Compooter Tips

Just bits and bobs that I find interesting and want to share. Usually computer...well Apple. And iOS. Gadgets.

[tansleypete]

Football Fans

A question which bugs me and there may be many of you out there who have answers. Why is it only football that suffers from crowd troubles - maybe it isn't exclusively, but it is predominantly.

At rugby and cricket, fans of rival sides can mingle easily and even be trusted to drink alcohol for heavens sake. Yet not football.

Football fans can somehow manage to smuggle in gunpowder, missiles, flare guns and god knows what else, and I have to wonder how and why? Todays match between the Czech Republic and Croatia is a fine example , as is the much publicised shenanigans of the Russian and England 'fans' - firstly in Marseille and then in Lille.

It saddens me because it can be such a beautiful, emotional and exciting experience to see a football match (it can also be dull, frustrating and ugly). 

We had the dark days of the 80's - times when it seemed like English football would never recover. And I don't want to go there again. Not even close.

Euro 2016 has been a fascinating tournament for many of the right reasons - great football, individual skill and drama. I hope it doesn't get remembered for the wrong reasons.

[tansleypete]

Need to think about where I want to go with my role. IS will be moving out I need to be more involved in Chemistry as some of my roles are or already are things that IS can do. iPad - use the keyboard as I think I need to use a keyboard with the iPad. Or get a new one. Need to spend more time on researching how academics/lecturers can use technology to improve how they work and connect with students. Time to spend on holiday system.

[tansleypete]

iOS 9 and developers

Am I looking forward to tomorrows IOS9 update? Yes in many ways I am. Although I have been running the beta on my iPhone and iPad since WWDC, I think some of the biggest changes will come when developers add iOS9 capabilities to their apps. The Siri native intelligence could really blossom with the correct implementation from app developers and I am excited to see what they can do. Seeing what Siri integration did with Apple Music has altered my view. Before I would not really consider using Siri but now, it is starting to become more part of my thinking. It would be nice if Apple acknowledged more often how App developers have pushed iOS forward. Without this ( and I include developers who write jailbreaking tweaks ) I am not sure Apple would be in the position it is in. The future of Apple TV and Watch will rely heavily on how many apps push the boundaries for what the devices can do. Having seen what developers have done over the last few years, the Apple TV and Watch could be game changing.

[tansleypete]

Squarespace

Now, obviously this is going to look a bit weird as I am on a Squarespace site.

But I am really liking working on Squarespace. Now, it isn't as straight forward as I thought it was going to be. But the Support pages are amazing - the videos and pictures make it easy to follow.

Recently I have been getting more serious about my photography and led to me joining a new Wildlife Photography group. And the subject of a website came up. I offered and then thought - Squarespace! 

It has taken me a while, but is now coming along well. And has inspired me to write a short blog post about it...

The website is http://nottswps.squarespace.com.

Please have a look if you get chance as it has members photos on and is starting off and so needs people to look!

[tansleypete]

Overcast and Podcasting Apps

Like a lot of other podcasting nerds, I had tried different podcasting apps, but I couldn't see what benefit some of them had. They were nicely designed or synced across devices. But the look of a podcasting app is not my main reason for choosing it. And Apples own Podcasts app has recently been my choice as the sync just works, the downloads work and that was that.

Until I took a look at Overcast. This app easily won me over - the fact that it had 1password integration from the account creation screen was impressive - the fact that most of the fields were already filled in was amazing - got me hooked straight away. And then for it to automatically fill in the email and password when you go back to the app warmed my heart(!).

In the extended (!) podcast duo-logy of The Talk Show with John Gruber, Marco Arment described a really thoughtful process behind why he had links to other podcasting apps in his own app. Apps are there to provide a function whether it is a game, a productivity app, maps, etc. So many apps will provide the same function. The look and feel of an app or just the how of it, will make people choose it over another. So Marco was saying - "This app may not be for you and that's fine. Here are some others that might suit you better". And that is great.

This is the sort of attention to detail that makes me respect how the app has been thought of - and also made it easier to spend £2.99 on the upgrade.

[tansleypete]

Squarespace

Now, obviously this is going to look a bit weird as I am on a Squarespace site.

But I am really liking working on Squarespace. Now, it isn't as straight forward as I thought it was going to be. But the Support pages are amazing - the videos and pictures make it easy to follow.

