iOS7: First Thoughts

The new lock screen
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I upgraded to iOS7 on my iPhone 4S overnight and was greeted with a brand new phone when I woke up. Here are some thoughts I’ve had about this update having used it full time since then:

The first thing I noticed was how big the icons look. In fact they’re ever so slightly bigger: iOS6 icons were 114x114 while iOS7‘s are 120x120. This 5% difference, along with icons that are now (or will be when developers update their apps) clearer, make the apps stand out more. And that’s the thing: those new icons look so much better “in the flesh” as it were than in any of the promotional photos I’ve seen. This really is an OS you need to hold and use to fully appreciate the work that’s gone into it. Photos don’t do it justice.

MacLife Review: Easy Studio Animate with Shapes!

My latest review is online and if you or your kids are into stop motion animation, you may well have lots of fun with Easy Studio Animate with Shapes!

MacLife Review: CloudClipboard for iOS

You can read my review of the very interesting and highly useful CouldClipboard for iOS on MacLife's website.

Cut and paste between different iOS devices is now a breeze! Find out why by clicking here.

Everything is Pixelated, Issue 45

My February IT column is available for download.

MacLife Review: ScreenFlow 4

My review of the excellent screen capture tool ScreenFlow is available on MacLife's site. If your profession depends on making screencasts regularly on your Mac, this is the app you need. Read my review here.

Everything is Pixelated, Issue 44

The January issue of my IT column is now available for you to download.

MacLife Review: Foldify

My review of the Foldify is available on MacLife's website. Have fun decorating shapes, right from your iPad.

Check out the review here

Everything is Pixelated, Issue 43

I write an IT page for a local paper and I thought it would be a good idea to offer it on this site as well.

The latest one, issue 43, is available for grab as a PDF by clicking here. In it, I talk about AirServer (in order to stream whatever you see on your iOS device to your Mac or PC), and I offer a tip to try and preserve some of your iPhone's precious battery life.

If you like it, you can grab all the others by taking a quick visit to this site.

MacLife Review : Atlas by Collins

I've written a review of Atlas by Collins for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. You can read about it here.

Covering all the Bases

We all knew Apple would announce a smaller 7.9 inch iPad at today's event. In fact, so much had leaked out from various sources that it wasn't much of a surprise at all.

Personally, I found the new iMacs much more amazing from an engineering standpoint. They're absolutely gorgeous and now more than ever before, potential customers will wonder where the computer went : it's thinner than many competitors' standalone displays for god's sake!

MacLife Review: Fission

Need an easy app to work with an alter audio? Check out my review of Fission on MacLife's site.

MacLife Review: Boothsy

Wish your iPad's Photo Booth app could take photos automatically? Then maybe Boothsy's for you. Check out my review on MacLife's site.

MacLife Review: Disk Order

Tired of Mac OS X's Finder? Maybe Disk Order will suit your needs better. Check out my review of it on MacLife's site.

MacLife Review: Jacksta Music Miner

Need a way to grab music you're listening to online? Jacksta Music Miner may be the app for you. My review's on MacLife's site.

MacLife Review: Boom

Tired of that tiny sound coming out of your Mac speakers? Then check out this review of Boom, on MacLife's site.

MacLife Review : Flux

My review of the web design tool Flux is now online on MacLife's website.

Check it out.

Does Your Computer Work Like a Toaster ?

Up until now, the vast majority of computers have been designed for the hobbyist tinkerer. It's quite a feat for such a device to have had so much success: according to recent survey, over a billion of them are currently in use today.

Is This Finally the Birth of the Computer for the Rest of Us ?

When Steve Jobs introduced the Mac back in 1984, it was designed to revolutionise the way people interacted with computers. They would no longer need to type in arcane combinations of letters and numbers to get anything done. Instead, they'd click on images on the screen.

The Death of Mac OS X Is Closer Than You Think

Of course it's not going to happen tomorrow, but I definitely think that its days as a relevant mainstream operating system are dwindling. High end users and content creators will still need it, but Apple is mostly a consumer company and Mac OS X is just too complex for that segment of the population. It'll be relegated to a very niche market.

Striving for Perfection

When I heard about iFixIt’s teardown of the latest iPod touch (see here), I started to wonder and possibly understand why Apple changed their minds about integrating a video camera into its flagship product.