During my recent trip to Barcelona I decided I’d give data roaming a go on my phone. As you’re probably aware, this can be quite an expensive thing to do. Currently being on a contract with O2 gave me two options. There’s their £20 bolt-on which gives you 10Mb of data or their £50 bolt-on for 50Mb. Having an iPhone and knowing how intensively it uses the Internet, I decided that I needed to go for the more expensive option.
“But why bother?”, I hear you asking yourselves. First and foremost it was to give me access to the things I may need, such as Google Maps. A secondary factor was so that I keep up with maintaining Twitter and Facebook updates, as well as checking in to FourSquare when going somewhere new. All of which were unnecessary or possible via other means, such as the use of a paper map. But going alone meant I wanted to be able to keep in touch with the world. It’s up to you whether you’d really want to bother for such a fee, but I decided that I’d try it.
The first step was ringing O2 to get the bolt-on sorted. It was all straight forward and done very quickly. Though if you want the full amount of data you’re going to need to sign up at the beginning of your billing cycle, as your allowance and cost is prorated and dependent on how long you have left. So if you sign up three weeks after your last bill, you’re only going to get a quarter of that 10 or 50Mb allowance (though you are only going to be paying a quarter of the price).
But what about the important bit? How much data did I get through whilst I was there? Well, not as much as I thought I would. When it wasn’t in use, I turned the data roaming feature off on the handset so that I wouldn’t accidentally open an app which required Internet access and waste that precious allowance. I also turned push off for the same reason. Although I didn’t keep an exact record of everything I did with the phone, my Sunday to Wednesday trip effectively boiled down this:
- 56 tweets (using Tweetie 2, which also downloads your feed automatically when connecting. Includes 5 with picture uploads to Twitpic)
- 24 FourSquare check-ins
- Use of Google Maps 8-10 times (including satellite images)
- 5 updates on Facebook along with several comments (3 with pictures)
- A couple of web searches
- An accidental click on the App Store (though nothing was purchased)
That little lot cost me:
- 4.5Mb of uploaded data
- 13.8Mb of downloaded data
Obviously you may not be doing exactly the same sorts of things I did for your data allowance, but that total of 18.3Mb of data was spent in not much time at all. And based upon O2’s tariff of £3 per extra Mb in Europe and £6 in the rest of the world, you may well be better off spending the extra money and getting 50Mb to begin with. My prorated allowance did end up saving me a couple of quid overall. But I can’t stress enough the need to turn off roaming and push when you’re not specifically using them – you’re going to end up with a huge bill if you don’t. And make sure you cancel it as soon as you get back – you don’t want to be spending £50 next month if you’re not going anywhere.
As I’m a little partial to anything that has an apple on it (save for the fruit itself, which I find doesn’t agree with me), I went out and purchased myself an Apple TV. Well, I didn’t literally go out; this is the 21st century after all. I obviously ordered it from the Apple Store online and had it delivered, as any modern chap in his right mind would. (Incidentally, I visited the Apple Store via Quidco, giving me a few quid cash-back discount on it).
In the box you’ll find the very basics; your new toy, a power cable, an Apple Remote, some instructions and the usual Apple stickers. What you won’t find is anything to connect it to your TV, but then there’s nothing new about that. When it comes to buying your cables, you’ll need HDMI or a set of component cables. I’ve opted for the latter as my TV, for some reason, only came with one HDMI socket (currently in use by the blu-ray player).
First impressions? It looks very nice, as you’d expect. It’s actually slightly bigger than I thought it would be, for a box which effectively houses just a hard-drive and few other bits and pieces. For your £223 (now that VAT has gone back up) you get a 160GB drive which connects wirelessly or via LAN to your existing network. Although not a huge amount of space (especially for the money), the box will stream your video wirelessly via iTunes on your Mac or PC.
Before I get on to why you should buy one, I think a run-down of the cons I’ve discovered so far is in order (and there are some). Firstly, we have the Apple Remote. It’s not good for a couple of reasons, namely that it’s too small to go nicely with the other remotes on the coffee table (and therefore much easier to misplace), and that out-of-the-box it’s going to want to control every single Apple device in the room. So if you fancy surfing the net on your laptop whilst watching the latest blockbuster, pressing the MENU button is going to bring up Front Row on your computer as well as moving around the screen on your TV. This can be resolved by pairing the remote to Apple TV and turning off the infrared on your computer (or by pairing a second remote to the computer), but it’s an issue which should never exist and the remote should be paired at the factory.