Recently I have been getting more serious about my photography and led to me joining a new Wildlife Photography group. And the subject of a website came up. I offered and then thought - Squarespace! 

It has taken me a while, but is now coming along well. And has inspired me to write a short blog post about it...

The website is http://nottswps.squarespace.com.

Please have a look if you get chance as it has members photos on and is starting off and so needs people to look!

[tansleypete]

One of the changes that I have had to realise is that to properly use an iOS device productively, you have to change your mindset.

[tansleypete]

A tree! I am a tree.

[tansleypete]

A bright and windy day with great light and a few shots of the tram works

[tansleypete]

Loving the new camera and the in-app editing.

[tansleypete]

IOS 8

I first tried iOS 8 on my iPad and wasn't overly excited although I could see where Apple we're going. But I was intrigued. And the more I thought about it, the more I was intrigued. AirDroid was an app that I liked on Android, although often I forgot to start it up. IOS 8 begins to address this. Having it built into the desktop and mobile OS's could be genius. An idea that we just all get used to. One thing that I have found strange, though, is that Apple didn't try and release the mobile and desktop versions at the same time. This would have had an Apple-style wow factor. Maybe it will give iOS 8 time to bed in and iron out the bugs (Bluetooth?) and also give us Apple users time to get acquainted with extensions and all the other nice touches. And yes. I am back with Apple. I was intrigued enough to start looking at phones. I felt a bit left out having an iPad without the phone as there are so many features that are iPhone only. So I bit the bullet. I have excused myself as, although it is a monthly payment, the contract is separate. The phone is unlocked. And it is only 18 months. And the iPhone 6 is actually gorgeous. The size is perfect for me. The screen is amazing. It fits nicely in my hand. And although I am wary as it is sooo thin and smooth, I have had no problems. And a case is on its way...

[tansleypete]

Reconsidering

Since writing my articles on going through the change, two important events have occurred that have made me think. Firstly, Editorial (https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/editorial/id673907758?mt=8) has been updated. This was an app that I realised was important when I first heard about it - again through the marvellous Macstories.net website. But it was an app that I was too lazy to use and actually learn and understand. But then a few things (http://www.macstories.net/reviews/editorial-1-1/) changed. And now I have started to use it. And it is a game changer. Now, for work and writing, the iPad is king.

The second event was Apple's WWDC. Being a Mac user at work, I could see how Yosemite would help. Especially when paired with an iOS device running iOS 8. One useful Android app that I use daily at work is AirDroid (http://www.airdroid.com/). It is handy for sending and receiving texts, as well as copying over files, photos, etc from and to my device. There is also clipboard integration for pushing or pulling clipboard items. Having a Mac, iPad and iPhone all doing this could be especially useful.

Time to reconsider. Especially as giffgaff are now selling iPhones…

[tansleypete]

Going through the change (part 2)

I checked out the new iPhones. But why would I want to tie myself in to another long mobile phone contract? Or pay £600 for a phone (which is not something I can justify)?

And, although iOS 7 had refreshed my iOS devices, it still didn't do what I wanted. There was no easy way of linking between apps apart from learning Python. And I did try. I found many useful articles by Federico Vittici and friends (http://www.macstories.net/) regarding Pythonista (https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/pythonista/id528579881?mt=8) by the very clever Ole Zorn. I found the Mac Power Users podcasts. But it all seemed like so much effort. You had to do all this before you could even use your device for what you wanted to use it for!

Not to say that all these resources weren't excellent. They were amazing and you should check them out. But that wasn't what I wanted to spend my time doing. Reinventing a wheel that someone should already have made.

And that's where Android came in. The flexibility is amazing, compared. You can link, export or connect anything to any app. You can set your phone up as an SSH server. You can easily copy files to and from it. There are excellent ideas like AirDroid. And now, most of the apps I need are cross platform. The phone works just as well as my iPhone. The screen is bigger and just as clear. Battery life is better.

The only thing I miss is the camera. That was better. But even the stock Motorola camera app has more features than the iPhone camera app. And, if there is a better camera app, I can set it as default!. This isn't another Android v Apple rant. It is more about my own observations of where between the two, there is an amazing OS and phone combination to be had.

