My review of Adam Lashinsky’s Inside Apple book is up on Cult of Mac.
People Review the iPhone 4S
It’s that time of the week. The magical Apple embargos lift and journalists from every respectable corner of the internet get to share their thoughts on Apple’s newest toy.
Apple gave out iPhone 4S review units to the crème de la crème of tech journalists at its last media event, and these pundits are here to tell the aching world everything it needs to know about the latest iPhone.
Walt Mossberg says everything Apple allowed him to say, as usual. MG Siegler gives witty and anecdotal commentary on why the iPhone 4S is so great. Joshua Topolsky bangs out a fantastic 5,000 word review with dozens of incredible images, screenshots, and even a video. Jim Dalrymple gives simple and helpful information that geeks and the average consumer will appreciate. David Pogue does his usual “this Apple product is like a magical unicorn riding on a rainbow of sparkles” review. Jason Snell gives fair and balanced analysis on the specific and general aspects of the 4S. Stephen Fry offers a British perspective. Brian X. Chen gives a very Siri-focused review.
Siri seems to be the showstopper this time around. I can’t wait to get my hands.. er.. voice on it Friday.
This game is so so SO fun on the iPhone and iPad. Check out my full review.
Tweetbot for iPhone Makes Twitter Fun Agin
Tweetbot is a new Twitter client for the iPhone that I’m absolutely in love with. Check out my full, in-depth review on iDB.
An iPad 2 Review
mind = blown
iPad 2 Reviews
Walt Mossberg for The Wall Street Journal,
“Its improvements, including front and rear cameras, outweigh the few drawbacks and feature omissions I found. For most average, nontechie users, I would recommend it over the handful of tablet competitors I’ve tested so far, especially given that the entry price remains attractive.”
MG Siegler for TechCrunch,
“Overall, the device has a much more fluid design. Apple notes that the body now consists of two parts instead of the three that made up the iPad 1. This makes it feel even more solid, and even more like a natural object instead of a machine.”
Joshua Topolsky for Engadget,
“In all, it’s an incredibly handsome and svelte package. Pictures don’t quite do the iPad 2 justice — it feels really, really great in your hands. Not only does the construction give it a feeling of heft and permanence, but the thin profile combined with the new, tapered edges make holding the device a real joy. Apple is known for its industrial design, and they didn’t just chew scenery here; the iPad 2 is beautifully and thoughtfully crafted.”
Jason Snell for Macworld,
“It’s hard to bet against Apple these days. The company is on a roll, not only in terms of sales but in terms of product design. Less than a year on from the original iPad, the iPad 2 is an improvement that doesn’t divert any of the iPad’s powerful momentum. It’s the original iPad, only more so—even smaller, even thinner, even faster than before.”
David Pogue for The New York Times,
“On paper, Apple didn’t do much. It just made the iPad one-third thinner, 15 percent lighter and twice as fast. There are no new features except two cameras and a gyroscope. I mean, yawn, right?
And then you start playing with it.”
John Gruber for Daring Fireball,
“The iPad 2 is a solid second-generation iteration. Easier and more comfortable to hold, noticeably faster, equippable with foldable covers that are both literally and figuratively magnetic. Like last year’s iPhone 4, it seems like technology from the near future.”
I can’t wait to get mine tomorrow.
The First Review of Rob Bell's New Book
In Rob Bell’s new book, “Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived,” Bell wrestles with the looming issue of eternity.
From the review,
“Does Rob Bell deny the existence of hell? He would say no. We would say yes. He affirms, but only after redefining. And that’s just a clever form of denial.”
Questions and obscurities will continue to draw many people to Rob Bell’s teachings, but there’s only so long someone will continue to draw from a well without getting water.
“TRON: Legacy,” and The Essence of What Makes a Good Story
I don’t “review” movies often. Mainly because I’m lazy, and partly because there are so many people out there doing it better than I ever could.
However, I just got home from watching the highly anticipated reboot of the TRON franchise- “TRON: Legacy.” I went into the film with high expectations, and I was not only very pleased, but genuinely stirred by the film.
Reeder for Mac
Reeder (the popular iPhone Google RSS reader), was just released in beta for the Mac.
Desktop RSS apps have never really been that great. On OS X and Windows, there isn’t much to chose from. I tried using the most popular option on the Mac, Socialite, for a little while; but it was way too clunky and slow.
The desktop has been in desperate need for a breath of fresh air from an RSS reader that actually works. Reeder for Mac seems to be just that.
The app is only in it’s first draft, and there are a few key features missing (such as feed management), but Reeder already promises to be the Tweetie of desktop RSS apps.
Not only is it designed well, but it works well. That is something that’s hard to come by.
Download the free Reeder for Mac beta and follow Reeder on Twitter for more updates.
Fontcase - a $53 OS X app for organizing your fonts. Very useful. Designers and developers rejoice.
Keep your fonts together
OpenAppMkt- An App Store for Your iPhone Web Apps
Apple has a strong hold on the iOS app ecosystem through the App Store. Excluding jailbreaking, there is no way to install a native app on iOS apart from using the App Store. However, some developers, including large companies like Google, have begun to create things called “web apps.” A web app is simply an iOS optimized web site that is added as an icon to your home screen through Mobile Safari’s “Add to Home Screen” feature. While not as integrated or feature-rich as native apps, recent web apps have proven to be surprisingly powerful.