The second issue is with the wireless connection speed, though perhaps the Apple TV isn’t really to blame. Only having tested it on one network I can’t say with any certainty, but it seems terribly slow at transferring movies from my computer to its own internal storage. On the plus side, I’ve found no issues with the streaming of movies from iTunes, save for one slight niggle. I have my iTunes folders stored on an external hard-drive connected to an Airport Extreme so that they can be accessed from anywhere and don’t take up so much room on my MacBook. The trouble is, when streaming movies I have to have the laptop on and open so that the Apple TV can access iTunes. What I would love to see in a future software update would be a version of iTunes built-in to the Apple TV capable of connecting to this hard drive, independent of my computer running.
Thirdly, we’ve got the formats. It’s only going to play things that iTunes can play (see here for the list). So your Windows formatted movies or music simply won’t work. So you’ve either got to go through the laborious process of converting everything into iTunes format, or simply forget the whole thing and take the Apple TV back to the shop. It’s your choice.
I think the obvious – and final – issue I’ve found with the device is simply that of storage space. You really don’t get a lot, and if you’ve got a large collection of movies, TV shows, music or photos (even my modest collection of 600GB is obviously going too be too much), you’re going to find that you’re entering iTunes quite a lot and being very selective about just what you’re putting on there. To my mind, a 1TB drive (which would be very cheap in this day and age) should be a minimum, with perhaps the option of a 2TB or more. There is a USB connection in the back of the box which would be very useful if it allowed you to connect an external hard-drive to increase storage capacity. But it doesn’t. In fact, it’s of no use to regular Joes at all, so you might as well forget it’s there. It is also apparently possible to upgrade the hard-drive and I’m sure that your average friend-of-a-friend’s 14-year-old could sort it out for you in a couple of minutes, but remember; it’ll not only invalidate your warranty, but this kid isn’t really trained in this sort of thing, and is probably guessing what to do every step of the way!
Ok, ok, it’s time to put the negativity behind us and end this article on a high note. Let’s start discussing just why this is a superb piece of kit and why, I think at least, you should order yourself one. But before I get comments telling me there are much cheaper alternatives out there which play more formats, remember that I am a complete Apple geek and simply won’t care. So whoever you are; remember that fact when making up your own mind about buying it.
Let’s consider the interface (once you’ve stopped your remote from controlling your laptop). It’s so very simple that even your gran could have a go on it (well, maybe not your gran, but your mum might have a whirl). Upon turning on the device, you get a list displaying Movies, TV Shows, Music, Podcasts, Photos, Internet and Settings. I think most of these are pretty self-explanatory. So far as the Internet option goes, you’re able to view YouTube videos (including being able to log-in to see your favourites) and access Internet radio stations.
If we take Movies as an example, selecting My Movies will bring up a list of both stored films and those available for streaming from your computer. These appear as one list to save confusion, though your streamable titles are obviously going to vanish if you turn off your computer whilst it’s running. But fear not; they will return next time your computer is switched on and you’ve got iTunes running. You simply scroll down the list and select the movie you want. It’ll even remember the position if you stopped it halfway through your last viewing. You can further sort this list alphabetically, by genre or have it show only those movies you’ve yet to watch. This display format is the same for TV shows and music, though with the latter you’re also able to shuffle songs and select your tunes via artist/album etc. It’ll also connect to Flickr and MobileMe to access your accounts and display your pictures. I wouldn’t be surprised at a future Facebook link for the same purpose.
Simplicity is the key with the whole device. It’s black and smooth interface make looking for what you want almost as much fun as watching your movies. The thing that I think sets this apart from other devices out there though is the alternative remote control. Ditch the terrible plastic nonsense you get in the box and download yourself the Remote app for your iPhone or iPod Touch. What a difference it makes! You can scroll through your collections on your portable device, or use the touch-screen to flick around the highlighted items on your flat-screen. You can also easily use it to scroll to any part of the film you wish by simply dragging the bar left or right. The only issue I’ve found so far is that if you’ve got the LAN cable plugged in rather than wirelessly connecting to your computer, Apple TV turns the wi-fi off completely and you would be able to connect your phone to it.
But what if you’ve got no movies? What happens then? You rent or buy them, of course! You’ve got several ways of doing this; either via iTunes on your computer, or via the menus on your TV. These are roughly the same set-up as the rest of the device and easy to flick through. There’s also a search option, made much easier if you have the Remote app as you can use the iPhone’s keyboard to type in your search terms. If you are going to rent a movie, I’d recommend doing this via the Apple TV itself. This way, you get the option to download an HD version of the film (though at a greater cost). And who wants DVD quality when you can get HD? In fact, I was shocked at how good the HD image was, especially given that a 2-hour movie only comes in at around 1.5GB.
