I-phone, i hate eating my words, its awesome… Day 1 Review.

I hate going back on my word, even more so when I’ve spent two blog posts slagging off the i-phone. I hate to admit it, but Apples i-phone is good… nay, great… awesome even.

For what it does, its with out par in todays cellphone market. Nothing I’ve seen comes close to it. That doesn’t mean it wont happen. But at this current juncture its an awesome piece of hardware that brings the mobility a cellphone with the versatility and functionality of a PDA. Blending it together in something that has set the benchmark for all other cellphone manufactures.

So lets begin a week long look at what the i-phone is, isn’t and where it misses the mark.

The i-phone 3G, out of the box and plugged into either a wall socket or a USB port takes about an hour and a half to be fully charge. I am unsure if Apple intended to make the battery quick charging, but none the less it is. So its only a short amount of time before your are ready to start playing with your i-phone. A single charge can last up to one whole day, depending on how much you use it and weather you have updated the firmware to 2.1. Updating to 2.1 is something I recommend doing as soon as you have your i-phone fully charged. It not only increases the battery life of the phone but also fixes a number of issues that people have been having with the phone.

During my firmware update, the phone thought my desire to upgrade it foolish and decided to bomb out on me. Apples tag line of, It just works, seems to be more of a marketing slogan than a reality.

After much screaming and gnashing of teeth, I got it working again. Only to find that all my contacts that I had so lovingly put in were now gone…its just working on my nerves. I sync up the Ii-phone with i-tunes, which to my luck had backed up my contacts. This was a double edged sword, I got all my contacts back, however there were now two of everyone…its just working my my blood pressure.

The i-phone as I am sure you know, is a totally touch screen cellphone. The touch screen is simple to use, and doesn’t take to much to master. If you’ve used an I-pod touch you should be right at home with the i-phone. However with all touch screen items, the screen quickly has more finger prints on it than the girl I took the my Matric Dance.  Tomorrows look at the i-phone i will explain the various figure commands for the i-phone.

I-tunes, as with all Apple products is a must. Enabling you to upload music, pictures and video onto your i-phone. You are also able to download a couple of free applications from the “App store”.

The App store is a clever little shop where you can purchase third party applications that can run on your phone. From games to navigation to even budgeting software. Seeing as we do not have an i-tunes store for South Africa, most of us will have to be content with the free applications.

You are able to access the App store from you i-phone, but it is a waste of valuable bandwidth. So rather do it on your computer. Talking about a massive waste of bandwidth, getting the i-phone up and running and working at its finest requires a massive 300meg download. I-tunes and the 2.1 firmware upgrade take a massive bite out of your monthly cap. You’ve been warned, its something you’re gonna have to just grim and bear through.

One nice little feature with the i-phone is that I was able to import all my gmail contacts, right onto the phone. All it asked for was a username and password, and I have total access to my gmail account. If you are not using gmail and prefer outlook, that to is supported, but no Thunderbird support. So even the technologically illiterate are able to have their email on the go.

I also, much to my surprise, able to access google maps and with the I-phones GPRS I am able to have an accurate to the metre of where I am standing. You are able to purchase navigation software from the app store, but seeing as we dont have an i-tunes store for South Africa… we are bum out of luck with that. None the less, you are still have access to google maps navigation, but this only has major roads in South Africa. So no finding your way around Durban once you get there.

After Day 1 with the I-phone, I can already see that Vodacom is going to have to pry this phone from my cold dead hands… I don’t want to give it back. Get it in your hands, and you will quickly see that its just want you want.

Add Tech Noir to your RSS Feed, so that you can see what the rest of my time playing with the i-phone brings.

I-pod Nano reviewed

The I-pod Nano, the third generation of I pods released by technology giant, Apple, is definitely going to be one of the “most wanted”on every teen ‘ s Christmas list this year. While the Nano does what it was designed to do and does it    with the style and class that is has kept it the most wanted and desired MP3 player in the world, Tech noir recently had the chance to test drive the gismo and found a few rotten points about the new apple.  You may not agree, but that is why the blog has a comments section- let us know what your thoughts are.

