tech, news, productivity, views and stuff
Useful video comparing speed of iPhone 4S with the iPhone 4.
I remember when I had a work 3G and I went out and got a home 3GS the speed difference was certainly very noticeable.
I am at this time tempted to upgrade my home 3GS to the 4S, mainly because of the camera, but the speed it appealing too.
This is another one of those mainstream uses of QR Codes that fails to deliver for the consumer.
Regular readers of the blog will know that I have been noting where I have seen QR Codes in the mainstream, in other words in the places regular people will see and use them.
This particular QR Code was in the noodle restaurant chain of Wagamama. It was a link to make a group booking.
As with many mainstream companies the link goes to their full website and not a mobile optimised version. You have to work out which link to click…
Then you need to fill out a form.
Which is quite long and complicated and not that easy to fill in using a mobile device…
It would appear that Wagamama like a lot of companies using QR Codes are failing to realise that people who scan in QR Codes are scanning them in from their smartphones and as a result the web page they are directed to needs to be optimised for the mobile browser. Though Mobile Safari is pretty good at rendering full size websites and the browsing experience isn’t that bad, a mobile version of the full website is normally a much better experience.
A good example of how it can work better is the QR Code used on a BBC cooking programme, though the QR Code wasn’t on screen for very long!
What the Wagamama experience shows is once more that QR Codes are been used because they are “cool” and “trendy” or they are responding to advice from a “consultant” of some kind. It would appear that actual process from start to finish and when I say finish I mean going pass that initial URL that the QR Code sends you to and then trying to book, enter or whatever you are suppose to do hasn’t actually been tested or carried out by “normal” people. What might be even more worrying is that testing had actually been done and the process was considered to be “normal” and “okay” as the users hadn’t experienced anything different!
What I actually think this means that though the mobile web is here and is been used by lots of people, there are still many companies who don’t actually realise that!
Last summer I posted a couple of blog posts about free wifi and coffee. In August I noted that some coffee shops in LA were getting rid of the free wifi because of problems with people nursing a single coffee and using the wifi all day and the way that a place full of people just using laptops would “kill” the atmosphere. In July I did think, despite Ofcom’s warning that providers of free wifi would be held liable for the actions of users on their network, that we probably would still have free wifi, but we would need to register to use it.
Since then I have noted a couple of things, my local coffee shop (a Costa franchise) has free wifi and it does have strings, you need to register before you can use the internet, and you need to have a code from the barista. So we have no “no strings” wifi there.
However I was pleased to see one of my favourite coffee chains (not sure if this is the case with all branches) have moved away from an expensive wifi hotspot model to free wifi model.
In Caffé Nero on Bedford Stree in Covent Garden I went in for a coffee and was pleased to see that they were offering free wifi.
They are using the The Cloud and from the marketing material in the cafe it did appear that this wasn’t a “no strings” wifi arrangement, you would need to probably register.
I only had my iPhone on me, so I decided to use that and give it a go, and was pleasantly surprised to find that once connected to the wifi I was good to go and no need to register. Now of course with my phone deal I have free wifi with The Cloud and BT Openzone so I am guessing that this was the reason I didn’t need to register as I already had at some other The Cloud wifi hotspot.
Now don’t get me wrong I much prefer conversations with my coffee, but if I am on my own and drinking coffee it’s nice to have some internet access to get on with a few e-mail or have an online conversation.
However I am hoping that as a result of Caffé Nero’s free wifi that other coffee places will follow suit.
Travelling back from London I found on the back of the seat reservation cards on the First Great Western train I was a QR Code competition (or draw).
I didn’t actually notice them until I was getting off the train, the main reason they’re on the back and I was sitting at one of those rare table seats so didn’t have the back of the reservation card facing me.
You’re not really suppose to remove them I guess, so you’ll probably spend time trying to scan it in from your seat with the person sitting in front of you wondering what on earth is going on!
So quite a nice idea really by FGW, scan in the QR code and enter the competition, but alas the execution failed really!
Rather than use a QR code to create a text message it was only an URL which then sent you to a standard web page (not mobile optimised) which you then needed to fill in all the details.
It’s obviously not really a competition, more a draw to gather in personal information to send you loads of marketing materials. I don’t have much of a problem with that as you don’t have to enter and that’s all competitions are really, a way of gathering data.
However I couldn’t really see the benefit of using a QR code here, the point of a QR Code is to reduce or replace the need to enter text using a mobile device. However in this case the text you needed to enter (even the bare minimum) on the web form was way more than if you decided not to enter via QR Code and use the SMS entry details. It also assumes that you have 3G access on the train (no wifi with FGW) and that is most certainly not always the case.
