Why I’m not getting an iPhone4…yet.
Jun 24, 2010 Apple
The iPhone 4 officially hits stores today and I’ve been getting the same question a lot lately:
Are you getting the new iPhone?
I figured I’d just go ahead and throw my answer up here. No, I’m not getting it…yet. Now I know this may kill my reputation as an Apple Fanboy, but here are the reasons I am waiting:
I need to combat materialism in my life. If I were to upgrade to the iPhone 4, it would be purely because I want a new toy. Now that’s not all bad, but for me right now it would be. Between my iPhone and my iPad, I have all the technology I need. Any more would be ridiculous. This week, materialism and idolatry has a face and that face has a Retina Display.
I’m still amazed everyday with my iPhone 3g. Note I said “iPhone 3g” – I didn’t upgrade to the 3gS either. The only reason I upgraded from the original iPhone to the 3g was the GPS functionality. That, for me, was huge. Last week the dock connector died on my phone and the temptation was strong to buy a new one, but I found the part online for $13. If I’m able to get the phone working, I plan on using it for quite awhile longer. It serves my needs and then some. (Check out this great article that essentially says the same thing.) Of course, if the part doesn’t work, the “yet” part of this post kicks in.
Changes are looming. Although I haven’t had too many problems with AT&T, I am interested to see if other carriers are going to be carrying the iPhone soon. There seem to be a lot of indicators pointing in that direction, and since I am not currently in a contract I am not interested in tying myself to AT&T for another two years.
Well, there ya go. I’m not getting an iPhone 4…yet. But if you get one, make sure you let me play with it a bit. You might change my mind.
Tags: apple, iphone, materialism
My iPad Review
Jun 2, 2010 Apple
I have now had my iPad for roughly a month and people keep asking me, “what do you think?” Here’s my completely candid review:
If you can accept it for what it is, the iPad is pretty slick. The iPad is not a phone (please stop asking me, “what do you think of your big iPhone that doesn’t make calls?”) and it is not a laptop. It has, however, taken the place of a third device I have been using: my hackintoshed Dell Mini. I used that for when I didn’t feel like lugging around my MacBook Pro. This year I am going to be traveling a lot and I plan on just taking my iPad. When it comes to media consumption, it is wicked cool. When it comes to email and web surfing, it’s great. You can’t use it as your primary computer, though.
Here’s the good, bad, and meh:
The Good
Logos Bible Software - I have found the iPad to be a great tool when doing message prep. I sit it next to me and use it to quickly look up passages I am chewing on. A few taps gets me to a passage faster than flipping through my Bible or using the mouse and keyboard with my computer. I also have access to many of the 800 books in my library. Notice I said “many?” You find out more about this when you get to “The Bad.”
Reading – I like reading books on the iPad. In fact, I think it is going to become the primary way I read books (especially in light of the fact that I don’t have room to store all the books I read in my little office space). iBooks and Kindle are essentially the same with one glaring difference. Kindle lets you take notes. That means I will likely only purchase books from Amazon for the time being. However, iBooks does let you import ePub files which is excellent because there are a lot of free books out there in ePub format. Right now one of our office staff is busy downloading every Spurgeon book for me for free. :)
News – When I am waiting for appointments, my favorite thing to do is read the news. I have downloaded several free news programs and the iPad is now my favorite way to keep up on the world.
Other notable good stuff - Netflix, Justin.tv (even though it’s only in iPhone format, I can still watch hockey for free on this site), Games (my kids are constantly asking to play games on my iPad), Dropbox, and GoodReader.
The Bad
YouVersion – I’m a little surprised at how little I like the YouVersion Bible HD app. I love the iPhone app, but this just doesn’t seem to do it justice. One big glaring miss is that you can’t follow a live service (which we use at Riv) on your iPad. Of course you can use your browser but I like the native app better.
Keynote Integration – This is really frustrating for me. I use my iPhone when I am teaching at Riv. It syncs with my computer so I can control my Keynote notes on a screen that sits on the stage. The only way I can do this on the iPad is to use the iPhone app which looks terrible on the iPad screen. This seriously bums me out.
Logos Bible Software - This one makes both The Good and The Bad. The reason it’s on the bad list is the lack of access to all of my library. In particular, my favorite commentary hasn’t been ported over to the app yet. I still have to use my MacBook Pro if I want to access it. Grrr….