And that’s about all there is to it. Apple have done a great job at an easy-to-use interface which not only looks good, but also does the most important job of all; makes it quick and easy to get to your content. At the end of the day, how easy it is to interact with is a major consideration for those less computer-literate who simply want to see a good film with the minimum fuss.
Although it may appear there are a fair few negative things to say about the Apple TV, these really do pale in comparison to its usefulness, simplicity and quality of image. I would definitely recommend the Remote app if you happen to have a compatible portable device, though it is workable with the supplied bit of plastic. As with a lot of Apple products, the device is much more than the sum of its parts. Yes, it’s really just a very expensive hard-drive that connects to your TV. But it makes buying, renting or simply watching movies so easy that it doesn’t matter. If you’ve got a spare £223 you should get one; I did.
I’ve bought a couple of Blu-ray movies in the past few weeks and I’ve been pleased to notice the inclusion of a downloadable version of each for playing on portable devices. What a great idea. Not only do I get to watch the film in high definition on my TV, but I also get to carry it around with me on my iPhone and watch it whenever I please.
Or not.
Yes Man on Blu-ray
The first of these two films I bought was Yes Man, starring Jim Carrey. Whilst I’m in no way his biggest fan, I had some credit left on an HMV card and fancied a light-hearted comedy. To my delight, a sticker on the front informed me that I could download the movie for use on my computer and portable device. Disappointment set in when I noticed the phrases ‘not Mac compatible’ and ‘does not work with iTunes’.
According to stats from September of this year, iPods hold 73.8% of the mp3 player market, thus making Warner Bros’ refusal to allow a compatible version an issue for a huge number of people. Perhaps in reality it was a monetary decision; by denying such a huge number of users they’re saving themselves money in distribution costs whilst simultaneously giving themselves a positive, 21st century image by having the label on the front of the box. Being on a Mac, the website even refused to let me see the download page. I’ve bought this movie, just like a Windows user – is my money not good enough?
Star Trek on Blu-ray
On the other hand we have Star Trek. Paramount have done us all proud by not only producing a great movie which can be enjoyed by geeks like me and everyone else alike, they’ve also done the right thing and given us all the chance to view this movie on whatever device we may own. A third disc in the blu-ray box (a DVD for complete compatibility) not only gives us a Windows Media version of the film, but also a link and code to download it for free from iTunes, whether we’re on a Mac or a PC. So your money gets you a high definition version of the film for your big fancy telly; an electronic one for use with Windows and compatible portable devices; and an electronic one for use with Mac, iPod, iPhone and Apple TV.
So hats off to Paramount; Warner Bros could learn a lesson or two from you guys.
The Nikon D90 body
I recently bought myself a Nikon D90, though I’ve not had much chance to use it yet. Work, darker evenings and Rocky Horror have meant I’ve not really had the time to get out and about with my new toy. Hopefully I can change that this weekend, though with the weather as it is, I’m not sure that’s going to happen.
Anyway, whilst I’ve not been able to get out with it just yet, I have been messing around with it in the house. And I must say it’s very impressive. Not having a more expensive camera to compare it to means it’s difficult to tell you what’s missing. However, that’s not stopping me from telling you what it has got and how it compares to my old Sony A200. The A200 is truly a budget machine. Whilst it does fit rather snuggly in the hand; has a myriad of options to choose from; and still remains easy to use, its plastic feel, complicated menu system and poor quality kit lenses do leave something to be desired. The lack of LCD screen is also an issue and it’s rather time consuming to find the options you really need.
Not that I wish to knock the A200 too much. As a true beginner’s camera it works rather well and is a good cross-over from the world of compact point-and-shoot cameras. If you’re looking to enter the world of D-SLR cameras and you’re on a budget, the A200 and kit lens is a good starting point. However, I felt that it was time to move on. I wanted to get a new camera before I go away in the new year and needed to get some practice in with it beforehand. So I left Sony behind and got myself a Nikon. Reasons for a Nikon? I felt there was a wider-range of lenses available – both Nikor and third-party – and that they were an established camera manufacturer, rather than a company with its fingers in every pie. Plus, @jeruss has a Nikon and I liked the look of it.
The top of the Nikon D90 with LCD display
So here I am with my new D90. First impressions? Well-built, sturdy and with lots of buttons. And dials. And switches. You’ve got to love buttons on a camera. The more buttons you get, the less complicated the thing is. The less you have to faff around in the menu system looking for options. The touch of a button, the twist of a dial and you’re there; ready to shoot. It’s also very customisable, with a whole host of options allowing you to set up the camera for how you want to use it. For example, if you don’t want the annoying light to come on at the front of the camera when it’s trying to autofocus in low-light conditions, you can turn this off, as well as a whole host of stuff that I’m not going to go into here. The presence of the LCD screen is also extremely useful.