As the saying goes, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and many expecting a whole new product may be disappointed to find that the new addition to the family is not so different from it’s predecessors, it seems that  CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs  has stubbed his nose at Moore’s Law  (will add a link so that readers can click and follow the link to Moore’s Law).
With a smooth metallic housing, the ipod is cool to the touch and is sure to turn those who desire one, green with envy.
With five different colours to choose from, and two different capacities, 4 gigabytes or 8 gigabytes  the ipod can hold a thousand to two thousand songs respectively.  So Its  understandable to see why its the most bought and sort after MP3 around , so whether you want listen to music as you sweat it out in the gym or something to listen to on a road trip, you are never short of music, even if it is your whole nineties collection ( or something like that).

The thumb, the lateral-most  digit  of the hand,  is a useful little appendage that since we evolved it has played a critical part in almost every aspect of human development  and even more so when it comes to operating the Ipod.

Who would have thought that the integral part of mankind’s ability to create, destroy or bum a ride from a passing stranger  can also control a host of music artists and songs.

It is easy to navigate around, with all the functions that you would come to expect such as album, artist, and song title search. A nice little feature about the Nano, thanks to I-tunes,  will automatically download  album covers for all the songs you have uploaded , which makes identifying albums or artists a breeze. The same Album covers will act as a sort of screen saver, when the accessing the I-pod’s main interface  which means you are sure to have your favourite artist on hand at all times, even if it is only electronically.

I-tunes will have to be downloaded if you want to be able to upload or access your I-pod. If you don’t have a internet connection you can usually find a copy of it on PC magazines DVD.

The Nano is with out a doubt one of the best looking and easy to use MP3 player on the market to date, even though there have been a few companies making knock off versions, it is still one of the best selling techo products too.

In my view, there are a number of small  functional irritants that distract from it being the greatest MP3 player of 2008. First off the screen, at 5  centimeters it is large enough to enable ease of browsing and searching for songs.

Apple envisioned that it’s  users would be able to watch video clips and view photographs, the screen however is just too small. Imagine attempting to watch  an action movie on a screen the size of a match box. It is possible, however, it’s just not worth it and could leave you cross eyed before the second scene. This raises another point, that the large, by Apple standards, screen now draws far more  power from the battery. Larger screen, means more heat, more heat means more drain on the Nano’s battery. What this comes down to, is that as your I-pod gets on in life, the average battery life will decrease to the point where it could only hold a couple of hours of charge.  Defeating the object of being able to take your nano with while you travel, because, unless you are close to a USB plug at all times, you are not going to be able to use it. And that could prove difficult, especially if you are on a 12 hour flight to England.)

It boggles the mind, why Apple  will  not allow consumers   to change the I-pod battery. Seeing as lithium Ion batteries do have a limited life span, it stands to wonder what people will do a couple of years down the line when their battery is unable to hold a charge anymore? Sure you could send it back, if it’s still under warranty, and allow the Apple reseller you bought it from to change out the battery. But then you  may be left without your ipod for a while, which once you have started using it is sure to be  a permanent part of your daily attire.

If you are able to afford it, I would recommend getting an I-pod Nano  – even if it is not only for the your teens Christmas stocking , as it is with out a doubt the finest MP3 player on the market. Once own one, it will forever live in your pocket and your ears.   It is a great  (buy)  for those that can afford it. It maybe a little out the price range for most, and if you’re look for functionality rather than fashion, you may want to shop around.

Capacity: 4 gigabytes – 1000 songs	Capacity: 8 gigabytes – 2000 songs
Price: R 1,599	Price: R 1,999
Colour: Available only in Silver	Colour: Available in Silver, Black, Green, Pink or Aqua
Earphones	Earphones
USB 2.0 Cable	USB 2.0 Cable

PRO’s	CON’s
Fashionable accessory	Expensive for the average consumer
Easy to use interface	Unable to change the battery
Touch pad, has revolutionised MP3 market	Short Battery life
Screen is prefect for navigating around	Screen too small to watch video’s on
Everyone will know that you own an I-pod with the unique design of the headphones.	Headphones tend to hurt ones ears during extended periods of use.