Digital Media

Photography, video editing, 3D and the shiny gadgets that make it all possible.

iPhone 4.0: Why can’t we all just get along?

flash_iphone

There’s been a storm brewing between rivals Google, Adobe and Apple. Each day seems to bring news of some minor sparring between the software giants, but instead of looking on in mild amusement, I’ve started to realise how their actions are affecting the future of smartphone development.

The news that made me sit up and take note came only a day after Apple previewed their new v4.0 OS for the iPhone and iPad. At first glance the change was subtle; an addition to their developer SDK agreement:

Applications must be originally written in Objective-C, C, C++, or JavaScript as executed by the iPhone OS WebKit engine, and only code written in C, C++, and Objective-C may compile and directly link against the Documented APIs (e.g., Applications that link to Documented APIs through an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool are prohibited).

In a way, it’s a pretty reasonable request: that all iPhone applications should be developed and written in a C-based language, and link directly to the iPhone APIs. If I were to develop an iPhone application, that’s what I’d expect to do. However, I’m not an Objective-C or C++ developer – I’ve been a long-time .NET developer for the Microsoft platform, and my immediate thought was not about Adobe and Flash, but about a project called MonoTouch. MonoTouch allows .NET C# developers to work within the environment they’re used to, with all the benefits of the .NET framework, but write fully functional iPhone applications. In effect, it provides a bridge between .NET and the iPhone so that seasoned .NET developers can build multi-platform applications with ease (in fact, MonoDroid is in the works to provide the same bridge to Google’s Android platform). This makes sense from a developer point of view: One dev team can push out an app for the iPhone, Android and Windows smartphones relatively easily, and cheaply. Surely that’s a good thing for both developers and users? (more…)

By Oli Trenouth, ago

HowTo: Ubuntu as a Time Machine Volume

ubuntu_mac_feature_by_kremalicious

Have you ever wished you could use Apple’s Time Machine service over a network? Since I’ve got almost 2TB of storage on my Linux (Ubuntu 9.10) server, I certainly did – but unfortunately Apple only lets you use physically attached USB or Firewire drives, or their own network-attached “Time Capsule”.

Well, it turns out theres a solution for us Linux folk (more…)

By Oli Trenouth, ago

It is time. To The Mac!

overview_hero1_20091020PNG

In late 2006 I wrote an article about how I switched from PC to Mac, and through frustration over a few petty things I switched back. The main reason was simply that the Mac didn’t allow me to play my PC games, nor did it (perhaps more importantly!) allow me to continue developing MS-based applications using the .NET Framework (a Windows only set of application libraries).

I switched back, and was happy for a while. Then I starting listing all the things I couldn’t do on the PC that I’d gotten used to doing on the Mac. In particular, I use Final Cut Studio on a daily basis at work – it seemed a shame that I couldn’t use those tools at home. (more…)

By Oli Trenouth, ago

7 Days with Windows 7: Part 1

windows_7

OK, jokes aside, I decided to take the plunge and upgrade to Microsoft Windows 7 this week. I was keen to see if it lived up to the hype, and wanted to see for myself whether this really was Windows “Vista Redux”.

I was an early adopter of Windows Vista, and to be honest I’ve been reasonably happy with it. I can recall a few months of driver problems when I first switched, but that was to be expected with a new OS. Being a long-time Apple OSX user, I actually liked the new Aero design and the easy search features that had been added to the Start menu – even if at the time it felt like Microsoft were trying too hard to be like Apple. (more…)

By Oli Trenouth, ago

iPhone 3.0 and Google Calendars (Updated)

Hello again. I’m back … and we’re back on the topic of calendars!

UPDATE! – I’ve added a separate article looking at the far simpler sync options for iOS 4. If you’re still using iPhone OS 3.X, then read on – otherwise click here for the updated how-to.

You may recall a few months ago I wrote an article on how I’ve solved my multiple calendar problem, in an attempt to separate my work life (and diary) from my personal one. One of the sticking points at the end of that solution was that I couldn’t sync my Google calendars with my iPhone over the air, so ended up using the Google calendar web-app for the iPhone. This was “ok”, but it wasn’t the neat all-in-one solution I was looking for.

However, on the 17th of June Apple release the iPhone 3.0 operating system, and the good news is that is supports CalDAV. Hurray! (more…)

By Oli Trenouth, ago

Video encoding strategy for all Apple devices

I’ve had an Apple TV for a number of years, along with an iPod Touch and now (finally!) and iPhone. Before I had any of those things I made a conscious decision to transfer all my CD’s to iTunes and change the way I manage and access my music. This was clearly a success, as I can’t remember the last time I got one of my CD’s out of its case, (come to think of it, I can’t even remember where my CDs are!).

This setup was ideal. The music was wherever I wanted it to be: Streamed through the Apple TV, played off a PC or laptop, or copied to my iPhone. This got me thinking, “why can’t I do the same with my DVDs?”. With the cost of storage being so low I bought myself a 2Tb Lacie drive with that very same thought in mind. (more…)

By Oli Trenouth, ago

Spotify

I remember a number of years ago that “Internet Radio” was all the rage. Without having to spend upwards of £300 on a new “digital” radio, you could easily tune into radio from around the world. I remember spending warm, sunny summer’s days living in the cottage with live radio from the Bahama’s blasting out into the garden ;o)

But then Internet radio started to die. The music industry, as if noticing these services for the first time, decided that they wanted a bigger slice of the pie. They got that bigger slice, but in the process killed many of the smaller radio stations that provided the attraction in the first place. (more…)

By Oli Trenouth, ago

Ubuntu as a Home Server

For quite some time now I’ve toyed with the idea of setting up a home server. Actually, I’ve setup plenty of home servers over the years but since I moved house I just lost interest. I had a perfectly good NAS, so there seemed little point …

In the past I’ve downloaded numerous Linux distros, installed them on some small unsuspecting box and very quickly got bored. The problem is it was all very well having an old PC sat in the corner of my living room proudly displaying a logo of a penguin, but what could it actually do for me? (more…)

By Oli Trenouth, ago