There’s also a little party-piece of the D90 which I’m not sure I’m ever really going to use. Whilst in LiveView mode, the camera allows you to record video with sound. The benefits of using this above your standard camcorder become obvious when you start to zoom and change focus with the myriad of lenses available. You’re stuck with the one you get on your camcorder; with the D90 you’re able to chop and change whenever you like. There is a length limit on videos though, so it’s not going to entirely replace your other equipment, but for short clips and for those moments when you’re out with just your D-SLR, it could come in handy. But as I said, I’m not sure I’ll get much use out of this feature.
The Nikon 18-200mm zoom lens
I coupled the camera with a Nikon 18-200mm zoom lens, which is such an improvement on my old lenses it’s hard to compare the two. The zoom range is pretty much perfect for any situation and with a maximum aperture size of 3.5f at 18mm (dropping to 5.6f by 135mm), it’s great whatever type of photography you’re doing. It’s obviously never going to be as good as a bunch of prime lenses (and I’m still contemplating a macro lens for getting in closer to the action), but you could do much worse than this.
So that’s my new camera. Now I just have to figure out when I can actually go and use it!
A month or so ago I treated myself to a Sony Reader. It’s one of the older models (PRS-505) and I got hold of it at a reduced price before the new touch-screen models came out. I’ve had people tell me it’s all a waste as there’s nothing wrong with a good old paperback.
And in some respects, I completely agree. There’s nothing you get with a Sony Reader that you wouldn’t get with a standard book. In fact, there are some instances where a paperback comes in handy. You can lend them to your friends; you can sell them on or give them to a charity shop; you can write in the margins, thrown them in a bag without worry and get them wet without losing too much. There are a huge number of benefits to getting hold of a printed version rather than downloading onto an electronic reader.
What happens if you lose the thing, or accidentally wipe your hard-drive and lose your entire library?
Well, some concerns are easy to get around. Electronic books are safer than paperbacks, so long as you keep an off-site backup. Not only are they stored on my computer, but they’re also stored in ‘the cloud’ waiting for the day when my computer does give up the ghost. One little fire and my paper-based collection is gone forever.
As for the other things, it’s all a matter of taste. There are people who buy vinyl or CDs, purchase their movies on DVD or Blu-Ray, and always go to Boots to print off their pictures. Then there are those who prefer the mp3, the digital download and electronic photo-frames. Personally, I download mp3 (or aac) for my iPhone, buy my movies on Blu-Ray and I play with my photos on my laptop. And now I download my books in eBook format.
I’m not great with paper. It takes me so long to get through a book and whilst I enjoy reading, I’m constantly checking the thickness of the pages and become down-hearted by the amount I have left to read. It’s always been that way. With the electronic book, although I am informed of the number of pages left, it simply doesn’t hit me in the same way. I love the feel of the metal body and the little flash as the page changes when I click forward. I love not having to sit or lie in awkward positions simply to keep the book open. I love the surprise of not being tempted to skip forward and hitting upon pictures I wasn’t expecting, or little diagrams I didn’t know were in there. As there are no covers to show off, I love the fact that I can read anything I like in public, no matter how embarrassing I would normally find it.
Loving gadgets as I do, the Sony Reader is a perfect combination of modern technology helping to enhance and improve something old. For some, taking words off paper and placing them on an electronic screen is something tantamount to sacrilege. For me, it’s a natural progression. And whilst I don’t for a second believe it would ever fully replace the printed word, just like the mp3 or the jpg, it does give you the option.
Why the Sony Reader?
Well, for me the answer is simple: choice. This may be an old model and only displays documents in black and white, but that’s all I need it for. Perhaps in years to come I’ll replace it with a newer model capable of colour and wireless Internet connection. But for the time-being, these aren’t issues I’m concerned about. The one thing that does concern me though is choice. Apparently the Amazon Kindle is quite popular, with it’s wireless connection and (rather ugly) QWERTY keyboard. But why would you buy it, only to find out you had to get all of your books in special Kindle format from Amazon, effectively tying your future book purchases to a single company? And when you want to upgrade your reader, you’d have to buy another Kindle or your books would no longer be readable. I download all my books in .epub format; an open standard for eBooks which can be viewed on a large number of readers. This effectively means my books can be read, even if I decide to switch to another company for my reader. I can also buy books from a number of stores, including WH Smith, Waterstones and Borders.
So, that’s why I bought a Sony Reader.
