Thord D. Hedengren

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Tag: iPhone

  • The Smartphone, Dumbphone, Tablet Thing

    The Smartphone, Dumbphone, Tablet Thing

    There are those who dream about not having to carry around a smartphone. That’s obviously easy enough, just get a feature phone, or dumbphone if you will, and use it. Thing is, these people don’t want to give up the functionality of a smartphone. For that they have the tablet instead, a device that in many ways mirrors that of a smartphone. “Why should I have to carry both?” they tend to complain.

    Why indeed.

    The Nexus 7 and a dumbphone picked up in France while snowboarding.
    The Nexus 7 and a dumbphone picked up in France while snowboarding

    The idea is this. By replacing the smartphone with a dumbphone, you cancel out all worries about battery life (any dumbphone worth its name can work for days, weeks even, without charge) and the fact that you’re carrying an expensive piece of glass-encased machinery that could easily be lost. Dumbphones are cheap and accessible, and they do one thing well (being phones), thus they’re superior at their prime function, or so the reasoning goes.

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  • iPhone nu olåst hos Tele2

    MacWorld rapporterar att Tele2 numera säljer olåsta iPhones, och ska fortsätta med det. Stort, följ efter nu, operatörer! Låst är ondskefullt.

  • Phones, Tablets And Post PC

    Phones, Tablets And Post PC

    The modern smartphone is a pocket computer. Let’s just get that out of the way. For some reason, the whole Post-PC thing have been entirely focused on tablets, when all smart mobile devices should be implied and considered.

    Here’s an example: A relative of mine just bought an iPhone 4S, and a 11″ MacBook Air. She’s happy with both, but wonder what she need the computer for, really? What she should get is an iPad, at least when the apps and web services (banks and government mostly) support it all the way. They might already. Funny thing is, to her the iPhone 4S is almost a valid replacement to a computer. Next year, the iPad will be that replacement, because the parts of the infrastructure that hasn’t caught up with the times yet will have by then.

    Think about that for a second. An older person, not an Apple fanboy or a techsavvy cord-cutter, thinks that a smartphone is a valid computer replacement. That’s very much Post-PC. (more…)

  • Begin And Simplicity In Todos

    Simplicity is often the key to getting things done. For some, that means fleshed-out todo lists and subscribing to covert religions such as Getting Things Done. For others, it’s just a list of things that need to get done.

    Begin for iOS
    Begin for iOS

    Begin is for the latter. It’s a simple iOS app that’s basically a list for today, and for tomorrow. When something’s not done, it’ll end up on the list of unfinished tasks, and you’ll have to move it back up to the Today list if you want to. There’s one simple alert (“hey, do stuff!”) that you can trigger once per day, and there are two color themes (more available as in-app purchases) available.

    That’s about it. No sync, no iPad version, no nothing but this.

    It’s eerily close to my post-it system that got me through the days way back. I’ll do a proper write-up on that later.

    Today, Tomorrow, and you fucked up and didn’t finish your todos. What more can you ask for?

    A ton of things, as it turns out. I’ve found that I need the timed reminders these days, not for my general tasks (finish this chapter, publish that piece, research something, buy that and sell something else), but for the things in my day that are tied to specific periods of time. Most things aren’t (by design), but it feels overly complicated maintaining two lists, one in Begin and one in Reminders, for example.

    I’m giving Begin the benefit of a doubt, using it at the moment. I suspect I’ll quit for the same reasons I quit my post-it system, but we’ll see. For now, if you’re even the least interested in a minimalistic Today/Tomorrow todo list app, by all means check out Begin. It’s well executed and a nice little example of an app that does one thing well.

  • Apple's New iPhone Lineup

    You’ve probably heard that Apple has announced (and released, in some parts of the world) two new iPhones: the 5c and the 5s.

    The iPhone 5c is the long rumored plastic iPhone, the one analysts thought would be cheap but wasn’t. Meanwhile, the iPhone 5s is exactly what everyone expected, which means that it’s a spec bump on the original iPhone 5, with some new features (64-bit processor, motion chip, fingerprint scanner). These products have been covered immensely elsewhere, so I’ll just point you to Apple’s product pages for more information.

