals so I could listen to other people’s conversations…

In conclusion:

I have a phone which is a bit too delicate to use as it is having to put an ugly bumper on it just to feel comfortable (and I don’t want to); I’m afraid when holding it during a call because if I touch the bad spot it could eventually drop the call; I’m afraid to hold it whilst not calling because it’s very slippery; It’s not very comfortable in the pocket; And I must pay attention not to scratch it every time I put it on a table.

Design wise I think it’s not a very good phone. Beautiful yes, because it’s got the basics covered: It’s easy to understand, very clean and also like many other nice designs out there it’s symmetrical, which means that it’s the same on both sides (if you cut it in half from any side, both parts will be the same). This gives the sensation that the product is well balanced. But on the other side when you consider that the iPhone costs so much money and that you need to carry it everywhere and always hold it in your hands then you probably won’t think it’s a “good” design.

I wish I could have a 3GS with a 5mp camera and a retina display.

Or simply I’ll stop moaning and get used to it.

iTv

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:08:00 +0200

Hello, I’m back from my Turkish holiday. I’ll pick up on the last post soon but for now I’d like to comment on Apple’s event next week. It is said they will introduce a $99 version of their Apple TV that runs iOs.

If the rumors are true, my guess is that iTv will simply be a new, small and nicely designed airport base station that connects to the television and picks up signal via wifi from any iPod/iPad/iPhone. This way we could easily connect any iOs device to the tv, for example my friend comes to my house and controls my tv with his iPhone and we watch a movie or play a game from his device.

A slight alternative to this idea could be that the device described above would also have iOs and be controlled by a new version of Apple Remote App from any iPhone.

How would it be if Apple had never existed?

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 00:54:00 +0200

How would computers be if Apple had never existed? If Steve had never met Steve? If Bill had continued the development of his DOS? No mouse? No operating system with windows and desktop?

I’ve been asking myself this question a couple of years ago.

Actually my first question was: how can Apple always be the best, and what can one do to be better? Or is it possible that computers could have been better if the Mac had never existed?

Look at the iOS for example: It has nothing in common with desktop operating systems. The metaphor of the desk, the drawers and windows doesn’t even exist in it. Could it have been invented before the computer, saving us from years and years of point and click?

I came up with an intresting theory, but unfortunately I’ll be in Istanbul for 10 days so I don’t have time to continue, but I will after my holiday.

Meanwhile I leave you with this question, and an image of a device I mocked up with photoshop, which will help me explain my theory. I called it “Simon Says” and I’ll tell you about it in my next post ;)

Happy holidays!

I totaly agree with Gizmodo on this.

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 01:26:00 +0200

I sometimes have the feeling that Apple is very slow in certain things, as if they were a small company and simply couldn’t keep up with all of their updates or the development of certain projects, but then I think it can’t be possible, and truth is, there’s a bigger plan behind that we still don’t see.

Whatever the answer, Apple’s Remote App (iTunes link) is a perfect example of this: an app with such a potential that has been left forgotten in the app store.

Maybe their bigger plan in this case is the online media service that every rumor site is talking about.

Gizmodo: Has Apple Forgotten About Its Remote App?

One of my favorite and most-used iPhone apps is Apple’s Remote app. It lets me remotely control iTunes, which is streaming to my living room stereo via an Airport Express. But why hasn’t it been updated in over 8 months?

Special thanks.

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:42:00 +0200

Special thanks to John Gruber from Daringfireball, one of the most influential Apple oriented news websites, for linking to this page yesterday.

http://daringfireball.net/linked/2010/07/27/20th-anniversary-trackpad

Oh come on!

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:21:00 +0200

“No Jacket Required” is the slogan for Motorola’s new campaign for their Droid X.

Come on guys, you ended up making a screen with a camera and filling it up with an operating system made by someone else…

How good can YOU be?!

New Magic Trackpad: not so new :)

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:36:00 +0200

Apple introduced a new “Magic Trackpad” today, a very nice trackpad to be used instead of a mouse. But I remember using it back in 1997 with my 20th Anniversary Macintosh. See this picture?

http://www.apple.com/magictrackpad/

Jailbreak now legal

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:08:00 +0200

Owners of the iPhone will be able to legally break electronic locks on their devices in order to download software applications that haven’t been approved by Apple Inc., according to new government rules announced Monday.

Full article on the Washington Post (via 9to5 Mac)

I think Apple’s role should be to verify and guarantee that applications work and don’t corrupt the system. Apple shouldn’t censor bad language or any other content delivered through these apps.

If Apple wants to select and deliver only certain apps for it’s store then they should allow us to install other app stores, like Android does. Or else they should develop a good parental control and category system.

Also, Android is getting better and better at every release and I don’t think Apple could sustain their own system for long anyway, it’s not going to be competitive.

iPhone 4: new antenna redesign "later this year" ?

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 01:05:00 +0200

I was talking with a Nike representative the other day about this whole antennagate story and he gave me an opinion I haven’t been thinking about. Bear in mind his was only a guess (I wonder if it was his guess or some collegue who gave him the idea). He though that the iPhone 4 wasn’t ready for the market yet, but because of the whole incident with the lost prototype that lead to the early reveal of the phone by Gizmodo, Apple had to release it before, even knowing that they were risking problems. This theory would explain a couple things: why there is such a big shortage of black models after more than a month release; Why haven’t they still managed to release the white one, citing certain manufacturing problems (shouldn’t they have solved these issues before the release?); And why haven’t they still announced an official release date in the other promised countries after Steve Jobs said, during the keynote, mid-July? I think at lest two of these issues would have been resolved if the phone was really ready for market, and that this has nothing to do with the “unexpected” success the iPhone 4 is having.

Also, what’s going to happen on September the 30th when the free bumper campaign will end? Will we see a white iPhone finally? And most important, will we see a revision 2 of the iPhone 4 with a new antenna redesign?

This theory is interesting and makes this antennagate story more and more entertaining :) Stay tuned…

Tunein Radio

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 21:32:00 +0200

A very good radio app for iPhone. It let’s you listen to thousands of radios all over the world, it buffers the stream in such way that you can pause and continue from where you left, works in the background with iOs 4 and has a very good categorization system. http://www.tunein-radio.com - Remember to add PIG Radio to your favorites ;)