Data Plan – AT&T just announced they are changing their monthly data plans from $29 / unlimited to $25 / 2GB. This is not good since I am entering a 3 month season where I am going to be on the road a lot and plan on burning through the data. Luckily if I sign up for the unlimited plan by this weekend, I can keep it for that period. In the future, though, I am not looking forward to the limit when I am in a busy travel season.
The Meh
Typing – It’s not as bad as I thought, but it’s not easy.
Bento – I thought I would use this App all the time to keep track of appointments and notes from meetings. I don’t really like it.
Twitter – I’ve found I don’t like to Twitter or read Tweets on my iPad. Not sure why. I like it better on my iPhone.
Taking Notes – OK, I can’t believe I am saying this, but I kinda wish I could use a stylus to handwrite notes on the iPad. I find I carry my iPad to meetings, planning on taking notes on it but I take notes on paper anyway. Still haven’t found the right way to use it to take notes without looking like I’m surfing the net and ignoring the person I am meeting with.
iPod – I don’t have any use for this on the iPad. Video from Vodcasts looks amazing on the screen, but I only listen to music, sermons, podcasts, etc when I am driving or working out so I like my iPhone better for those.
Tags: ipad
Mac Love
Jul 1, 2009 Apple
For those of you who doubt the superiority of the Apple computer, check this out:
MacBook New Feature from COREANOMAC on Vimeo.
(via eugene cho)
iPhone 3.0 Beta Giveaway
Mar 25, 2009 Apple
Thanks to John for pointing out how I can get iPhone 3.0 Beta on my phone. (via 50 More iPhone 3.0 Beta Giveaway | Single Grain).
I am stoked to play around with the changes. Now if I could only find a way to get turn by turn GPS without jailbreaking my phone or shelling out $20 per coast, I will be a happy man.
I know what you are thinking:
“What does this have to do with the Old Testament? Where’s my book overview for today?”
Sorry, I stalled out a bit on the book overviews. Hopefully I’ll be back in the saddle the next day or two. I’ve been a tad swamped.
Monday iPhone App Review – Calendar Programs
Dec 22, 2008 Apple
One of my favorite things about my iPhone is the ability for me to access lots of stuff that previously had been trapped on my MacBook. One of those things is my calendar.
Ever since I got my iPhone, I have tried to find the perfect way to interact with my calendar and I still haven’t found it. The problem is I have to balance all of these:
- I like iCal a lot better than Google Calendar when I am at my computer
- I like Calendar a lot better than Google Calendar when I am on my iPhone
- Kim (my assistant) uses a PC, so she does all my scheduling on Google Calendar
I have used Spanning Sync for quite some time and love it. It connects my iCal with my Google Calendars rather seamlessly. Unfortunately, if Kim changes my schedule on Google Calendar, I won’t get the change on my computer or iPhone until I sync things with the cable. Yuck.
So, my first shot out of the box was to use NuevaSync. Very cool concept, really. It is a virtual Microsoft Exchange Server, which means it should be able to Sync changes on your Google Calendar with your phone. This it does very well…in one direction. When Kim changes something on Google Calendar, the change is almost immediate on my phone. The problem is it is very flakey in the other direction: when I add a new calendar item in the iPhone, 90% of the time it never shows on Google Calendar. Grr… I was double booking appointments all the time.
That’s why I was thrilled when Google Calendar said they were playing nice with iCal now. Well, kinda. The calendars sync perfectly but you can’t add anything to your schedule with your iPhone. That lasted about 2 hours.
So now I’m back to square one. Spanning Sync is the best option out there, but it’s still not perfect.
Monday iPhone App Review – Datacase
Sep 1, 2008 Apple
People often ask me what is on my computer screen when I teach at Riv. Well, that has recently changed. It used to be that I had my entire message manuscript in a PDF file and I would flip from screen to screen as I taught. The manuscript averaged 22 pages at 14 point type and I really didn’t use the manuscript often. I memorize my messages for the most part, I just like the comfort of having the notes right there.
It’s like a blankie.
So this summer I have been playing around with a new idea which a lot of other pastors use: a mindmap that illustrates the manuscript. Using this method, I have been able to reduce my notes to 2 pages. Click on the thumbnail to see the first page of notes from this week’s teaching:
What does this have to do with my iPhone App review? Simple. Now that I am using a mindmap instead of a manuscript, I need a place to store the quotes and other stuff I like read during my message. Enter my iPhone.