This really was a pointless exercise in many respects and really missing an opportunity to take advantage of what QR codes can offer. To prove a point, this is one I created which will allow you to send an SMS just by scanning the code.
You won’t need to add any more information (in theory you need to add your e-mail address) and FGW will then get your entry and your mobile number; so they can then start sending you marketing SMS text messages.
As for the competition and the prize? Well if you do enter and win, you win an Amazon Kindle. Nice I guess as it is a great device… however when will you know you’ve won?
So the 8th August 2012, nearly a year away, by which time there will be new and different devices available.
As you will realise if you read this blog on a regular basis that we are seeing more and more QR codes in the mainstream, both media and corporates are using them, in the main for marketing purposes. However the execution of them is in many ways poor and done without thinking about the end user trying to scan and use them.
After having a few problems with the Airport Express, usually resolved by unplugging it and plugging it back in again, I took the plunge and upgraded the firmware to version 6.3
I was having issues with it failing too often. Though most of my Mac hardware and the iPad run off my 802.11n Airport Extreme, I still have some hardware that can only use 802.11g and that is what I was using the Airport Express for. The iPhone is one example, but as it has 3G it was less noticable when the Express failed and the wifi didn’t work. However my Canon printer also connected to the 802.11g Express network and when the Express fell over, no one was able to print!
I generally don’t upgrade unless there are security issues or as in this case I am having problems with the hardware. The upgrade went fine and it would appear after a few days now to have solved the issue. The Express has stayed up without falling over, so I am keen to see if this will continue.
If it keeps falling over then I may need to get a new one, of course it would have to be the AirPort Express 802.11n
If you like using your iPad for games (in the main casual gaming) then you may be interested in the following apps. Electronic Arts are having an iPad Game Sale this weekend, so some of these are cheap today.
It’s a classic game and one that I am sure most of us played at some point in our lives. The advantage of the iPad version is that very difficult for your opponents to cheat!
I am always in two minds about Scrabble on the iPad, as some of the words the computer opponent uses I am sure are not real words! As a result it can be quite challenging to beat the iPad.
With over a hundred games and many different combinations, if you enjoy Solitaire card games then get this app. As well as traditional favorites such as Freecell, there are many different weird and wonderful variants. I particularly enjoy the challenge of Lucas or Forty Thieves.
Based on the dice game, this challenging word game is perfect for those few minutes while waiting for a train or a programme to start on the TV. Sixteen letters on the board and you need to make as many words as possible only using the letters and ensuring that are in order too. Like Facebook there are combinations in the results that I am sure are not real words!
If you like Lego, like Harry Potter and like puzzle games, then you are going to really enjoy Lego Harry Potter on the iPad.
Managed to get a hands on with the new Sony Tablet S. In my recent blog post on the new Sony Tablet I said:
I do quite like the look of the Sony Tablet S, I do like Sony stuff and if I was at this time choosing a tablet, I would be giving serious consideration to this new Sony Tablet. The price is similar (from £399) and that probably is now what will hold this tablet back, if it had been released at the same time as the original iPad it would have been a serious contender.
I couldn’t really give the Tablet S a proper hands on, as there was no real apps on there, no content (apart from an optimised demo) and no internet access. Why can’t retailers selling tablets take a leaf out of Apple’s book and provide internet access for their tablets so that prospective customers can actually try out the tablets properly? Oh I know because they don’t want people to use them for internet stuff…. Of course if they did, then they might in the end and try and buy one!
Back to the Tablet S, the touchscreen was quite responsive and I did quite like the interface. I was less sure though about the form factor. Whereas most tablets rely on a case to slant the screen if you are using the tablet on a desk or table, the Sony Tablet S has a slant built in. It felt as a result quite thick and clunky in the hand, suspect it might be better placed on a desk or table. I didn’t feel in my hands that this was a quality product, certainly not what I anticipated from Sony.
At the end of the day I won’t be spending £399 on a tablet that in my mind isn’t an iPad. I know that sounds like an Apple fanboy statement, but as the HP TouchPad shows, people aren’t willing to choose alternative tablets which are the same price as the iPad, but are willing to try something different if the price is right. I am sure given the choice most people will choose the iPad, not because it is better, but merely because people perceive it to be better.
I am expecting Sony to reduce the price of their new Tablets in less than a year, that isn’t unprecedented, they did it with their innovative UX1XN and other devices, so I may be tempted then.