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  • A Little Bit Of Everything

    That might possibly be the worst post title thus far, but my mind is elsewhere. Besides I’m not one for snappy titles promising gold and glory, while delivering a list of things on my mind at the moment. Which of course is what I’ve got for you. (more…)

  • Put Down Your Phone

    There’s a video doing the rounds called I Forgot My Phone which I found very telling about today’s social interactions. Watch it.

    My iPhone is always with me. I communicate a lot using the iPhone, almost never utilizing the phone part, but rather through Twitter, App.net or messages. Sometimes I kill time on Tumblr, and I read a lot on my iPhone. In my weakest moment, I might even open the Facebook app.

    I don’t watch the world through my phone though. The times I go to a concert, I don’t take a ton of crappy photos or make Vine movies out of every little thing. It ruins the experience, both for me and everybody else. That said, the iPhone is my primary camera, because it’s the one I carry with me.

    I write a lot on my iPhone, and I’m not only talking about the novel project. I also take a lot of notes.

    The iPhone is a powerful tool, just like most smartphones out there.

    However, it’s also addictive. Suddenly you’re not eating unless you’re instagramming, you don’t exist until you check in, and you better refresh your Twitter feed every third second so that you don’t miss out on anything. It’s fascinating how quickly this behavior embedded itself in our spines, making us collectively forget every ounce of our manners.

    I’m not perfect, and I’m easily bored. My iPhone’s a savior more often than not. I’ve been that rude douche who picks up his phone and starts fiddling with it while in a conversation at times, something I’m not proud of and try not to do. It’s socially acceptable to a degree that still astounds me.

    Don’t throw away your smartphone. Keep reaping the benefits of technology, and by all means don’t stop communicating through the web. But do consider the world outside of your screen, preferably slightly more than how it’d look with your favorite Instagram filter.

  • Two Weeks Of iPhone Novel Writing

    Previously:

    I decided not to publish an update on my iPhone novel writing project last weekend. Not much had changed since the first update, linked above, and I did say that I’d do these updates somewhat irregularly.

    I won’t bore you with statistics at this time. Hitting 300 words per day on my iPhone is still no problem. I write between 300 and 400 words in 10–15 minutes. Most sessions end at around 330 words in 13 minutes, but it depends on how clear my vision is for the writing session.

    It’s too early to talk about when and where I write, but something of a pattern is starting to emerge. I’ll get back to that when we’re further into the experiment.

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  • I'm Writing A Novel On My iPhone

    That I love writing on my iPad, with the appropriate apps and accessories, is no secret. After all, I did write an ebook about it, called The Writer’s iPad, so it goes without saying.

    I’m also an avid iPhone writer. Before this wonderful device came along, I managed to crank out the occasional draft on my dumbphones, something that was a lot less pleasant than today’s alternatives.

    Writing on mobile devices, smartphones in this case, is nothing new. There’s been novels written using SMS and Twitter only, and there used to be things like this in Japan back in the day. There’s nothing groundbreaking about writing long form on a smartphone, a lot of friends and acquaintances rely on their iPhones and Androids for these things, much like I do. I’ve written a lot of shorter stuff on my iPhone myself, and thousands of emails, as well as parts of longer articles. Thanks to the wonderful world of cloud computing, I’ve been able to jump into documents as needed, getting work done using only my iPhone.  (more…)

  • The Best Computer

    Let’s make a list.

    • Best computer: iPhone
    • Best mobile device: iPhone
    • Most used computer: iPhone
    • Favorite computer: iPhone
    • Workhorse computer: iPhone
    • Computer for work: Mac

    Innovate faster, app developers!

    Incidentally, happy fifth birthday, App Store. This is really almost all your doing.

  • WWDC 2013 Predictions

    WWDC 2013 logo
    WWDC 2013 logo

    I’m not much for making public predictions about events, but the past few weeks have been littered with conversations about what Apple will and will not show and/or release on WWDC this year. So here you are, my predictions, pulled out of the blue, just like every other analyst out there.