Unfortunately, the iPhone notes program doesn’t sync with the computer and I don’t like typing the quotes into my phone. For awhile, I was placing them on a private blog and surfing to them during the services. That was sorta clunky.
Then I tried MobileFinder and absolutely hated it! Sure, it was easy to get files off the phone, but you had to use an FTP program to get files onto the phone. And since your IP address changes all the time, you had to re-enter it into your program each time. What a pain.
So last week I reviewed a bunch of other options and settled on Datacase.
The bottom line: it is very easy to use. And with the exception of a really dorky unMac like opening screen, it is pretty Macesque.
When you run the program on your phone, it shows up as a shared drive on your mac. No crazy FTPing, just drag and drop like any other harddrive.
Here are some screenshots:
First, here’s the goofy opening screen:
But when you click on “Documents,” it looks very clean and Maclike. The Drop Box is cool because you can let people access it without seeing your files.
This weekend I had one quote I was sharing so I put it into the documents folder and when the time came, I clicked on it and I was good to go:
Very cool. Who knows, maybe I’ll eventually scrap my computer and paper Bible and just teach with my iPhone. One step at a time, though.
Monday iPhone App Review – ??
Aug 25, 2008 Apple
OK, so I have tons of Apps to review but I’m still pooped from last week and Riv’s amazing weekend.
I promise to review something next week…but I need your help, first
My friend Pat hooked me up with $10 to spend at the Apple Ap Store. So, what should I buy? Leave me a comment with your recommendation on what App I should buy and I will buy it and review it next week.
Cool?
Thanks.
Monday iPhone App Review – Facebook
Aug 11, 2008 Apple
OK, being the Facebook junky I am, I was super stoked to download the Facebook ap for my shiny new iPhone.
Unfortunately, I find I hardly ever use it.
The reason is simple. No really, it’s “simple.” The problem is it is too simple.
Let’s take a look at this baby. Here’s the opening screen:
What do we see? My friend’s most recent status. That’s it. It lacks everything that makes Facebook “facebooky.” It doesn’t show me my friends’ birthdays, what they have changed on their page, or how many notifications I have. And on that front, this is my biggest pet peeve: there is no way to add friends or see who wants to add you as a friend.
Crazy.
When I tap on “Noel” at the bottom, what do I get? More info? No…just my wall.
How about “Friends”? A list of my friends that feels very “iPhone.” Tap on a friend and you get access to their wall, mini-feed, photos, etc. That’s kinda cool. I also like the “iPhone” feel of the photos, you scroll through them the same way you do with the photos on your iPhone. That’s cool.
OK…now I tap on “Inbox.” (I skipped “Chat” because homey don’t play dat.) Arg. Now I’m reminded again that all this give me is messages, but no notifications.
Overall, I like the “feel” of the Facebook ap, but because of a few things I just never find a reason to use it.
Oh and I can take a picture with the little camera icon in the corner. Whatever.
Monday iPhone App Review – Shazam
Aug 4, 2008 Apple
Because I have nothing better to do with my time (ahem), I have decided to review some of my favorite iPhone aps. For the time being, I plan on posting these reviews on Mondays, but it may go the way of my “Site of the Week” and just disappear after awhile.
Today, I start the reviewpalooza with Shazam which is quickly becoming one of my favorite aps.
Let me lay it out there for you.
You’re riding in the car with your wife and an old song pops up on the radio.
You: “I haven’t heard this song in…like…forever. It used to be one of my favorites!”
Your Wife: “Do you know who sings this?”
**SILENCE**
“You don’t know?”
“Uh…”
“Idiot.”
And then just to screw with you, your wife won’t tell you who sings the song and it plagues you for the rest of the day. But not anymore!
Enter “Shazam!”
With this fancy ap, you literally hold your phone up to the speaker for a few seconds and a few seconds later it reminds you who sings your favorite song:
Now if that isn’t cool enough for you, you have more options, including:
- Downloading the song on iTunes
- Taking a picture of your wife being amazed with this technology to add as a tag
- Jumping over to YouTube to watch the video for the song you are listening to
I have been trying to trick Shazam for the last couple days and I am super impressed with the songs it knows. Here’s the last few I searched for:
About the only thing I have been able trick it with so far is Korean rap. Apparently, the program is racist. Other than that unseemly quality, Shazam is amazing.