I have always liked Instagram, the photo creation, editing and sharing app for the iPhone. I reviewed it last year on my e-Learning Stuff blog and said:
As a free app it is certainly a really useful photo app. As a social network, well it is certainly no Flickr and not a Twitter either. The social network can only be accessed from the phone and that limits it in my opinion. As a photo app it’s great, as a social networking tool, less so.
Since then I have posted nearly 500 photographs to the service, which is more than one a day! I know that this is no Photoshop and nor is it something that professionals would use. But as a fun social app that creates interesting effects it’s great. I really like the images that the people I follow come up with and likewise I find it useful on what images I am taking people like. I find it an easy to add images to flickr that I can then add to my blog posts and I have been doing that for a while now.
Today we see an update to Instagram to version 2.0. They have completely revamped the camera experience.
It has live filters and live tilt-shift. There are four new filters.
I quite like that you can now turn the borders on and off. You can also rotate the photograph if you need to. Finally filtered photos save in high-resolution to photo library.
As for the update it seems to work and just as easy to use as the previous version.
I have been a fan of Elgato’s EyeTV devices for years now. They make it very easy to watch, record and edit TV on a Mac. My iMac with an Elgato EyeTV device replaced my video recorder years ago and as a result I never bought anything like a DVD recorder or similar. I use to use the excellent EyeHome to stream recorded video content to my TV, however the PSU failed and the software was never updated, so in the end I needed an alternative.
I now use two options, I encode the recordings for iPad, EyeTV then adds it to iTunes, I can then stream it through the Apple TV. Using Elgato’s h.264 Turbo HD hardware and software the conversion process is quite quick. My second option is to use the EyeTV app on the iPhone or the iPad that can access live TV and my recordings from the iMac. I can then either watch these on the iPad or using AirPlay put it on the TV through the Apple TV.
Of course all these options for using the iPad really depend on either, being at home, or using a wifi connection. If you don’t have wifi or have poor 3G (and a data limit) watching TV on the iPad.
I did quite like the idea behind the Tivizen EyeTV device.
Elgato’s powerful Tivizen device is small enough to slip into your pocket and take anywhere you go. Tivizen transmits the TV signal over to your iPad, iPhone, Mac, or PC wirelessly by joining your home Wi-Fi network or, when that is not available, by creating its own Wi-Fi hotspot. It has a small extendable antenna that receives the DTT (Freeview, or DVB-T) signal.
What did put me off was the fact that it was another battery powered device that would require charging.
It would appear that Elgato probably understand that kind of thinking as they are about to release a new EyeTV device for the iPad 2, the EyeTV Mobile.
EyeTV Mobile is made specifically for your iPad 2. Simply connect it to the dock connector and open the EyeTV Mobile app (available on the App Store). The television signal comes straight from the miniature telescopic aerial so you don’t need an internet connection. You get unlimited live TV on your iPad 2 without touching your data plan.
Using the special EyeTV Mobile App you plug the device into the dock connector and are able to watch live TV, under the assumption that you can pick up a signal using the miniature aerial. I will say previous attempts to use the included miniature aerials that came with previous EyeTV devices I have bought have generally not been much of a success. I am not that confident that with this aerial it will work as advertised… but I guess where you are will make a difference.
There is another assumption about this device and that is, well it is for me, that you watch a fair bit of live TV. To be honest I don’t watch much live TV. I think I am more interested about how this will work than whether it will allow me to watch live TV on my iPad.
I am now seeing QR Codes more and more in what I would call the mainstream. My most recent observation was at my local railway station (managed by First Great Western) where I was checking the timetable and noticed the QR Code in the corner.
Looking at it in more detail, I just had to scan it in, well one does these kinds of things…
I use Optiscan on the iPhone as I have found it to be very reliable and certainly on the 3GS was the best option I found. The reason I like Optiscan is that it works nearly every time.
Of course all a QR Code is, is a shortened URL and no matter how easy it is to scan in with the phone, the key, the end result is how does the final web page look on your mobile device.
I wasn’t that impressed with the landing page as I had to click a link to actually get the timetable.
I am pretty sure that FGW have done that because the timetables change, but even if that was the case, they would also need to reprint the printed version so could then print a new QR Code. Another reason might be to gather stats from the landing page. The actual digital timetable was in PDF format and was usable on the iPhone.
However given the choice I think I would probably use the Train Times App (also available on Android) which also gives live travel information so you know if your train has been cancelled. The problem with a PDF timetable is that it won’t account for live changes to the timetable, you could certainly have a QR code on a printed timetable linking to a live timetable, and I think FGW should have done that.
Scrabble