I still prefer the iPad to the Samsung Galaxy Tab. But the Tab is much older and Samsung seem to enjoy slowing their devices down with bloat ware just like Sony always did. I would happily try a top of the range Android tablet, but the iPad does just fine.

[tansleypete]

Going through the change

Going from iPhone to Android was a lot less trouble and bother than I thought. I have been an Apple fanboy ever since I got an iPod touch around 5 years ago. I was amazed at what this device could do. And when I found the App Store, I was away... Maps, note-taking apps, Word Lens - all showcasing what a pocket device could do. I felt that my dreams were coming true. A pocket device that I could use to take voice notes, typed notes, play music and podcasts, take photos, use as a scanner, dictionary...the possibilities seemed endless. And then I saw people who had an iPhone and this combined all the attributes of the iPod touch but combined with what seemed like a fully integrated system of phone, messages, contacts, maps and calendar. Amazing. I fell in with the Android snobbery and for a while, I was probably justified. Android WAS slow, WAS fragmented and offered little polish compared to iPhones. Yet, Android has moved on. My excitement was waning. My last iPhone was the 4S - I was lured by the camera and Siri. I wanted a digital assistant. I wanted to dictate long notes and get Siri to do things for me. I am still waiting. My patience grew thinner and I started eyeing Android. I had tried a Samsung Galaxy Note and was underwhelmed compared to the iPad. But I still had an Android itch. To be continued...

[tansleypete]

I have wanted to like CloudMagic ever since it first appeared on the App Store (http://blog.cloudmagic.com/2012/01/). It was a search-everything app that appeared to be a great idea. But it never really worked for me - never seemed to improve the tools I already used. It then transformed into a purely email app and again I had a look. But again it just didn't do what I hoped. And didn't offer anything that I couldn't really do in Mail. So, third time lucky? It didn't get off to the best start as I got annoyed that the Show Password box is enabled by default (see above)?! Seems an odd choice as almost always, passwords are hidden as you type - this could catch a few people out and is an unnecessary annoyance. However, I am having a look at lots of different email clients, both on the Mac and on iOS - (Airmail, Boxer, Mailbox) and so this is a timely release for CloudMagic. Boxer is a definite favour at the moment, linking with Dropbox, etc and has become the first app to displace Mail from my dock. The CloudMagic update seems positive. It has swipe gestures which are becoming the norm in mail apps and these work well. The swipe actually stays and gives you time to choose an option. The Edit function is unique as far as I know. Pressing and holding on an email turns on the edit mode and allows you to select more than 1 email which you can then Move, Delete, Archive or Mark as Unread. Cards are an intriguing new feature that incorporates a share-like mode but also allows for context to your email. To start Cards, double tap on the email body. Included cards are Pocket, Evernote, Sender Profile,Trello, Salesforce, Zendesk and MailChimp. The Evernote card lets you send your email to Evernote - giving you the option of which Notebook to put it in and also what tags to add - although there seems to be no option to add a new tag which is disappointing. Sender Profile gives some background on the sender of the email - this can be information from Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook. This could be quite a useful reference to have. There is nothing that really amazes me about CloudMagic so far - all the features are good and it does have Exchange support which is vital for my work email. The swipe gestures are good but the lack of Dropbox support means it does not go above Boxer just yet. I would like to see more Cards available (such as Dropbox) and maybe if that takes off I may keep it on my iPad.

[tansleypete]

iOS 7.1 First Impressions

Ok so new bits - * Slide to Unlock animation changed * New animation and graphic for "Slide to Power Off" and also the related Cancel button. * New calendar/task list pull down on iPhone calendar app. * Weather app has different graphics. Siri doesn't seem too much better - it still cut out on me whilst dictating. Although I noticed that in the UK we now have the option of a female voice. When first testing on my iPhone 4S, it did seem to be a bit more responsive - transitions were sharper. There are just a few notes for starters and I will post more later if I find anything.

[tansleypete]

Printing using Print Center in iOS 7.

I had never even noticed it before! There are more details here - http://www.macworld.com/article/2049367/how-to-print-documents-and-images-in-ios-7.html

And it first appeared in iOS 4.2 http://appleinsider.com/articles/10/09/15/inside_airprint_wireless_printing_with_apples_ios_4_2