    • No new iPads or iPhones. Sorry, these are core products that warrant their own event(s). I would love a new iPad and although that’s less of a stretch than a new iPhone, I doubt it’ll happen.
    • iOS 7. This will happen, a beta and a lot of developer information, along with a brushed up but not completely revamped, and certainly not monochrome, UI. Apple iterates, they rarely remake, so don’t expect a completely different look, rather an evolved one.
    • OS X 10.9. Just as with iOS 7, I expect Apple to show off the next Mac OS, with more in common with iOS, but still completely different.
    • New MacBooks are coming. I expect a revamped line, not just upgraded innards, but Apple sticking with the current models wouldn’t surprise me either. The MacBook Pro line might be in for a retina only future, but the Air might very well be available in both retina and non-retina, if retina at all. Lots more graphics, still far from being a gamer’s choice.
    • iMac and Mac mini bumps. I think we’ll get basically the same shells, just more juice. No retina iMac, sorry folks.
    • New Thunderbolt Display makes sense, but Apple seems to be in no rush with this one. They usually let the Thunderbolt Display follow the iMac in terms of housing and screen, but that hasn’t happened yet. I’m not sure this is big enough to be mentioned in a keynote, might get a silent update whenever appropriate instead.
    • We might get a new Mac Pro. In fact, I believe we will, and it’ll be US made. Expect a powerhouse that the tech press will deem too pricey, but it really won’t be. Just like its predecessor, up until Apple started to ignore it.
    • No iPods at all.
    • Finally, we just might get a new Apple TV. This might just be a sneak preview that opens up the Apple TV to apps, but if it happens it’ll tell us what we need to know about the Apple TV platform, even if the new hardware won’t be out immediately.

    I’m looking forward to see what WWDC will bring. The tech press will no doubt be disappointed, but that’s how the song goes these days. Luckily you can still make up your own mind based on hard facts and your own experience, and I urge you all to do just that.

  • Om möjligheter, och hur de vill ha din uppmärksamhet

    Jag skriver om hur alla möjligheterna som våra smarta telefoner (oavsett om du föredrar iPhone eller Android) och plattor (iPad, för det finns inga egentliga alternativ) ger oss i dag:

    So are the distractions and hence I’m thinking a lot about what all the noise is giving me. Do I need to be this available online get the most out of Twitter and Facebook? Can I disconnect for a week/month/year and still live on?

    Läs The Power That Is Possibilities på TDH.me.

  • Apple Won, Google Maps Is Available Again

    Google Maps is out for iPhone, which means that Apple won. The whole point of throwing out Google Maps was to get a better map experience on iOS, since the Google Maps app prior to iOS 6.0 was sorely lacking when compared to the Android offering. Despite all its troubles, Apple’s Maps.app is a better technical achievement and will no doubt be a great map alternative in the future.

    I think Apple knows this. I think Apple wanted Google Maps for iOS, but they wanted the same great Google Maps experience that Android users were getting, with turn by turn navigation and whatnot. I think that Apple’s Maps.app was just as much a pressure tool made for getting Google to release a proper Google Maps app for iPhone, as it was a declaration of independence from the largest mobile competitor.

    And thus Apple won, not only getting free of Google where maps are concerned, but also getting the Google Maps app they wanted.

    The job is just half done though, now comes the tricky part. Apple’s Maps.app can’t be allowed to be so bad compared to Google’s offering, that won’t look good. Maps.app is an embarrassment for Apple, and while they did get what they wanted with Google Maps, they also got a whole load of additional pressure where their own Maps.app is concerned.

  • iPhone 5: The games angle

    This is not an iPhone 5 review. In fact, I have yet to hold the phone in my hand, and although I obviously will buy it, I will do so unlocked and without a contract. I’ve read the reviews and that, combined with the fact that I trust Apple knows what they’re doing, is good enough for me.

    I wasn’t always so sure about the taller form factor though. In many ways I think the iPhone 4/4S size is perfect, and I really don’t want my phone to be larger than that. Sure, the iPhone 5 is lighter and thinner, but I already think that the smartphones of today are taking up too much room in our pockets. A more elongated design isn’t exactly helping out there, but again, I trust in Apple’s design skills here.

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  • Social media diet

    I was pointed to Per Håkanssons post about his social media diet by Mikael Pawlo, and I found it interesting. Per is quitting a bunch of services, such as Instagram, Google+ and Linkedin, to focus on more important matters. This quote pretty much sums up why he’s taking this somewhat drastic approach:

    I miss the days when you could go out and eat with a bunch of friends and focus on the conversation and not the latest pings, notifications and checkins on your mobile device.

    I see this a lot, people who feel that social media is interfering with their conversations and relationships in the physical world. But here’s the thing: Quitting social media won’t change this.

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